Tiny Tempera

[Ken]

What do you do with all the yolks?

Don't those end up in the forum bar fight thread?

[Fenton]

That's Brother Fentius really

[Nirnman]

Actually it is the yolk minus the egg sac that is used in tempera painting. It can be used straight. or diluted with, preferably, distilled water. it does not colour the paint and is used, normally with dry pigment, as a binding agent. however it can be used with ready mixed water based paints. it drie to depending on whether used neat or diluted to a semi gloss, or velvety finish. It has the advantage that, when dry, it is near impossible to remove hence the survival of mediaeval illuminated manuscripts. Egg white can be used as a binding agent too but in this case the whites are whisked and left in a fridge overnight  and the liquid, called glair< which oozed out used similarly too the yolk for panting. It is useful to be a calligrapher and know this lol.

[Fenton]

Thanks for that

The bit about whisking the egg whites is interesting, though thinking about it logically its glaringly obvious

[Westmarcher]

In addition to Nirnman's comments, the link below is one of many to be found on t'internet regarding the use of egg tempera.

http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/intro/tempera.html

Interestingly it suggests that egg white might not be a good thing to use in certain circumstances when it states, "Albumen, the protein found in egg white, prevents the paint from adhering well ..." Presumably, this is where whisking comes in (to prevent that)?

[fsn]

OK, so far I have a blue meringue. 

[Fenton]

Thats ok just do some swirls through it, add some raspberries and say its a Pict Pavlova

[fsn]

OK. Now I have purple teeth.

[Westmarcher]

.... and if it is, as they say, a binding agent, tomorrow you might have some trouble .... 

[fsn]

I may just give up and have an omlette!

[Nirnman]

re the blue meringue you ma be interested to know that shaving foam can be used as a carrier for marbling lol

[Westmarcher]

In other words, it makes a right mess.

[getagrip]

In other words, it makes a right mess.

That about sums it up I would have thought.

[FierceKitty]

As if it weren't irritating enough that one always has a fridge full of egg whites after a mayonnaise, an ice-cream, a Bavarian, a Hollandaise, a custard....

I will learn to make meringues, comes my next holiday!

[barbarian]

For Oil painting (on canvas, mind you) it is an emulsion of egg white + lino oil.

It is to "re-moisture" a base of oil (already on the canvas for a while) to add some new diluated colors (like the red of a lip, or a cheek).