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Egg tempera is a painting technique that has been used for centuries. It is inexpensive and easy to learn. If done right, the final product can be amazing. The picture below is an example of the tempera technique on wood (by Niccolo Semiticolo, 1367).
The version I am going to outline in this instructable is what I was taught by my teacher in grad school. I have not tried comparing it to other tempera techniques. If you would like to learn some other ways of doing this, you can visit www.eggtempera.com.
You can also find some history of egg tempera painting on Wikipedia.
The version I am going to outline in this instructable is what I was taught by my teacher in grad school. I have not tried comparing it to other tempera techniques. If you would like to learn some other ways of doing this, you can visit www.eggtempera.com.
You can also find some history of egg tempera painting on Wikipedia.
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Signing UpStep 1Why egg tempera?
The great thing about egg tempera is that you can use almost anything to make pigment. Tempera artists often grind and mix thier own pigments. The egg acts as the binder, and will stick almost any pigment to many different surfaces. This means you don't have to rely only on the colors offered by paint companies.
Personally I have never ground my own pigment. I prefer to use watercolor that is available at art stores for coloring. This color variety is plenty for my needs.
If you decide you don't want to use watercolor, and prefer to grind your own pigment, you might want to do a search to find the right way to process the materials.
If you would rather experiment than research, cool! But remember, WEAR A RESPIRATOR when grinding pigment. Things that aren't usually dangerous can become poisonous if ground to a super-fine powder and inhaled.
Personally I have never ground my own pigment. I prefer to use watercolor that is available at art stores for coloring. This color variety is plenty for my needs.
If you decide you don't want to use watercolor, and prefer to grind your own pigment, you might want to do a search to find the right way to process the materials.
If you would rather experiment than research, cool! But remember, WEAR A RESPIRATOR when grinding pigment. Things that aren't usually dangerous can become poisonous if ground to a super-fine powder and inhaled.
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Cheaper brands might have fillers and extenders like chalk, but might still work well enough if you grind them down. Oil pastels would just make a mess. Try to find an art store that sells soft pastels individually (open stock), and that way you could experiment without laying out much money. And do be careful not to inhale the ground pigments - just like you wouldn't breathe pastel dust when working with them in the usual way.
Either way, I have some pretty good chalk pastels at home, so I'm going to try that next chance I get.
Will the smell attract bugs? Should I take precautions, especially in the summer?
I live with several other people in a suburban neighborhood, and I don't think ANY of them would appreciate rotten-egg smell. Where do you suggest I should put it? How bad would it get?
Do you know if there's anything to mix with the egg that would negate the smell? If not, that's okay.
Boy was I confused. I was trying to figure out how to store egg white.