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Egg Tempera - The "Forgotten" medium. Foreword

Many beginners think of egg tempera as a magic medium capable of solving all the problems they have had before with drawing, composing and painting. Imagine taking musical lessons and having difficulties with following the tune and keeping a rhythm. By switching to different types of musical instruments you will not dramatically improve your results. You know that music is based on a very strict notation system and rather complicated set of rules. Breaking or not following them "hurts" listeners ears. There are similar rules in painting. Most of the painting manuals present the color wheel theory as the most important and the only theory youll need to know. This is true if your goal is to color Marilyn Monroes photographs with a set of markers. If you understand that fine art is more then that, I hope that the following information might be helpful. Egg Tempera Emulsion First of all the yolk needs to be completely separated from the white because even the smallest amount of the it could negatively influence the paint flow especially when working on very fine details. Very accurately brake a round hole in the bottom of the chicken egg. Separate the egg white from the yolk. Put the yolk on the paper towel and roll it around to remove any of the remaining egg white. Puncture the yolk sac with the knife and let it out into the cup or film canister. Now you need to delute the yolk with 2% solution of vinegar. Vinegar is used to neutralize excessive yolk fat, preserve it from decomposition and to make dry pigment more mixable with emulsion. If you add too little of it, overly fat paint may crack in time especially when used over leaner layers of paint. If you add to much of it, the paint may become milky-white and dry too fast, so that youll not be able to use the "puddling" technique. Here is the general rule on how much vinegar solution is needed: put the drained egg yolk back in to the egg shell (rinse it very well before) and fill it to the top with vinegar solution. Now you know your starting point. Stir emulsion and put it back in to the canister. All eggs are different depending on the country and climate. Summer eggs have more fat than winter ones. By experimenting, youll find the appropriate amount of the vinegar solution which may vary from 35% to 100% of the yolk. Egg yolk is a natural emulsion which consists of 24% fat, 16% albumen and vitellin, 9% lecithin and 51% water. Egg fat consists of 3 acids - olein, stearin and palmitin. It dries or hardens very slowly. The hardening process may take up to several months. Albumen, and vitellin - are strong emulsifiers. Without them oil and water could not have been in the state of an emulsion. Lecithin - is a fatty substance which slows drying time of oils. The egg yolk must be diluted with water or preferably with 2%- 3% of organic acid solution.

Italian artists used fig juice, young wine or grape vinegar. Germans - youve guessed it right - beer. Russians - their ancient beverage - kvas (there are over 1000 recipes). Paint Preparation Using mask, mix the dry pigments very well with your vinegar solution or water on the glass palette using the palette knife. Then put this paint paste in to the cup and add the emulsion. Each pigment requires different amount of the binder. Start from 1:1 proportion. The Board Dont save on wood. Use radial cut - the middle part of the tree trunk. Nonresinous woods are preferable although Canadian clear fir will work just as fine as ash, birch, mahogany, poplar, linden or bass. Score the face of the board with a knife and cover it with warm 5% solution of a rabbit skin glue. Let it dry for 6 hours. Apply another coat. Let dry again. Soak a piece of fabric or canvas in 10% solution of rabbit skin glue warmed in double boiler and glue it on the board rubbing from the center out. Let it dry for 10 to 24 hours. Trim the excess of the canvas with a knife. The Gesso Add 1 tablespoon of rabbit skin glue to 2 oz. of cold water and leave it for 1 hour. Warm it in a double boiler and slowly add 1 tablespoon of hot linseed oil while stirring with a round stick. Add 3 oz. of hot water, mix gently for 1 minute. Turn off the heat source and sprinkle slowly through a strainer the mixture of 7 oz. of whiting (calcium carbonate) and 1 oz. of titanium white pigment. To mix it without bubbles strain the gesso through the strainer into another pot. Apply to a board and let each layer dry for 1 or 2 days depending on a weather conditions. Sand in between and wet the board before applying the next layer. Finely, let it dry for 2 weeks minimum. Step-By-Step Painting Technology
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ULJENI MEDIJI
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MAROGER & HIS MEDIUMS

