Egg Tempera Painting Demo
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Egg tempera is an ancient painting medium that predates oil painting by hundreds of years. It was used in the middle-ages for religious icon painting and is in use today by a myriad of artists working in various styles. To be executed successfully, like any medium, egg tempera requires some preparation and knowledge of the materials needed and techniques employed. In this article I would like to explain some of those materials and techniques with the hope that you will be encouraged to try the medium or at least gain a better understanding and appreciation of it.

Materials

To make egg tempera paint you will need three basic ingredients: an egg yolk, distilled water and dry pigment. Traditional egg tempera paint uses only the yolk of the egg and not the white. Distilled water is used to ensure that the minerals in tap water do not affect the integrity of the paint film. Dry pigments can be purchased at any art supply store or online.

Some of the other materials you will need include brushes (mainly watercolor brushes), containers for paint, measuring spoons, a small water bottle or eye dropper, a traditional gesso panel and some paper towels. This is in addition to any materials and tools used to create your drawing and prepare it for transferring it to the panel. Below is a picture of some of my tools.

I have included a list of suppliers at the end of this article.

To make the egg medium I crack the egg and remove the yolk into my hand. I try to remove as much of the egg white as possible and then transfer the yolk to a paper towel to further remove any traces of egg white. Once the yolk has a somewhat matte finish to the surface I then pierce the yolk and empty the contents into a small jar. To the egg I add equal amounts of water and mix thoroughly until I get a smooth creamy mixture.

Tempering the pigment is one of the most important parts of your painting because if the pigment is not tempered thoroughly it will be powdery on the surface and will easily be wiped off. Knowing how much each pigment requires to be tempered correctly is hard to quantify. One method which is helpful is to paint a stroke on a piece of glass and wait for it to dry. Then using a palette knife or razor blade scrape the paint off the glass. If it rolls up and has a shiny appearance then you have tempered enough. Adding too much egg will make the paint greasy and hard to work with, so you need to also be careful not to over temper. Over time you will get to know your pigments and what each one needs.

When I am ready to being painting I decide which area of the painting I will be working on during the session and I place dry pigments into mixing cups. To each cup I add some of the egg medium. I then thoroughly mix the egg and pigment to create my paint. Some pigments can be more stubborn than others but most should blend with the medium after the thorough mixing. Commercial pigments are very fine and require very little mulling into the medium to get a good paint film. Some artist do mull the pigments so feel free to experiment with what works best for you.

Pure egg tempera paint is brittle and requires a hard surface to ensure that cracking does not occur. Egg yolk is a weak binder so it must be painted on a surface that is absorbent enough to allow the egg to make a successful bond. A traditional gesso panel which consists of animal glue, whiting and marble dust are the perfect ground for egg tempera because it provides the absorbency needed to create the necessary bond. Acrylic gesso is not recommended since it is unknown how its expansion and contraction over time can affect a brittle egg tempera film which sits on top of it.

You can make your own panels or purchase pre-made panels. Visit the link below to learn more about making your own panels: http://www.eggtempera.com/grounds.html

I have included the name of some suppliers at the end of this article.

Application

When I am ready to apply the paint to my panel I dip my brush into the paint cup wipe the excess off until it is almost dry and apply the paint in that fashion. Painting with egg tempera is mostly painting with a fairly dry brush.

One thing to keep in mind when painting with egg tempera is to paint dry and thin using well tempered pigments. Painting impasto is not recommended because it can flake off. The application of the paint is a slow process that requires many strokes to build up the surface. Don’t let that discourage you. As you learn more about egg tempera you will be able to use the layering to your benefit to create a rich surface with a beautiful weave of colors.

I begin with a complete drawing of my composition on paper at the same size as my painting. I then transfer the drawing to the panel.

I build up my values using an under-painting done in waterproof india ink. The purpose of the under-painting is to help establish the value relationships. The under-painting can also be executed in egg tempera or casein. I choose India ink for its immediacy.

The painting is then built up in many layers of various colors and temperature. With each pass I try to further refine the passages and restate my drawing. Below I show two stages - the color build-up and final painting.

Detail of Face
This detail shot will allow you to how the colors are built up using the cross-hatching strokes.

Step by Step Progression - Click to Enlarge

Conclusion

Egg tempera is an ancient medium that can be used by contemporary artists to create luminous images with beautiful color and rich surfaces. While it is considered difficult, slow or rigid by some I find that the apparent limitations can provide freedom for artists with a sensibility for drawing and clarity in their paintings. Egg tempera has a strong following of artists that have dedicated their life and work to explore its endless possibilities. My hope is that I will inspire a new set of artists to pursue the medium or at least provide them a greater appreciation for this obscure and often misunderstood jewel of the arts.

Suppliers

Eggs: Any supermarket or farm.

Distilled Water: Any supermarket

Pigments:Blick Art Store, Utrecht, Sinopia, Daniel Smith

Brushes:Blick Art, Utrecht. Sable or sable-blend brushes are the best choice. Mainly rounds that come to and retain a nice point or blade shape.

Panels:RealGesso.Com, True-Gesso-Panels.com

Books: Koo Schadlers Egg Tempera Book (www.kooschadler.com), Altoon Sultan’s The Luminous Brush , Daniel Thompson’s, The Practice of Tempera Painting

I was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I currently live in San Antonio, TX.

I have been creative for most of my life. While in high school I was introduced to the work of Andrew Wyeth via a class trip to the Brandywine Museum in Chadds Ford, PA. I recall being mesmerized by the imagery and fascinated by the description of the medium-egg tempera. Continued visits to the museum and other exhibits served as inspiration that has transformed into my current pursuit and commitment.

My goal is to make technically beautiful images that are also engaging on a conceptual level - that is what I am after with each work. I want to create paintings you want to come back to repeatedly and enjoy.

Artists who I study and admire include George Tooker, Paul Cadmus, Andrew Wyeth, N.C. Wyeth, Jared French, Edward Hopper, Diego Rivera, Douglas Wiltraut, Dennis Harper, Carl Rice Embrey, Matthew Daub, Michael Allen and others.

"For me there are two things that matter most in a work of art--how it is made, and its ability to move the human soul and imagination. These two work in concert". Matthew Daub

"Art should be about transcendence. It should not merely reflect our surroundings like a mirror, adding to the clutter, but become something more wonderful, more meaningful than that. It wants to be remembered and returned to over and over again. Good art feeds us. It is so important." Alan Feltus

Website: http://www.alexgarciafineart.com