Page 22 - Artist Materials Advisor

Tempera grassa, which Pietro Annigoni learned from the Russian artist Nikolai Lokoff, is a variation of tempera painting that some believe to have been used by artists in the 16th century, although there is little evidence so far to support this claim...

An interesting reference in a manual regarding the drying properties of oil paint has some application to oil painters. Some of the information is outdated and inaccurate, yet it does provide an easy-to-understand explanation of drying properties. I have edited some of the content to make it more applicable to artists...

Each day we receive many questions about how to make paint. One question that is often asked is regarding a "formula" for making paint...

Gilding is an art that requires dexterity, savoir-faire, and skill, qualities that craftsmen obtain after years of experience. There are two basic techniques in applying gold or metal leaf to surfaces: oil and water gilding. Both techniques employ glue to adhere the leaf to the substrate, but the difference lies in the type of glue. This technique uses a water-based glue or size...

Kölner Colnasize is a concentrate and an easily prepared size designed for the adhesion of gold and silver leaf to Kölner Burnishing Clay and Kölner Insta-Clay...

Black oil is the classic drying oil made with lead. It improves the handling and drying of oils and can be used in recipes to make megilp, Maroger, and Roberson's mediums and traditional oil varnishes, such as copal. This is the classic drying oil made with litharge (lead oxide). Since the earliest times, litharge was cooked with vegetable oil, such as linseed or walnut oil, to clarify it while removing impurities and imparting faster drying characteristics. Cooking the oil for long periods and at high temperatures allows more significant amounts of litharge to be dissolved in the oil while at the same time darkening the oil. ...

Did watercolorists of the 18th and 19th centuries use mediums to brush and manipulate their watercolors? The evidence shows that they handled their colors differently from contemporary artists today. Here are some historical references on the use of watercolor mediums by British watercolorists of the 18th and 19th centuries...

Varnish is a transparent, hard, protective film that provides a protective layer over artwork. Varnishes are traditionally a combination of drying oil, resin, and solvent. Varnish finishes are usually glossy but may be made to produce a satin or matte surface by the addition of “flatting” agents. Varnish has little, or no color, is transparent, and has no added pigment, as opposed to paint or stain, which contains pigments or dyes and generally range from opaque to translucent. Varnishes are also applied between layers of paint to isolate them or over substrates, such as wood, to seal them and reduce absorbency...

Making your own paints can be a rewarding experience. You must remember, however, that you are dealing with materials that may be harmful if not handled with care. It must not be assumed that the absence of a health warning indicates that a material is safe. All dust can be harmful if inhaled, and persistent exposure to them will at least cause irritation and possible harm to you. There is an increasing amount of information available regarding powdered pigments, but the safest way is to treat all materials as potentially harmful...

Rublev Colours Artists' Oils let you experience what the old masters well understood—the unique characteristics of pigments. The pigments used by old masters in their paintings were ground from natural minerals and earths, fermented in dyer vats, and concocted in alchemist laboratories. Rublev Colours Artists' Oils give you the same pigments used by the old masters prepared with linseed oil as ready-made paints...