Cold Wax

Experimenting with new materials expands the possibilities. I have been wanting to try cold wax for awhile now so I bought a jar of it from DickBlick. No way was I going for the hot wax, sounds much too messy. First, I worked the cold wax into oil pigments layering my painting. This method was different from the transparent medium I have been using. The transparent medium is more fluid and doesn't add texture.  I also just waxed over a dried oil painting as a varnish. Both methods have their merits. For me, I found using the cold wax as a varnish to finish an oil painting is my choice. If you are using the wax as a varnish, the painting must be dry to the touch. Spread the wax evenly over the entire surface. I use a soft paper towel to spread it around in a circular fashion. After the layer of wax dries, which surprisingly only takes a few days, I buffed the surface with a soft cloth. This buffing really deepened the colors and made a rich overall even finish to the painting.





This painting does not have a cold wax finish. It may be hard to tell here, but it is a bit duller than the one below.

This same painting was finished with the cold wax and buffed. Hopefully you can see that the colors are richer than the unwaxed version above.





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