Tempera Paint is a Little More Advanced

What is Tempera Painting?

Tempera painting is a type of artwork created using water-based paint that contains an egg yolk as a binding agent. Tempera paint comes in a variety of colors and has a tendency to dry a little bit darker than what you’d expect, so it’s important to allow your paintings plenty of time to fully dry before you decide whether or not they’re finished. You can find premade tempera paint kits at craft stores and online, but it’s also easy to make your materials from scratch using natural ingredients from your local farmer’s market. Here are some of the most common tempera paint recipes:

The History of Tempera Paint

Tempera painting has been around for centuries and is believed by some scholars to have been first discovered by the Ancient Egyptians around 5,000 years ago. After that, many people made significant contributions to the advancement of this type of art, including Van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci. As far as we know, the first commercial manufacturer of tempera paint was the Winsor & Newton company in Great Britain, which is still producing this paint today. If you want to make your materials, you can do so by combining the following ingredients: white clay, a source of iron (like yellow ochre or iron oxide), gum arabic, a gum-like substance extracted from various tree species, water, and egg yolks.

Why Is Tempera Painting Still Popular?

Tempera painting is still a popular art form because it’s relatively easy to learn, inexpensive, and doesn’t require any fancy tools or specialized equipment. You can work on tempera paintings at home or on the go, whether taking them with you on a trip or working on them in a coffee shop when you need to kill a few hours. Many hobbyists also enjoy the meditative aspect of this painting style, as it gives you the time and space that you need to clear your mind and focus on the present moment. Plus, you can create beautiful works of art that your family and friends will love as wonderful gifts! Finally, both children and adults can enjoy working on tempera paintings.

How to Make Your Tempera Paint

If you want to make your tempera paint, you’ll need to combine the ingredients listed above. For the white clay, you can use either kaolin or calcium carbonate; just make sure that you’re using pure white clay. For the iron oxide, you can purchase this online or at a hardware store. When it comes to gum arabic, you can find this in most grocery stores or health food stores. Once you have all of these ingredients, you’ll need to heat them for about an hour in a double boiler or a makeshift double boiler that you can create using a large saucepan filled with water and a smaller saucepan inside that’s filled with water and your ingredients. Once your tempera paint has cooled, you can store it in containers.

The Right Tools for the Job

There are many tools that you can use when painting with tempera paints. Here are some of the most useful ones:

- Brushes: You can use standard paintbrushes, but you’ll get better results if you use watercolor brushes. - Palettes: You can either use a standard dinner plate (or a plate that’s smaller than that) as a palette or a special paint palette made of either metal or plastic.

- Palette Knives: These are great for mixing colors. - Squeeze bottles: These are ideal for creating patterns.

- Squeeze bottles with tips: Some people use these to create flowers and other intricate designs.

- Boards: You can either use pieces of wood or premade canvases.

Step-by-step Instructions for Beginners

If you’re interested in painting with tempera paints, you’ll need to start by gathering all of the necessary materials, including a board for painting, a palette, and your paints. You can either mix the paints you want to use from scratch or go with premade paints. Once you’re ready to start painting, follow these steps:

- Mix your paints and water. You don’t want your paints to be too watery, but you also don’t want them to be too thick.

- Using a brush, apply the paint to the board or canvas.

- If you want a pattern on your board or canvas, use a squeeze bottle.

- Let the paint dry before you decide if it’s finished.

Conclusion

Tempera painting is a fun and inexpensive hobby that you can enjoy both as a child and as an adult. It’s an excellent way to relax while also creating pieces of art that you can use to decorate your home or give as gifts to loved ones. If you want to get started with this hobby, all you need to do is gather the right materials, apply the steps outlined above, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a tempera painting pro!