[Scriptoris] Natural pigments question

[Elaine]

Serena is so right. Here's one with some links. (BTW, she is one of  
the savviest, and you need to pick her brain and training, especially  
when no one else can answer a particularly sticky wicket you come  
across.)

If you want to find some pigments or binders, you might want to check  
out KREMER PIGMENTS, INC.	It's a German company with offices in NYC.  
They are the one which supplied the pigments for the restoration of  
the art that was destroyed by the Florence, Italy floods. There are a  
couple of pages of binders for making water-based paints.

Try the following:
http://www.kremer-pigmente.de/

kremer-pigmente at t-online.de

Ask for their catalog if you don't find what you like. I love the  
tips they give. In my studio, I have kept every catalog I've been sent .

At this point, don't be intimidated by higher levels of paint mixing  
and usage. You'll get there if you persist. Even the old Masters had  
to start somewhere. In Japan, you would have to grind ink for your  
master for two years before you were even allowed to think of  
anything higher.

Just do the best you can, study where you can, and take what roads  
will get you to where you want to go. Even side trips can be  
instructional. Count every mistake not as a point of discouragement,  
but as just part of your learning curve.

Half-Price Books was a godsend for my library, both the department  
for Medieval/Renaissance art photos, the calligraphy one, and the  
painter's section. You can also go to www.johnnealbooks.com for all  
sorts of books. I know they aren't by SCA teachers, but I believe in  
getting all the information that comes down the pike. Just learn to  
discern the old techniques from the modern ones.

Check on the occasional displays of of the real thing: ancient,  
illuminated books at SMU's Bridwell Library, for example. Parking's a  
problem, but it's Building # 21 on the pdf map:
http://smu.edu/maps/download/pdf/SMUCampusMapNumbersBLK.pdf

Please, don't think by taking a subject in one of the many classes  
the SCA offers that you don't have to study that any more. Even  
hearing the same subject discussed by different SCA teachers can  
sometimes give you information the other teacher didn't have time to  
cover. Stay open and attentive.

Above all, experiment. You might want to start a compilation of test  
pieces you work on so you can refer to them later on when you need  
that color, recipe, personal notes on successes/failures, brush  
types, surfaces, or technique again. No sense in re-inventing the  
wheel. right? In my library, I have several ringbinders filled with  
lots of sheet protectors (from garage sales and Office Depot) that I  
count as treasures.

Remember, the SCA is a game, and games are supposed to be FUN. As one  
mundane put it, "Let's but the fun back in dysfunctional!"

; - )

Happy exploring!!!!

YIS (Yours In Service),
HL Lete Bithespring

...................................................


On Jul 18, 2011, at 8:38 PM, Diane Rudin wrote:

> Hard to explain this subject very well in writing without pictures  
> or videos.
> I'm sure the internet-savvy folks will provide links shortly.  In  
> the meantime,
> here are some basic things.
>
> You do *not* just pull out a brush and mix binder & pigment  
> together as though
> you were mixing two paints. This will give you a lumpy mess. You  
> need a slightly
> rough tempering implement & surface, such as a mortar & pestle  
> which you will
> never use for anything else ever again, or a glass muller & flat  
> marble grinding
> surface. Sandblasted heavy glass can work as well (*not* acid- 
> etched, as that
> can alter colors of pH-reactive pigments). You will also need  
> palette knives
> (metal or plastic), and a eyedropper to use to add binder solution  
> to pigment.
>
> You can use gum arabic as a binder (the commercially prepared stuff  
> has
> additives, so I make my own from gum arabic powder), or glair  
> (whipped egg
> whites that you then leave out for a while & skim the liquid  
> portion from the
> fluffy stuff).  Of course, if you're trying for egg tempera panel  
> paint, or
> period oil paints, or encaustic, you'll use different binders. My  
> assumption is
> you want to make paints for book illumination. :))
>
> Ratio of pigment to binder depends on a lot of things, including  
> the binder, the
> pigment, the humidity, the type of paint you're trying to make (you  
> use a lot
> more gum arabic in modern watercolors than in period paints).  
> Really, figuring
> out the correct ratio is a matter of trial and error, and lots of  
> experience.
> The key is to add the binder to the pigment one drop at a time.
>
> Decide early on if you care about whether you are using period  
> techniques &
> materials, or modern techniques & materials. Modern paint-makers  
> use additional
> materials & techniques that are not described as being part of the  
> artist's
> process in period manuals. If you care about using the period  
> process, read the
> period manuals.
>
> The earth pigments are good "starter" pigments. Being the most  
> ancient of
> colorants, they are also the least fussy. They're also (pun  
> intended) dirt
> cheap, so if you mess up, no big loss; get more and try again.
>
> Play around a little & have fun experimenting. Keep a notebook of  
> observations
> of your results. Have fun!
>
> --Serena
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
>> From: Jennifer Baker <jbaker at portalsweb.com>
>> To: scriptoris at lists.ansteorra.org
>> Sent: Mon, July 18, 2011 5:29:10 PM
>> Subject: [Scriptoris] Natural pigments question
>>
>> I have never painted with natural pigments before, but at KWHSS I  
>> was given
>> some  small samples to try.  I have 4 vials, each about an inch  
>> tall and 1/2 in
>> diameter.  The pigments are Verona Green Earth, Italian Yellow  
>> Earth,  Venetian
>> Red, and Italian Burnt Umber.
>>
>> I know I need gum arabic or some  other binder, but I don't know  
>> how much to
>> use in proportion to the pigment or  water.
>>
>> Can any one offer any advice?  I'd really like to experiment  a  
>> bit with these,
>> but I don't want to waste them because I don't know what I'm  doing.
>>
>> Many Thanks in  advance,
>> Alicia
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