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Tempera ground Helps the binder
Egg Tempera forms a very durable paint film of great permanence but it
suffers from a lack of adhesiveness to molecules other than its
own. This is overcome in two ways. Firstly by applying the paint
thinly it maximizes adhesion, and secondly by providing an absorbent
ground. This can be as simple as painting onto good quality rag
watercolor
papers or even white or off white museum boards. Museum board is
preferable to the paper as Egg Tempera is less flexible than Acrylic or
even Oil Paint and a relatively rigid support is wise to use. Avoid any
surface that
is so perfectly smooth that it is shiny.
Canvas can be used but it needs to be glued to a panel with hide glue
before the traditional gesso.
Egg Tempera was traditionally painted on wood panels and the modern MDF
(Medium Density Fiber) boards make excellent durable equivalents, but
need to be prepared with a ground first. Unfortunately Acrylic Paint is
very non absorbent, a property that makes it perfect as a ground for
Oil Paint, but makes a poor ground for Egg Tempera. Traditional hide
glue grounds and Gelatin based grounds are used. Cooking gelatin is
inferior and should be avoided but the best grades of leaf gelatin can
be used in place of the hide glue. It is refined from similar but lower
grade raw materials and so has similar properties although is a little
weaker. The following is a recipe for making best quality hide glue
chalk gesso.
Detailed
information on the best Hide Glue
Making the ground Traditional
recipe
The chalk
In Renaissance days whiting was used for the chalk component but
precipitated chalk produces a whiter and more durable ground. Some
artist's like to add about one fifth to one quarter of Titanium Dioxide
to the chalk and this can be beneficial. If using whiting increase the
amount of chalk in this recipe by about a quarter. If Titanium white is
used mix it thoroughly with the chalk first. Make equal volumes of glue
and chalk although for whiting there will be a little more chalk than
glue used.
Hide glue
Soak one part (by volume) of hide glue in 5 parts cold water and leave
to soak overnight, but no more. Then heat gently in a double boiler
until the hide dissolves.
Add chalk
Use a kitchen flour sieve to sieve the chalk into the glue. Do this
slowly to avoid producing air bubbles (which are impossible to remove
easily and cause problems in the gesso coat later on). The chalk will
slowly sink as it absorbs the glue.
Stir
When all the chalk is in the mixture start stirring very slowly with a
wooden spoon or even better one of those flat bladed wooden kitchen
stirrers that has a squared off end. Stirring should be slow to avoid
air bubbles. The finished product should be like cream. Strain, but
only
if need be. The gesso will keep for a week or so only.
Apply
Warm and return to the hotplate if necessary to keep warm. If the gesso
starts to thicken add warm water but never more glue. Stir as necessary
as the chalk tends to go to the bottom. The panel should have been
sealed the previous day by applying a coat of hide glue front and back
and allowing to dry. The first coat of gesso should be applied with a
brush and then 'massaged' with the finger tips to help eliminate
air bubbles. One coat of gesso should be applied to the back of the
panel to avoid warping. Allow to dry. Apply two more layers to both
front and back. Up to 10 coats may be applied in this way until the
gesso looks dense and very white.
Smoothing the surface
Sand with a fine sandpaper, the result should feel very smooth to the
fingers. Dampen a soft cloth and fold it into a pad like a well folded
towel. Polish the surface with circular movements until it has an
eggshell like appearance. It is now ready to paint on. It will have the
perfect absorbency for Egg Tempera.
References
Cennini, C d'A, The Craftsman's
Handbook. 1437 (Dover)
Doerner, M, The Materials Of The Artist And Their Use
In Painting, 1921 (Harcourt Brace)
Eastlake, Sir C L, Materials For A History Of Oil
Painting, 1847 (Dover)
Feller, R L, Artists Pigments 1986
(National Gallery Of Art / Cambridge University)
Gettens, R J, and Stout, G L, Painting
Materials: A Short Encyclopedia, 1942
(Dover)
Gottsegen, M D, A Manual Of Painting Materials And
Techniques, 1987 (Harper & Row)
Mayer, R, The Artists Handbook Of Materials And
Techniques, fifth edition 1991 (Faber
& Faber)
Merrifield, Mrs. M P, Medieval And Renaissance Treatises
On
The Arts Of Painting 1849 (Dover)
Parkhurst, D B, The Painter In Oil 1898
(Lothrop, Lee & Shepard)
Patton, T C, Pigment Handbook, 1973
(Wiley)
Porter, N Webster's Revised Unabridged
Dictionary, 1913 (Merriam)
Roy, A Artist's Pigments: A Handbook Of
Their History And Characteristics, 1994
(Oxford University Press)
Taubs, F, A Guide To Traditional And Modern Painting
Methods, 1963 (Thames & Hudson)
Theophilus, On Divers Arts, 1125 (Dover)
Various, Encyclopedia Britannica,
fifteenth edition 1981 (Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc)
Various, Paint And Painting, 1982,
(Winsor & Newton / The Tate Gallery)
Various, The Artist's Colormen's
Story, 1984 (Winsor & Newton)
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