I’ve had the great fortune of teaching hundreds of students over the past decade—artists from every background, skill level, and creative journey. And the beautiful thing is… I’m always learning too. Every class brings students who are brand new to encaustics, others who have a photography background but no wax experience, and sometimes even seasoned photo encaustic artists who want to strengthen their foundation.
What’s interesting is that no matter how different their experience levels are, most beginners make the same mistakes. When I talk about my online course, The Artistic Image, I’m often asked: “How do you know what mistakes students are making if you can’t watch them in person?”
I wondered the same thing the first time I taught the class online. But after so many years of teaching workshops—both in person and virtually—I can now spot the issues simply by looking at the images students share. The patterns are unmistakable.
That’s why I created a 9 Rookie Mistakes Checklist you can download and keep at your workspace. It’ll help you avoid the most common pitfalls and build stronger, more confident photo encaustic pieces from the start.
I go deep into these mistakes—and so much more—in my course The Artistic Image, part of my full encaustic photography offerings.
Here’s what you’ll find inside the program:
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A complete blueprint for working with your photographs and encaustic
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A vibrant, supportive community of like-minded artists
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Direct feedback and assistance inside our private members-only Facebook group
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Cheat sheets, step-by-step instructions, and downloadable videos
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100% online access so you can learn whenever it fits your life
And while you learn the techniques, you’ll also create:
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Images that look nothing like what everyone else is making
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Work with depth, atmosphere, and a truly unique perspective
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Composite images that flow straight from your imagination
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Artwork with luminous texture and a mystical, layered feel
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Pieces that people can’t help but walk toward, pause in front of, and want to touch
If you’re new to photo encaustic—or you’ve taken a class before but still feel unsure—this course is absolutely for you.
What do you think? What are some of the biggest rookie mistakes that you’ve made?
Be well….be creative,
Upon opening this week’s topic (I always look forward to your Monday tidbits of wisdom), I thought: O.M.G. Clare is talking directly to me! Your 9 point tip sheet is a spot on reminder on many levels. It was immediately printed and is hanging in the studio where I can pay attention to it regularly.
For me, #1, 2, and 9 are my hot spots with the over-fusing, too thick layers, and heat gun being too close the main culprits. Encaustic work is very new-to-me and whenever one steps away from the familiar and usual, there is a huge learning curve. Suddenly, things that work no longer do and all you feel you are doing is making a big mess.
I recently submitted 3 pieces I had been working on for several months to a group show. Once they were hung, I immediately saw where I needed to practice more – thinner layers, gentle fusing, be patient. And then this morning’s 9 mistakes to avoid from you – yep, I need to just play-practice-play-practice and step away from that needing to “finish” every time I step into the studio. (Ironically, the piece I knew I would reheat and totally scrape off to redo sold…go figure….)
Thanks again for all your creative nuggets of wisdom to keep us moving through and forward!
Thanks Diana, it means the world to me that people are interested in what I put out there. Congrats on selling the one piece….I love that you have the 9 points printed and hanging in the studio.