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Multiple Choice

Encaustic is a technique where colored pigments are mixed with which medium?

Encaustic painting uses pigments mixed with wax as the binder, then heated and applied to a surface. The wax binds the pigment and, when fused with additional heat, hardens into durable layers. This wax-based medium (often beeswax, sometimes with damar resin) is characteristic of encaustic and explains its distinctive texture and luminosity. It differs from watercolor, which uses a water-soluble binder like gum arabic; from sculpture, which is typically three-dimensional and not about pigment in a binding medium; and from digital art, which involves no traditional physical medium. The hot wax method also allows layering and reworking by re-melting and fusing each layer for a rich, luminous finish.

Encaustic painting uses pigments mixed with wax as the binder, then heated and applied to a surface. The wax binds the pigment and, when fused with additional heat, hardens into durable layers. This wax-based medium (often beeswax, sometimes with damar resin) is characteristic of encaustic and explains its distinctive texture and luminosity. It differs from watercolor, which uses a water-soluble binder like gum arabic; from sculpture, which is typically three-dimensional and not about pigment in a binding medium; and from digital art, which involves no traditional physical medium. The hot wax method also allows layering and reworking by re-melting and fusing each layer for a rich, luminous finish.