Discover the Magic of Painting with
Water-Based Cold Wax and Acrylics!
Do you love the look of cold wax and oils but prefer painting with acrylics? Or maybe you can’t use oils anymore? Try water-based cold wax! Mix it with your acrylic paints or with pigments to achieve beautiful textures, layers, and a soft matte finish—without harmful chemicals or bad smells. It’s safer for you and the environment and dries much faster than oils and cold wax, though slower than acrylics alone. This gives you time to blend colors and create stunning layers, without waiting weeks for your paintings to dry. You can work more quickly and easily.
This versatile medium can be mixed with acrylics, pigments, inks, sand, and more. Use it to create smooth, transparent layers or add unique textures and details. Let your creativity flow and have fun experimenting with different colors and techniques!
One of my most asked questions (after 'How long does it take for a layer to dry?) is 'I am an acrylic painter, I can’t stand the smell of oil paint, can I mix cold wax medium with acrylic paints?' And unfortunately the answer is NO, You Can't. But there is a solution! With the water-based cold wax (I use Powerwax) you can create similar effects as with cold wax and oils. Textures, transparency, a beautiful soft finish, all possible!
POWERWAX BY POWERTEX
This is the water-based cold wax I use to create the same effects as cold wax with oils. It’s called Powerwax, and it's made by Powertex. Powertex has representatives in most countries, so feel free to contact me at marinatvb@outlook.com if you need help finding one!
Want to Create Beautiful, Textured Paintings That Tell a Story?
Join My E - Classes!
I will help you to go from a frustrated, dabbling artist to a confident creative cold wax artist!
A full class on painting with cold wax & acrylics in which you will learn all about the tools, the techniques and more!
This mini-class will give you an introduction to cold wax and acrylics painting while making beautiful mini-flower paintings
Coming in 2025: combining my love for portraits and my passion for cold wax painting: Fab Faces in cold wax and acrylics! Join the wait list!
Are you frustrated because your colours turn into mud? Want to learn about colour mixing? Join this class and learn to mix like a Pro!
"I really encourage you to experiment, to explore the medium, try out the techniques, enjoy the process and not to rush to the final painting.
Don't think about the end result, put on some music and play!
What is Water-based Cold Wax for Acrylics?
This water-based cold wax can be mixed with acrylics, pigments, inks, sand, rust powder and more which makes it a super interesting medium for mixed media and textured painting. It is white in color but dries transparent. Unlike traditional cold wax medium, which are oil-based, Powerwax is water-soluble, making it easier to clean up and work with, especially for artists who prefer to avoid solvents.
In my online class, "Water-Based Cold Wax & Acrylics - The Basics" I’ve created easy-to-follow tutorials about the tools, the techniques, step by step projects and demo's. Here’s a quick look at the tools we’ll be working with!
Grab the Water-based cold wax Art Supply Guide for Free!
Did you know there's a water-based cold wax that works great with acrylics? It helps create stunning layered and textured paintings. Take a look at my art supply list to see the tools I use to achieve these fantastic effects!
I am Marina - your coach on your cold wax painting journey!”
I’m so happy you stopped by The Cold Wax Lab! I’d love to connect with you. A little about me: I’m a Dutch professional artist living in the South of France with my family and our lovely dog, Tessa. I’m passionate about painting with cold wax medium—both in oils and with water-based cold wax and acrylics. Discovering these mediums completely transformed my creative process, and I believe it can do the same for you! Dive into the world of cold wax painting with me—I’m sure you’ll love it!
Learn more about the water-based cold wax on my blog
I will answer some of your questions...
Don't hesitate to send me more!
What is the water-based cold wax called and where can I buy it?
The water-based cold wax I use is called Powerwax, from the company Powertex. In a lot of countries, there is a Powertex representative that sells Powerwax and other Powertex products (rusty powder and bister are one of my favorites!)
Can I make the cold wax myself?
Although I make the cold wax medium for oils myself, I don't think the water-based cold wax can be 'home-made'
Is cold wax painting for abstract painters?
Not at all! Although many cold wax painters love to do abstracts, I adapted the process to my figurative painting style and do portraits, figures, flowers and more!
How long does it take for a cold wax painting to dry?
This is a huge advantage of working in acrylics and water-based cold wax, the drying time is so much shorter. It depends on your paint and the thickness of your layers but most of the time the layer is dry after one or two hours. If you find that too long, you can add a bit of sand or marble dust to speed up the drying time
Why use water-based medium and not another texture medium like a gel medium?
Of course, you can create textures with other mediums, but the results will never be quite the same (though that doesn’t mean they’re any less beautiful). Cold wax gives a soft, matte finish to your acrylic paint and makes it beautifully transparent
What are your favorite drawing tools?
At the moment Neocolor II's are my absolute favorite!
What are your favorite texture tools?
I use stencils, home made or bought (I love the ones from Stencilgirl!), embossed wall paper which I press into my wet paint, a skewer to scribble, stamps, silicon brushes and more! Check out my YouTube video on the texture tools!
