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Paint characteristics Paint, inks and dyes
Paint, inks and dyes all share the quality of imparting color to
surfaces. Their different end uses however make for different
formulations and characteristics hence the different names for each.
Dyes are molecular coloring substances that normally require mordants
so that the color will deeply penetrate the textile or hair fibres The
color is applied by immersing the item being dyed in the liquid colored
substance. The dye 'colors' by staining the object being colored and
penetrating beneath the surface.
Inks are suited to the graphic arts of writing and printing. Their
formulation maximises the flow through pens with out blockage or the
easy transfer from printing tool to the surface printed. The color is
applied with a tool such as pen or printing block. They commonly use
dyes as the coloring agents although inks for some purposes are
pigmented. The object being dyed in the case of an ink is the ink body
itself and the ink may then color a surface by a mixture of staining
and surface deposits. Inks are midway between dyes and paints in their
characteristics.
Paint colors by coating the surface with the coloring agent. Paint is
applied by brush, and although artists will often use other
tools for application it is
the brush that the paint is formulated principally for. Paint forms a
protective coating and is commonly used in situations of long term use,
so durability of the paint film and lightfastness of pigments is an
importanyt factor in the manufacture of paint. As paint is applied to
a wide variety of surfaces it requires an ability to cover well and is
also often required to have a viscosity that will retain textures such
as brush strokes. These 2 qualities are referred to as 'body'.
Different sorts of paint have characteristics that vary according to
the binders used and that in turn affects their suitability for
application to various types of surfaces. Thus oil paint and acrylic
are both very suited to painting on canvas while watercolor and gouache
are better suited to application on paper. The common characteristic
that links them as all being paint is their primary method of
application being the brush.
The traditional paint media such as linseed oil, and gums for gouache
and watercolor, or eggs for tempera are probably the easiest paint
materials for the
artist to use with a centuries long wealth of published information to
help the artist 'get it right'. This site is designed around a
demonstration of making oil paint as the basic method for good reason,
(despite the author's personal preference for acrylics). Having said
that, information is provided here for all major paint media with the
expectation that many will wish to experiment to find the media best
suited to their work, or simply have curiosity about the diverse ways
of painting down through the ages.
Paint, particularly oil paint has been the primary means of expression
of fine artists for centuries.
Oil paint The art
workhorse
oil paint started from humble beginnings as a paint for decorating
furniture and walls in the thirteenth century in in England and
northern Europe. The oils used were Hemp, Poppyseed, Walnut and
Linseed. Artists saw no need at the time to use a 'decorative paint' as
egg tempera perfectly suited the small iconic images popular at the
time.
In the fifteenth century Jan Van Eyck became both the first great
exponent of the technique for fine art, and also one of the finest ever
oil painters. Others followed his example notably Leonardo Da Vinci who
experimented with the various oils on offer. Within a few years the
primacy of Linseed oil and to a lesser extent poppyseed oil was well
established, and the medium was unchallenged, until the invention of
acrylics, as the artists first choice for serious painting.
The artist wishing to make paint in the studio finds oil paint
relatively easy and satisfying to make. The link takes you to a page
detailing the various oils available and the best for grinding into
paint.
Information on oils for paintmaking
Alkyds Fast drying oils
Alkyds were developed in the 1920's but it wasn't until the 1970's that
they have become widely available as artists paints. The various
mediums appear to be more popular than the paints themselves. Several
companies market Alkyd paints and mediums under various names such as
Archival and Griffin. Liquin and Oleopasto are the 2 best known mediums
often used by users of conventional oil paints for speeding drying and
increasing transparency.
There is no reason that the artist paint maker can't experiment with
grinding pigments
into these mediums and others to make faster drying oil paints.
Information on alkyds for paintmaking
Acrylics Versatility
plus
The first acrylic patents were issued at the very beginning of the 20th
century but the first 'emulsion paints' didn't appear until the 1930's
and the first professional artist's ranges in the 1960's. During the
previous decade contemporary artists, particularly in the United States
had been experimenting with the industrial and house paint acrylics
available at the time. Their use by leading artist's like Jackson
Pollock popularized the medium and many found the versatility of
acrylics a revalation. For the first time artists had a medium with a
body comparable to oil paint yet able to be applied to virtually any
surface with minimal preparation, yet is capable of producing the
delicate effects of all waterbased media.
