How To Make Oil Paint

How to make Oil Paint Making oil paint is a much easier process than most people imagine. If you already have basic tools such as a palette knife, some linseed oil and a clean flat surface: you can experiment by making small batches of paint. It doesn't really matter which pigment you start with, although you might want to choose an economical earth pigment, to minimize your initial investment and because earth pigments are easier to work with than the mineral pigments.

1. No matter what amount 2. With a palette knife of paint you are making, make a small crater in always start by pouring a your mound of pigment. small amount of pigment onto a flat non-porous surface.

5. Next, take your palette knife and carefully fold the pigment into the oil, taking care that the oil does get away from the pigment.

3. Next pour a small amount of linseed oil into the crater. Start with a small amount of linseed oil. It takes a lot less than you think.

4. As you can see in this picture, there is only about a tablespoon of oil for approximately 30g of pigment.

6. Continue to fold the 7. Once all of the pigment into the oil and pigment and oil have blend the two together by been blended into a applying pressure smooth paste, the paint downward with the palette can be used right away. knife. This is where a You can use this paint sturdy palette knife is directly on your palette crucial. Flimsy ones tend alongside any other to snap. pre-made paints you may have.

If you want to make paint for storage, go on to the next steps

8. Take the glass muller 9. Once the paint has been 10. Once the paint has 11. In order to thicken the and place it on top of your mulled out into a thin been mulled out into a paint again, add a small pigment paste. Gently layer, collect the paint thin layer, collect the paint amount of pigment. Fold move the muller across the back into the center of the back into the center of the the freshly added pigment surface in a circular surface. You will notice surface. You will notice into the paint. motion. This forces the that the paint has a runnier that the paint has a runnier pigment into a more even consistency. consistency. suspension.

12. With the muller spread 13. The mulling process the paint out again. Notice should be repeated two or how there are little peaks three times, so that more in the paint. This means pigment can be packed that the paint is becoming into the paint. Once the thicker. paint has reached the pictured consistency, it is ready to be stored.

14. Paint can be stored in any sort of airtight container. For this example we will show how to put the paint into tubes.

15. Flatten the end of the tube, so that the paint can be scraped into the tube with a palette knife.

16. Pick up a small 17. Scrape the paint into amount of paint onto your the tube. palette knife.

18. Repeat.

19. Since the paint has a thick consistency, it will gather at the opening, blocking the way for more paint.

20. In order to force the paint further into the tube, grasp the head of the tube in your palm.

21. Next pound your closed fist onto the table, thereby forcing the paint into the tube, without destroying the cap end of the tube.

22. Once the tube has 23. Take your palette been filled 2/3 of the way, knife and place it across flatten the remaining the end of the tube. portion of the tube.

24. Fold the tube upward, 25. Repeat the folding thereby creasing the end process once or twice and of the tube. you are done.

Casein & Milk Paint Recipe

Casein With this type of paint, Casein glue acts as the binder for the pigments. Casein is one of the natural components of milk. It is made from precipitated milk, which is then reconverted into glutinous casein glue with the aid of alkali. Casein is one of the first binders ever used by mankind. Casein can be painted on a variety of surfaces, including wood and plaster. Which ever surface used, it must be a rigid one as casein is too brittle to paint on a flexible surface (such as canvas). Casein is also an emulsifier this allows you to "combine" oil and water. There are two methods of using casein in combination with pigments: Lime-casein and Borax Casein. Of the two, the Borax Casein is easier to use and suitable as an artist grade pigment binder. It is used to make such paints that are commonly known as Distemper colors, but can also be used to make larger quantities of paint for interior wall paint applications. Casein is natural product and will spoil if kept in a wet state. Store unused casein solution in the refrigerator—this should preserve it for two weeks.

Borax Casein Ingredients by weight: 2 1/2 oz. (80g) Casein Powder 9 fl. oz. (apr. 250ml) cold water 1 oz. (32g)Crystalline Borax 9 fl. oz. (apr. 250ml) hot water ...by volume 5 Parts of Casein w/ 9 Parts Cold Water 2 Parts Crystalline Borax w/ 9 Parts Hot Water Directions 1. 2. 3. 4.

