Kassandra Kelly

Kassandra Kelly never thought her first book would be a do-it-yourself encaustic art materials book for Kindle. Growing up in a family of working artists, she had a pretty good idea what it meant to make a living as an artist and she didn't want anything to do with it. And yet… there was something missing from her life. She wanted to play with melted wax.

If you are an artist or want to be an artist, you already know that making art isn't cheap. Have you ever walked out of an art supply store without dropping fifty bucks? Can't be done. The pretty colors, the goo, the nice clean brushes and the fresh canvases whisper the siren song of money disappearing down the drain.

Fortunately for cheapskates everywhere, artists have been making their own art supplies since the first cave woman sketched a horse on a cave wall with a burned stick. And information about how to make your own encaustic supplies is out there too. You just have to find it.

When not to DIY:

• If you don't know whether encaustic is for you;

• If you are taking a workshop and the instructor tells you to bring prepared supports to the first class;

• If encaustic is only part of a larger project;

• If you have more money than time.

On the other hand, you are a DIY encaustic materials person if:

• You love the art form but hate the cost;

• You work with large quantities of materials and don't have time for cute little tins;

• You're just a DIY person at heart;

• You've tried the rest and like your own recipe best.

When not in the studio, Kassandra can most often be found tucked behind the covers of a ghost story or murder mystery, the spookier the better. She lives in rural solitude with one kid (the other is out of the nest), two dogs, a shameful number of cats (okay, eight), ten thousand Italian honeybees, and one partner affectionately known as The Theory. Probably to hide his identity.

Questions about encaustic art, genre fiction or cat food tins? Email Kassandra at info@kassandrakelly.com, or visit her blog at http://hive-encaustic.com. And stay tuned for more stories of zombies and serial killers. Or encaustic art materials.