French painter and restorer Jacues Maroger, spent a good portion of his life trying to find the "lost secrets" of Old Masters. His book The Secret Mediums and Techniques of the Masters was published in English in 1948. Although he has not actually invented any of the mediums described in the book, they still carry his name. As I have mentioned before, most of the people who are searching for such "lost secrets" are looking in the wrong places. There is no way to avoid the hard work of following the system of strict rules. I dont think that use dark brown liquid may substitute complicated technological system. The main objection against using these mediums is that oil cooked on the heat and especially with the lead or cobalt driers darkens and becomes very brittle in less then a hundred years. Look at the old icons varnished with "Olifa" which is sun or low heat thickened linseed oil cooked with lead white. Most of them are very dark and totally ruined. In the room with less natural light, oil film darkens much faster. Another objection is that the light and pure colors mixed with the black oil (oil cooked in the presence of lead yellow) will look dirty from the beginning. Fifteen years ago in Russia I bought for a couple coins a quart of Olifa cooked exactly as Marogers Third Lead Medium (Venetian). On the bottles label was printed:" Toxic ! Not intended for interior use.. Finish will darken over the time..". It was sold in hardware stores in wood finishing section.

SIX FORMULAS OF MAROGER Note of Caution: I do NOT recommend making these mediums. They are very toxic to make. Several commercial variations of Maroger medium can be purchased from Jerry's Artarama

First Lead Medium

(attributed to Antonello da Messina) One part litharge (yellow lead oxide) or lead white, combined by cooking with three to four parts linseed or walnut oil.

Second Lead Medium

(attributed to Leonardo da Vinci)

One part litharge or lead white, combined by cooking with three to four parts rawlinseed oil, and three to four parts water.

Third Lead Medium

(attributed to the Venetian painters Giorgione, Titian and Tintoretto) One or two parts litharge or lead white, combined by cooking with 20 parts raw linseed or walnut oil.

Fourth Lead Medium

(attributed to Peter Paul Rubens) This medium was allegedly based on the black oil of Giorgione with an addition of mastic resin, Venice turpentine and beeswax. One or two parts litharge or lead white, combines by cooking with 20 parts raw linseed or walnut oil. A little more that one spoonful of "black oil" combined with even one spoonful of mastic varnish resulted in the "jelly" medium thought to be Megilp (another name of Maroger mediums).

Fifth Lead Medium

(attributed to the "Little Dutch Masters") This medium was supposedly the same as the one used by Rubens, but did not include beeswax.

Sixth Lead Medium

(attributed to Velzquez) One part verdigris (derived from copper - this material is substituted for the lead-based metallic driers), combined by cooking with 20 parts raw linseed or walnut oil.

KOMERCIJALNI COMMERCIAL MEDIUMS

( commercial variations of Maroger recipes)

Flemish Medium (Lefranc & Bourgeois). This and Venetian Medium were developed through the collaboration of Maroger and Marc Havel, Laboratory Manager at Lefranc & Bourgeois during WWII. These are basically linseed oil heated in the presence of lime. The lime acts as a stabilizer and doesnt lend much color to the medium. It also helps retard deterioration of the paint films. The metallic drier is lead-based as in the original Maroger mediums, so be careful. Finished layers have a luminescent, glossy appearance. Jerry's Artarama Catalog Venetian Medium (Lefranc & Bourgeois). The same as Flemish Medium but theres no mastic resin in this formula, and the crystalline wax is added during the heating process. Gives to the paint film a satin sheen. Jerry's Artarama Catalog Baroque Oil painting medium - order from Sinopia catalog Oil of Florence painting medium - order from Sinopia catalog

Mix-it yourself mediums

Basic Medium Damar varnish - 1 oz Linseed oil (sun thickened) - 1 oz Turpentine - 2 oz Lavender oil - 3 drops per 1 oz (add just before using) Balsam Medium Sun-thickened oil - 2 oz Damar varnish (resin) - 2 oz Venice turpentine (balsam)- 1 oz Lavender oil - 3 drops per 1 oz (add just before using)

KLASINA TEHNIKA SLIKANJA (TEMPERA ALI I ULJE)

Classical Painting Technology

This is a rather short description of the classical painting method that works equally well for egg tempera and oil painting. There are some differences, of course, but the basics are the same. In the future, I may extend the egg and oil painting technology section and include several animated demonstrations, if many of the visitors will ask for it in our survey form. In the meantime, remember that nothing can substitute studying the works of old masters in the museums. Drawing Make your drawing on paper as if it is your final product. Copy it on tracing paper and retrace the lines on the back side of it with dry pastel pencil (Carb-Othello). Transfer drawing to the board and rework it with diluted burnt umber paint using a fine brush. Dont think that drawing is something that is not fully related to the painting with colors. Drawing is "the melody" of the visual art and the colors are "the harmony". Keep in mind that "the harmony" gives only the moods or impressions of the moment but only "the melody" is able to unfold the whole story. By drawing your subjects "inside-out" you study it on a much deeper level than by just dubbing it with #40 brush. I know that most of us dont have enough patience. In this case, our paintings will be similar to the "3 chords guitar music" - just O.K. for friends and family. Draw with precision using different pressure and line thickness. Draw with a pencil and with a brush.

