The medium, technique or process of painting with molten wax (mostly beeswax), resin, and pigments that are fused after application into a continuous layer and fixed to a support with heat, and achieves a lustrous enamel appearance. The solvent for encaustic is also heat. Encaustic is the medium, technique or process of painting with molten wax (mostly beeswax), resin, and pigments that are fused after application into a continuous layer and fixed to a support with heat to achieve a lustrous enamel appearance.

Encaustic is also known as hot wax painting. In practice, it is a is a very slow and arduous technique, and because the paint can be built up in relief, the wax gives a rich optical effect to the pigment resulting in a finished work that is startlingly life-like.