'My favorite water-based media to use in combination with encaustic is a product called Instant Indigo (freeze-dried indigo crystals). She often uses inks to achieve much of this layered beauty. Lorraine Glessner's work is filled with dynamic texture and brushstrokes. When you are done, fuse lightly or allow it to dry naturally.' If you want to add more lines or scratches, repeat the process. You don’t need to remove all the tone, just what is not essential to the painting. The tone can be removed with R&F Blending Medium. This will make the scratches visible and leave the tone on the surface. You'll need to push the paint into the texture, not just wipe on top. Next, take some Pigment Stick (multiple colors, if you like), or Sumi ink for a deep black, and rub into the scratches. Brushstrokes and pinholes left in the wax will add texture, as well. You can also sand the surface with rough grit sandpaper to create surface noise.

Scratch outlines, tiny details, or words into the wax with a needle tool or stylus. If you miss an area, the Pigment Stick will permanently stain the substrate. 'After you create your watercolor painting, fuse a layer of encaustic medium to the surface, being careful to cover the entire surface with enough depth to scratch into but not so thick as to lose the luminosity of the painting. Leslie describes the steps in her process below. Leslie Giuliani uses watercolor, gouache, R&F Pigment Sticks, and Sumi ink to enhance encaustic paintings.

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