Part 2 of my process

The first layer of color is now applied, and I am laying out my composition.  I work in geometric blocks of color for this layer mainly to try color combinations and see how they work with each other. 

I vary the sizes and intensity of the blocks.

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The indian yellow has been mixed with a 50/50 portion of encaustic medium to make a transparent glaze. I wanted to keep the marks on the underpainting. The gray portions are left opaque.

There aren't many ways to mark on the wax but I have found that india ink can be used if its applied thick enough. The  marks in the middle section are made with ink. I also have a hot stylus tool that uses encaustic paint and the small dots in the lower right are made with this tool.

detail of the india ink on the wax surface

I add more blocks of color to the composition. Some of the underpainting is being hidden. I painted a brighter blue over the large navy block and let some of the dark underneath show through. I am now working with all opaque colors. I have taken a sharp tool and scratched through the surface in some places to let the layers come through.

I will let this "rest" until I decide what comes next. My paintings can consist of 10 layers or more.

I really love the way the colors can be made transparent so they change slightly when layered over another. I could add some collage at this point or add a layer of clear medium. I will add the clear over marks that I want to keep so they don't float during fusing. Every time a new layer is applied the torch or heatgun is used to adhere the new layer to the old ones.