These days it is rare to find any artist who does not use acrylics on a
regular basis, if only as the primer and 'gesso' to prepare surfaces
for oil painting. Making acrylics from base materials is not so simple
as making oil paints or watercolors, but the wide range of prepared
acrylic mediums on the market can be used as a ready made base for
making useful paints, if the artist is prepared to experiment with
formulations and techniques on the fly.
Information on Acrylics for paintmaking
Watercolors Delicate
but beautiful
Contrary to popular belief watercolor is not ancient in origin.
Waterbased paints from long ago were generally formulated to be as
opaque as possible (more like gouache than watercolor) as the paints
tended to be used on natural surfaces such as bark, wood, or stone,
Only with the advent of white papers did transparent watercolors become
practical, and the first 'great' watercolorist was probably Durer.
Watercolors are easy to make in the studio and beatifully useful paints
can be quickly and simply made. This section deals with suitable
pigments and gums and how to make the paint.
Information on Watercolors for paintmaking
Gouache Popular for a
reason
The favorite medium of graphic and commercial artist's before the
computer, gouache is well liked by the wider arts community. It has the
advantage of simplicity of use, and before acrylics was the only water
based color with 'covering power'. It is easy to make in the studio and
gives very satisfying results.
Information on Gouache for paintmaking
Tempera A surpringly
good tradition
Because it uses a food product that spoils with time, Egg Tempera is
always practiced by making the paint in the studio. The simplicity of
the approach and the unique beauty of the results have continued to
attract adherants long after it ceased to be the principal method of
painting in the Renaissance as it was supplanted by oil painting.
The basic methods of paint making and appropriate pigments are
discussed here.
Information on Egg Tempera for paintmaking
Encaustic The heat is
on
Encaustic is not for the casual experimenter. It is unique as a paint
medium in that the paint is liquid only when heated which involves
special palettes to keep the paint hot but not burnt, and the safety
issues arising from ever present liquid (read hot) waxes. Despite the
inherant difficulties, encaustic, originally a primary technique for
the ancient Greeks and becomoming a 'lost art' in the Dark Ages, has
seen a resurgence during the last 3 centuries, but particularly since
it's adoption by contemporary experimental artist's in the 1950's.
Jasper Johns being a notable example.
The information presented here is meant to be an introduction to a
fascinating medium to serve as a beginning point for further research
and discovery.
Information on Encaustic for paintmaking
Fresco The most durable
paints
Fresco is rarely practiced these days simply because despite it's
obvious permanency it is difficult and expensive. The color is prepared
as a simple paste with water and is applied to the surface of the
vehicle which is the plaster while the plaster is still liquid and yet
to set. Thus the plaster itself is correctly the paint even though most
people would apply the word to the prepared color before application.
It is the setting of the plaster that binds the color to the surface
where it will remain as long as the wall/ceiling or other base exists.
This section offers little more than a list of pigments suitable for
use in Fresco and should be seen as the beginning point for further
investigation.
Information on Fresco for paintmaking
Drawing media Not paint
but useful to know
Although outside the scope of a paint making treatise, many studio
based makers of paint go on to make drawing media, especially pastels
and chalks. As there is a number of inevitable differences as well as
similarities with making paint this section provides a basic
introduction and encourages further experimentation and discovery.
Information on Drawing Media
View the index and site map
page
References
Alberti, L B, On Painting 1435
(Penguin Classics)
Cellini, B, The Life Of Benvenuto
Cellini, finished 1562 but not published until 1730
(Heron)
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)
Maire, F, Colors: What They Are And What To Expect Of
Them, 1910 (Drake)
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)
Muther, R, The History Of Painting From The Fourth
Century To The Early Nineteenth Century, 1907 (Putnam)
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)
Pliny, The Elder (Gaius Plinius), Natural
History, 77 AD (Penguin Classics)
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)
Vasari, G, The Lives Of The Most Excellent Painters,
Sculptors And Architects, 1568 (Penguin Classics)
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