The encaustic paint is heated to 200 – 220 degrees Fahrenheit on a metal palette over a hot plate. A thermometer is used to monitor the temperature, because if the wax gets heated higher, the wax breaks down and emits noxious fumes.

The paint is mixed on the palette with clear medium (encaustic paint without pigment) to extend the colors, maintain hardness, and increase transparency.

The molten paint is applied to a porous support such as wood, or paper glued to an inflexible material, using a natural fiber brush, palette knives, or by pouring or dripping from cups. I usually work with the support flat, but sometimes lift it vertically to create dripping effects. The paint hardens (cools) immediately.

Next, the paint must be re-melted so that it fuses to the support or previous layer of paint. This ensures that the painting layers are bonded and will not flake apart. This is the step that allows the artist a wide range of creative options, depending on whether you heat the layer just until it shines (indicating fusing temperature) or further, until the wax melts, causing colors to sink, rise, edges and shape changes, texture removed or added. I use a hot air gun for this "burning in" step.

When the painting has cooled, no further work (other than a mild buffing) needs to be done on it. However, the beauty of working with encaustics is that additional layering may be done directly onto the top-most surface either immediately or even many years later. Work can be changed by simply scraping off the paint. 

Because wax is an adhesive, the process is very conducive to collage. The encaustic can be impregnated with papers, photos, foils, strings, fabric, or found objects of almost any material as long as they have some porosity. Objects can be placed in layers on top of each other, or they can be separated by layers of encaustic medium to give the effect of floating. The preservative quality of wax allows the use of organic materials, which will not deteriorate if well coated with the paint. Papers such as newsprint are protected from yellowing because the wax seals it off from oxygen.