Soak Casein powder in cold water in a covered container overnight. Dissolve Borax Powder in hot water. Add Borax Solution to the Casein Solution and stir. Hydrolysis will start right away and must be completed before the next step (wait approx. 2 hours until no more swelled casein particles can be seen and the yellowish mass is evenly translucent) 5. Heat the solution in a double boiler until it becomes liquid (140° F). 6. Once the solution has cooled, it will return to a syrupy consistency and is ready to be used as a pigment binder. As with all water-based media, the chosen pigment has to be wetted first. This is achieved by adding small amounts of water to the dry pigment. Then using a palette knife

Encaustic & Wax Paste

Encaustic Encaustic (Hot Wax) painting dates back to ancient Greece. Beeswax is the oldest known pigment binder. Encaustic literally means "Burning In". The process itself is very simple. Pigment is added to molten bees wax and (often) resin, which is applied to a surface. The surface itself may be warm allowing for manipulation of the encaustic paint.It may also be cool causing the brush stroke to "Freeze" immediately.The final treatment is the "burning in" which consists of passing a heat source over the surface, causing a fusing and bonding of the painting. The surface may then be polished with a soft cloth for a nice sheen. This is the "Classic Way", today there are any number of ways of working with wax. Encaustic has the advantage of not yellowing, of weathering well , being unaffected by moisture and being able to with stand higher heat than oil paintings. Encaustic is good for creating texture and can be painted on any number of surfaces (Canvas, Paper, Stone Wood Panels, and so on). The advantages of adding balsams and resins to the wax is argued endlessly. To the beeswax you can add Linseed oil, Larch Turpentine, Dammar Crystals, Mastic, Colophony, Carnauba Wax, Copal, and so on. With a little research you will find many "encaustic" recipes. Be willing to experiment to find what works.

Basic Encaustic There is no prescribed way to produce encaustic paint. Pigments vary in weight, tinting strength and transparency, so they require experimentation to achieve the results you're looking for. The wonderful aspect of creating your own encaustics is that you can control these properties, and create your own unique colors; you can't do this when you buy ready-made wax blocks. The following recipe produces an encaustic medium that can be used exclusively to create an encaustic painting, and is ideal for beginners. But, after you try this recipe, you'll probably want to get even more adventurous and try other ingredients! Recipe for Encaustic with Dammar Crystals Adapted from The Art of Encaustic Painting, by Joanne Mattera All you need is: • • •

* 10 parts Refined Bleached Beeswax * 1 - 2 parts Dammar Crystals (optional) * Pigment (quantity varies)

Step #1: Melt 10 parts Refined Bleached Beeswax. We recommend you use a large double boiler with a pour spout or an old sauce pan over an electric hot plate to make your medium. Later, you can transfer your mixture into a stainless steel or teflon muffin tin so that you will be able to individually mix and re-heat various colors. Refined

Traditional Gesso Chalk Ground

Traditional Gesso Recipes Chalk Grounds made with Natural Glues Making Chalk Grounds is probably one of the most difficult processes to learn, because so many things can affect the outcome of a chalk ground (temperature, humidity, type of chalk, type of glue, etc.) While there are many approaches to making a chalk grounds, here is a simple approach that can be altered as needed. The first thing to consider is that any chalk ground has to be applied onto a rigid surface. Chalk Grounds have a tendancy to be brittle and therefore would crack and separate from a flexible ground. The best rigid surface would be a wooden panel. In order to avoid uneven moisture absorption by the wood, the panel has to first be sized front back and side with a natural glue size (rabbit or hide glue). Preparing Glue Size • • • •

Soak one measure (by volume) of glue to 12 measures of cold water Allow glue to soak preferably overnight Heat glue mixture in a double boiler bath Apply glue while warm with a flat brush

Usually two layers are enough to seal the wood effectively. At this point it is advisable to adhere a piece of fabric (thin muslin sheeting) to the panel to help stabilize the ground and to protect it from joints in the panel that might show in the gesso. The fabric can be adhered to the panel by painting down a thin layer of glue-solution to the front of the panel and soaking the fabric in the glue solution. Once the fabric is stretched over the front of the panel, allow the glue to dry thoroughly before trimming off the excess fabric from the edges. The left over glue-size then gets used for the chalk ground. Chalk Grounds: Ingredients • • •

3 parts of glue size (by volume) 1 part chalk 1 part pigment (white, english red, umber, etc.)

Chalk Grounds: Directions • • • •

Measure out the glue size solution into a metal container Add the dry ingredients Stir well but don not whisk to prevent air-bubbles Place container in a double-boiler bath

Waterbased Paint Recipe

How to make Waterbased Paint Making waterbased paint is a much easier process than most people imagine. If you already have basic tools such as a palette knife and a clean flat surface: you can experiment by making small batches of paint. Depending on what sort of waterbased paint you want to make, you will need a vehicle of your choosing (acrylic emulsion, egg yolk, casein or any kind of watercolor binder). It doesn't really matter which pigment you start with, although you might want to choose an economical earth pigment, to minimize your initial investment and because earth pigments are easier to work with than the mineral pigments.

