What good colors are tempera, and why they are willingly used by contemporary artists

Tempera paints have been known since ancient times. So the artists called the materials, prepared on the basis of dry powder pigments and binding their glue, to create their immortal works. The adjective "tempera" comes from the Latin word temperare, translated as "connect, mix."

Temperament features

What are the unique colors of tempera? In the old days, pigmented pigments were mined mainly from minerals, the resulting powder was thoroughly mixed with a sticky substance - egg yolk, some plants juice, animal glue or oil. Today, tempera inks are prepared on the basis of synthetic dyes and emulsions. Before oil paints were invented (the 15th century), tempera was the most popular material for creating frescoes, icons and works of easel art. The style of this painting is unique and unique, which is why today artists do not lose interest in tempera colors.

Egg Tempera

Tempera paints based on egg emulsion include chicken yolk, oil and turpentine varnish. The properties and artistic possibilities of the paint depend on the proportion of these substances. For example, an excess of oil makes the paint look like an oil, and the excess varnish will give the material applied to the canvas more brittleness. In Byzantium and in Russia, egg tempera was widely used in icon painting, in folk crafts, with its help frescoes were applied to the walls of churches. In those early times, the dry pigment-binding substance was prepared by adding water, kvass, wine or vinegar to the egg yolk. Paints were applied layer by layer, and then covered with linseed oil or oil varnish.

Casein and vegetable tempera colors

In addition to the common egg emulsion, tempera was often prepared on the basis of a solution of casein, varnish and oil. Also, the colors were made on the basis of vegetable emulsions. For this purpose, gum arabic, a sticky substance from potato or corn starch (dextrin) or cherry glue was used. Such paints differ in weightlessness of tones and remain fresh for a long time, and therefore they are willingly used in factories that produce materials for painting.

Modern technologies in the manufacture of paints

New tempera colors are based on artificial pigments and polymers. They are more durable and do not require lacquer coating, since they are not washed away and not dissolved by water.

Among the claimed modern means of painting are the "Master-class" tempera colors. The series is made of natural and artificial pigments based on polyvinyl acetate dispersion. Paste-like paint series "Master-class" is widely used in painting and design works. Drying, it forms an indelible matte film.

Advantages and disadvantages of tempera paints

How to draw a similar material and what subtleties of technology it requires - a topic for a separate conversation. We will only touch on the pros and cons of tempera, which has not lost its appeal for modern masters. The main advantage of this material is beauty and durability. Unlike samples of oil painting, paintings written in tempera do not change shades, do not turn yellow and do not darken with time. As the tempera inks dry out quickly, you do not have to worry that over time the color layer will undergo changes in volume, which means that the picture does not peel off and does not crack. At the same time, rapid drying creates certain problems for the artist. Also, the master will have to take into account that when drying, the tempera colors change the tone - brighten or darken.