How to Make Egg Paint

Some famous Renaissance painters worked with egg tempera.

Egg tempera paint is a traditional painting medium made by mixing egg yolks with powdered paint pigments. Italian, Russian and Greek master painters used the medium to decorate walls and create cathedral murals, and egg tempera was commonly used to illustrate Islamic manuscripts. The delicate, luminous paint sticks to the painting surface, dries quickly and flows well. It also becomes richer with added layers.

Things You'll Need

• Toothpick
• Dry paint pigment
• Small paint pots
• Egg yolks

Instructions

1. Break open an egg. Pour the unbroken yolk between the two eggshell halves to separate out as much of the white as possible. Dispose of the egg whites or set them aside for future use in recipes.

2. Place the egg yolk in a small container and pierce it with a toothpick. Add 1 teaspoon water to the yolk.

3. Place a small amount of dry color pigment to a small paint pot. (The amount will vary based on how much of the paint color you need.)

4. Add an equal amount of your egg yolk mixture to the pigment, and mix thoroughly.

5. You can add extra water to the paint, as needed, until it achieves the desired consistency.

6. Repeat the above steps for each core color of paint that you need. Mix together the finished egg paints to make additional hues.

Tips & Warnings

• Egg paint will not stick to acrylic gesso. Use rabbit-skin gesso or strong gelatin to make a gesso that works with egg tempera.

• The yellow color of egg yolk will affect paint pigment. For example, using blue pigment with egg yolk will produce a greenish tone.

• Use small strokes when painting with this medium.

• Some paint pigments are highly toxic. Consider wearing latex gloves when touching the paint, and wear a dust mask to prevent inhaling the toxic powders.

References

• Elfwood; Egg Tempera, or You Want to Paint With What?; Grace Dawn Palmer
• sjsu: Painting: Tempera