Making water based paints, starts the same way as the oil paint. Place a small amount of pigment onto a flat non-porous surface.

With the palette knife, make a small crater in the pigment.

Next, pour a small amount of water into the pigment mound.

With the palette knife, carefully fold the pigment into the water. Applying pressure with the palette knife, helps break up any sort of pigment lumps. With really difficult pigments, add a few drops of a dispersing agent such as oxgall, disponil or even rubbing alcohol.

Street Chalk Recipe Traditional Street Painter's Pastels Recipe The following recipe has a very high beeswax content and low alkali content: 1⁄4 cup boiled linseed oil 3⁄4 cup (liquid measure) beeswax 5 oz. (1/2 cup) ivory bar soap wall paper paste solution (follow directions on package) wheat paste electric skillet and microwave oven, 2 1⁄2 cups water 1. Melt the pieces of beeswax in a microwave oven if available. Otherwise, heat the beeswax in the electric skillet until liquid. Remove excess beeswax from the skillet. Measure 3⁄4 cup of the liquid beeswax and combine in skillet with 1⁄4 cup linseed oil. and heat to 350 degrees. 2. Grate Ivory bar soap and place in a pan with 2.5 cups water. Over medium high heat, bring to a rapid boil and stir with a French whisk until dissolved. 3. Pour boiling soap solution extremely slowly into 350 degree wax solution, beating rapidly with the French whisk until well combined. 4. Pour emulsion into metal pan or bowl and place into ice water bath still whisking constantly. Stir until room temperature. The emulsion should be smooth and free of grains. The consistency should be like a heavy cream. You can add more or less boiling water in Step #3 to adjust the consistency. 5. Prepare wheat wallpaper paste solution. Must be wheat paste, can get at most home improvement stores. 6. Combine an equal part of soap solution/beeswax & oil solution/ to an equal part of wall paper paste solution for a waxier chalk.

* One part emulsion to 2 parts wall paper paste solution creates a normal chalk. Stir with French whisk until combined. *Best for street painting! When I am making my colors up, I generally begin with mixing the emulsion, saving it in a air-tight container. I store it in a cabinet, away from direct sunlight., as it will mold if left out. Different combinations of the emulsion and wallpaper mixtures can make almost any pigment usable. The pigments that weigh less generally need more emulsion to make chalks that match the more waxy colors such as titanium and cadmium produce. One part emulsion to 2 parts wall paper paste glue solution creates a normal chalk. A half and half mixture makes a waxier one. The less emulsion/binder used, the softer the chalk. For my pigment colors, I add marble dust as an extender, (considering the large amount of colors used on the asphalt of a 12'x12' square. As stated previously, every pigment will need a different proportion of binder. An experimental chalk should be made from every pigment to determine its properties. Once the binders are added to the pigment, I mix with painter's putty knives. Care on forming the pastels will yield a better product. My pastels are formed by placing pigment in center of smooth marble surface, adding marble dust (up to 50% proportion to pigment). Carefully blending the dry color and filler using painter's putty knives, I make a "volcano shape" with a small well in the center (This is for approximately a 1/2 cup dry powder). I then place the emulsion into the center of well, using about 1/2 teaspoon emulsion, and small drops of water to begin blending process, adding small amounts of water until stiff. If pigment does not accept water, one or two drops of denatured alcohol will help disperse the liquid into the powder. I use the putty knives to mix the ingredients, a dding drops of water as necessary to form a shape. It is easiest to work with when pastel is a "pie crust" consistency. I prefer shaping large rectangles of anywhere in size about 2.5"X2"X1" Pastels can be formed between the fingers to the appropriate shape, and only rolled back and forth in one or two passes to round them. Rolling the pastels too much will make the glue leach out to the outside, forming a shell or crust, which is undesirable. Remember, the less emulsion, the softer the pastel. If very little emulsion is used, it can crumble as you touch the surface! Recipe provided by: Alice Scott Crittenden Warning: when working with pastels wear a dust mask and gloves in order to minimize the exposure to pigment dust. Do not eat, smoke or drink while working with powdered pigments and do not allow children to use pigments unsupervised. Do not use powdered pigments if pregnant or contemplating pregnancy. Please read additional warnings on selected pigments.

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