This post goes for anything (paint, wood, metal, clay, encaustic, et cetera.), try to use only what you need. Not only will it save you money in the long run, but it will keep waste out of our ecosystem.
Here are a couple of tips to reduce: Don't squeeze your watercolor paint out into a palette. Take care of your brushes (Encaustic folks should have a brush for each color). Buy bulk when you can; it means less packaging. And make sure you can recycle the packaging. Pay attention to sustainable practices; Strathmore for example has wind powered products. And make your art archival; otherwise your work may end up in the dump.
Read more next time: "Reuse"
ThanksJonathan Parks
P.S. I suggest a brush for each color of encaustic because this will eliminate the need for solvents and paraffins to clean those brushes. Scrape of the excess encaustic paint on the edge of the palette cup and wipe the rest away. Graduate the brushes for light colors (colors will rub off on hot brushes and white is the most susceptible) to a darker color when those other colors begin to effect the quality. On Encaustic Resource read: Tools and Technique: Brushes, Palette Cups.
