It always surprises me that when I actually watch someone and then have a go myself, how much easier it can be than my initial thoughts of doing it. Painting with egg tempera is one of those skills…once I was shown how to do it I was off!
Gather everything together…..pestle and mortar, eggs, bowls, paper, minerals, disposable palate and painting equipment
Separate egg yoke from egg white and prepare egg yoke.
Whisk egg yolk with a little vinegar.
Mix egg yolk with mineral powder on palate
A small amount of water may be required to prepare the mineral, use of a muller and stone would have been useful here, to reduce the size of the particles for painting to get a smoother finish.
Amounts of paint required need to be estimated prior to making up as the length of time the paint will keep is restricted due to the natural nature of the ingredients.
Natural colours found around guardia from stones, metal and found objects.
I colore di guardia – colour wheel.
It will be a while before I can test the other stones and soil samples in the kiln, but i’ll post an update when I have one. In the meantime, this technique will be useful for a couple of projects I have coming up in the next few months….watch this space.