Gilding There is only one way of a true gilding - water gilding on a bole ground using loose gold leaf. This one is very hard to master and youd have to take lessons from the professional gilders. Try it before by yourself though. Order Klner Water Gilding System from Sepp Leaf Products ( 800-971-7377) Imprimatura Imprimatura is the classical term for a semi transparent or transparent color layer used to create a toned ground for a painting. It literally means "what goes before first". Imprimatura acts as harmonizing element for all upper color layers if they are laid according to the laws of the classical technique allowing the imprimatura to show through in certain places. It also determines an overall darkness (or lightness) of the composition. The advantage of an imprimatura over a toned gesso or a toned primer is that the white ground reflects the light through the imprimatura and upper semi-transparent layers, creating almost a magical 3-dimensional illusion. The color of an imprimatura depends on the lighting source in the composition you are going to paint and the subject. If we would consider a raw umber to be a neutral color for imprimatura, then you may want to go to a warmer or cooler sides by mixing yellow ochre with bone black in different proportions. Never choose the darkness of this layer by mechanically picking 50% grey tone. You always can put the second layer or add darker tones during your next step - shadows study. Shadows Study (underpainting) The portions of the drawing which are darker then imprimatura are painted with Burnt or Raw Umber in thin layers. Imprimatura should still be slightly visible through the darkest parts. Small details are usually omitted. Areas where bright reds or bright blues are going to be painted are usually left uncovered. Shape Study In this stage, only four colors are used: Lead or Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre and Bone or Ivory Black. The trick is to mix them correctly to have a scale of neutral grays. First mix Black and White, then add a bit of Yellow Ochre. Add Red Ochre carefully just until it eliminates the greenishness brought to the mixture by Yellow Ochre. Work thick in the lights and less thick in the shadows. Dont use semi-transparent "soapy" layers. Leave a small parentage of the darkest parts of the shadows uncovered. By the end, the objects on your painting should look like they are made out of unpolished marble without out details in the highlighted areas and the darkest shadows. Live Colors Stage Mix real object colors. To the previous colors add : Ultramarine, Prussian Blue, Madder Lake Deep, Red Cinnabar or Cadmium Red, Cadmium or Lead Yellow. Each color for each object must be exactly of the same darkness as they are on the previous layer. For highlighted areas and shadows use one step lighter and one step darker mixtures. Sometimes youll need a lot of layers to complete this stage. Each time narrow the highlighted and shadow areas, painting them lighter and lighter. Glazing and Finishing Glazing can be done with transparent or semitransparent colors. Dont overdo it and carefully choose the areas for glazing. After the glazing is done, the very dark shadows are finished with the semi-transparent (almost opaque, if needed) colors and at last the very highlights are put on. Egg tempera painting and even icons were often finished with oils. Be cautious though, if somebody will suggest using some "old magic recipes " for this purpose, such as Maroger Medium or Amber

Varnish. You may ruin your work completely without knowledge about how and where to use them. Here are several recipes of Oil Painting Mediums & Varnishes. Varnishing Let the painting dry as long as you can afford before varnishing it. Damar varnish is O.K. Olifa (heat thickened linseed oil with lead) should not be used in Fine Art at all. There are many new developments in the area of acrylic and polyurethane non yellowing varnishes. Unfortunately most of them are not removable. On the other hand, some of them are extremely durable and might be the best and the only choice for protecting valuable artwork. Ive used some of these successfully for several years on some of my works. For the time being, Im leaving the choice to you. Several basic painting rules Let each previous layer dry completely. Wait at least 10 days. 30 or 45 is better. Never dip dry brush in to the paint. Wet it first then dry it a little with a paper towel. Use different brushes for each color. Avoid touching painting surface with your bare hands. Use bridge or mahlstick. Have a very clear plan and know several steps ahead what you are going to do today. Let the painting dry at least for 2-3 weeks before putting on the next layer. Dont try to fix something on your painting with brushes, which you couldnt do or forgot to do with a pencil. Never start painting on a white canvas or board. Always put imprimatura after the completion of the detailed drawing.