Formulations for Casein paints Manufacture of Borax-Casein Binder (Wehlte) Ingredients 40 gm Casein powder 16 gm Borax 125 ml cold water 125 ml hot water Process 1: Soak 40 gm of casein powder for approximately 12 hours in 125 ml of cold water. 16 gm crystalline Borax is dissolved in 125 ml of hot water.…
Drawing Ink – Frequently used recipes Gum Arabic Ink Recipe. The Gum Arabic powder should be dissolved by leaving it overnight in fifteen times its’ weight of distilled water. The gum will dissolve between 12 and 24 hours. The solution should then be strained through a cloth to remove impurities. Preservative should be added to…
Lead White pigment THIS IS THE GREATEST – AND THE CRUELLEST – OF THE WHITES. Lead white has been in continuous production for at least 2000 years. It is basic lead carbonate, formed by the reaction of lead with vapours of vinegar (acetic acid) and carbon dioxide. The manufacturing process in the 19th century was relatively…
Ochre pigment The oldest surviving human artworks are vivid depictions of animals, humans, and spiritual motifs, created using ochres. Archaeological evidence suggests their use as far back as 250,000 years ago, making ochres the earliest known colourants employed by our species. Ancient ochre artworks appear across the globe—from early sites in India and Australia to…
Egyptian Blue pigment THIS WAS THE FIRST SYNTHETICALLY PRODUCED COLOUR. Invented at around the same time as the Great Pyramids were being built, Egyptian blue’s creation dates back about 5000 years. The Ancient Egyptians believed blue was the colour of the heavens and because of the rarity of naturally occurring blue minerals like azurite and lapis…
Bone White pigment THE CREATION OF BONE WHITE IS AS LITERAL AS IT SOUNDS. Bone white was made by burning bones in open fires until all the organic material burned away and the bone was turned to ash. There is evidence of bone white’s use since Neolithic times, making it one of the very first…
Malachite Green pigment Green Verditer – Green Bice – Mountain Green – Green Carbonate Of Copper – Vert De Montagne – Berg-GrüN – MalachitgrüN History, chemistry and application This green copper mineral was employed as a paint by the ancients. It occurs in many European, Asiatic, African, and American localities. The mines at Ekaterinburg and…
Bone Black pigment BURNING BONES TO CREATE PIGMENTS IS AN ANCIENT PRACTICE. Like bone white, bone black is made by putting fragments of animal bones into a crucible and surrounding them with blazing coals. However, to prevent the bone turning to ash, the vessel is covered to stop air from getting in. Exposure to intense…
Woad dye WOAD WAS WIDELY USED AS A DYE IN EUROPE AS EARLY AS THE STONE AGE. Ancient Britons covered their bodies with woad to face the Roman legions and it is said that they struck fear into Julius Caesar himself. The first part of the woad-making process involved taking fresh leaves of the woad…
Tyrian Purple dye THIS PRESTIGIOUS PIGMENT COMES FROM A PREDATORY SEA SNAIL. Tyrian purple is extracted from Bolinus brandaris, a mollusc native to the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre (Phoenicia means ‘land of purple’) in what is now Lebanon. The production of Tyrian purple goes back at least 3500 years and Greek legends tell us…
