About Tempera Paint

History of Tempera Paint

Tempera paint, the oldest type of paint known to man, is a mixture of powdered pigments and a binder, such as egg yolks. Long ago, pigments came from natural materials, such as minerals, plants, and clay. In the 15th century, paints were developed that used oil rather than egg as the binder, but natural pigments still provided the color. Today’s tempera paints are made from synthetic pigments. Modern pigment manufacturing, which creates paints with brighter colors, was first introduced during the Impressionist era, in the mid-19th century, and is still evolving today.

Techniques

Painting

To double load a brush, fill the brush with one color, then dip the tip into another. Drag the brush on its side, letting the colors mix as you paint.

To paint in small spaces, cut in along edges of the shape using the flat edge of brush. Fill in center last.

For shading, first make a shade (darker color) of a hue by mixing in a small drop of a dark color or black. Then paint the darker color along one edge of a shape and, using curving brushstrokes that follow the object’s contour, blend it into the rest of the color.

For highlights, first mix the hue into white to make a lighter color. Then blend the lighter color into the edge opposite the shade. Paint a dab of pure white to show the lightest spot on the object.

Brushstrokes

Experiment with different sizes and shapes of expressive brushstrokes, including short, parallel strokes, long, thin strokes, curving or jagged strokes, parallel marks, swirls and waves, and dabbing motions.

For more texture, thicken paint with wheat paste (impasto).

For thin strokes, use the thin edge of the brush.

For wide strokes, use the flat side of the brush. For washes, use long, smooth, even strokes.

Mixing Colors

Always mix dark into light, starting with a small amount and gradually adding more as needed.

For secondary colors, mix equal amounts of two primary colors; for truer colors, instead of red and blue, use magenta and turquoise (cyan).

For tertiary colors, mix analogous colors.

To mute, or dull, colors, mix in a dab of the color’s complement.

Maintenance of Materials

Rinse brushes in running water. If necessary, use a little soap. Avoid soaking the brushes for a long period of time, as water will soften the glue that holds the bristles to the handles. Wipe cleaned brushes on a damp sponge, towel, or paper towel before storing.