Best Holiday Painting in 2026

You are layering rich, earthy textures onto a wooden panel when you realize the Mars Red pigment has the perfect depth to anchor your composition. This 40ml cake from R&F is a dream for encaustic artists who demand professional-grade consistency. Because it is milled in small batches in Kingston, New York, using pure beeswax and damar resin, the texture feels incredibly premium and ready to use immediately. The Mars Red itself is a fascinating shade. It hits that sweet spot of being intensely saturated without ever looking artificial or electric. It carries a heavy pigment load that provides excellent opacity, allowing you to transition from a deep, brownish tone to a striking red depending on your application. It is a reliable, small-batch staple for anyone serious about traditional wax painting.

Serious encaustic artists who demand professional-grade pigment density need to stop settling for mass-produced wax alternatives and switch to R&F. This Mars Yellow Light shade is a standout, offering a soft, slightly greenish yellow that mimics traditional yellow ochre with incredible accuracy. Because these cakes are handmade in small batches in Kingston, New York, using a blend of 100% pure beeswax and damar resin, the texture and performance feel significantly more premium than standard options. The opacity is impressively high, making the color appear almost brilliant when layered against darker backgrounds. Whether you are working with the 40ml size or scaling up to larger volumes, the heavy pigment load ensures your work maintains depth and vibrancy through every melt and layer.

Serious encaustic artists looking to move beyond the flat, muddy limitations of standard black paint need this specific shade in their studio immediately. This Payne's Grey from R&F is a revelation for layering, offering a deep eggplant violet hue that provides incredible depth without sullying your other colors. Because it is milled in small batches in Kingston, New York, using a heavy pigment load, 100% pure beeswax, and damar resin, the texture and consistency feel incredibly premium. The semi-transparent opacity makes it a versatile tool for glazing, allowing you to manipulate light and shadow with a level of nuance that mass-produced paints simply cannot match. It is a professional-grade staple that honors traditional materials while delivering modern artistic precision.

The lipstick-soft consistency of this Blue Ochre stick makes you want to skip the palette and go straight to the canvas. Unlike traditional oils that require a messy setup of solvents and brushes, these R&F pigment sticks offer a tactile, immediate way to paint while traveling or working on the go. The color itself is a fascinating chameleon. It carries a green-leaning blue edge reminiscent of indigo, but as you rub it out, a surprising yellowish-brown undertone emerges through its semi-transparent layers. Because they are handmade in small batches in Kingston, New York, using natural beeswax and linseed oil, you can feel the premium, traditional quality in every stroke. It is a unique, solvent-free tool that turns oil painting into a much more portable and intuitive experience.

Can a single shade of pigment truly redefine your entire color palette? The Blue Ochre from R&F is one of those rare, transformative finds that behaves more like a living medium than a standard paint. Milled in small batches in Kingston, New York, this encaustic paint uses a heavy pigment load mixed with pure beeswax and damar resin to create a professional-grade texture. What makes this specific shade so captivating is its complex personality. It carries a greenish, edgy undertone similar to indigo, yet it maintains a deep blue presence. As you work with it, the semi-transparent layers reveal a surprising yellowish-brown when rubbed out, offering a depth that mass-produced paints simply cannot replicate.

R&F Handmade Chrome Oxide Green Encaustic Paint delivers a stunningly cool, low-intensity hue that behaves unlike any standard pigment. What makes this 40ml cake so special is its unique ability to almost float over darker layers, creating ethereal olive tints that add incredible depth to encaustic work. Because these are milled in small batches in Kingston, New York, using a heavy pigment load, 100% pure beeswax, and damar resin, the opacity is impressively consistent. You get a professional-grade, ready-to-use medium that respects traditional methods while offering a modern color profile. It is a heavy-duty, high-quality option for artists who need reliable, opaque colors that maintain their character through the melting process.

Serious encaustic artists seeking unparalleled depth and glazing capabilities need this Phthalo Green in their toolkit immediately. Because R&F mills these paints in small batches in Kingston, New York, using a heavy pigment load mixed with pure beeswax and damar resin, the color payoff is incredibly intense. I found that this specific shade behaves beautifully as a transparent glaze, though its vivid undertones can feel quite harsh if you aren't careful with your layering. It is a powerful pigment that can even mimic a near-black look when used in fine line work. Whether you are working with the 40ml cake or larger sizes, the handmade quality provides a professional texture that mass-produced alternatives simply cannot match.

You are sitting in a sun-drenched park with nothing but a sketchbook and this single stick of Phthalo Green Pale to capture the shifting light. Unlike traditional oil painting that requires a messy ritual of palettes, solvents, and brushes, these R&F pigment sticks offer an immediate, tactile connection to your canvas. The consistency is remarkably soft, reminiscent of a lipstick, allowing you to glide the pigment directly onto your surface. Because they are milled in small batches using natural beeswax, linseed oil, and plant waxes, the application feels incredibly organic. This specific shade is a versatile powerhouse. Its opaque nature allows you to pull the color toward blue, green, or yellow depending on your blending needs. It is a portable, solvent-free dream for any artist seeking spontaneity.

Most artists assume a single pigment color will behave predictably, but this Olive Yellow is a masterclass in optical complexity. Because it blends violet and yellow with yellow iron oxide, the hue shifts dynamically between greenish, yellowish, and brownish tones depending on how it sits within your composition. It is a semi-transparent medium that allows for beautiful layering, which is essential when working with the heavy pigment load found in these small-batch cakes. Since R&F mills these in Kingston, New York, using 100% pure beeswax and damar resin, you get a professional-grade texture that feels much more substantial than mass-produced alternatives. It is a specialized tool for anyone looking to add sophisticated, shifting depth to their encaustic work.