PROGRAM - MARCH 2018 - GARY BROOKS
Today’s Program: Tom Schroeder Chairman introduced Gary Brooks: topic was
“Egg Tempera – the Medium of Andrew Wyeth”.
Gary demonstrated the basics of Egg Tempera preparation and painting that he uses in his work.
Advantages, limitations, alternative applications and myths dispelled:
*Use clay board – cracking will occur with flexible board/paper
*Egg tempera dries immediately and has permanent, bright, intense, luminous colors
*Transparent layering possible
*Use mortar and pestle to grind Pigments (For safety, use latex gloves and face mask when touching powder form)
*Sketch on tracing paper, transferred to gesso board, outline with indelible ink, block out dark areas
*Can use regular watercolor paints with egg yolk added instead of water
*Premixed egg tempera paint is available in a tube, but tends to be greasy (Rowney Co.)
*Mix ground pigment to toothpaste consistency with water
*Store ground pigments covered with water in a sealed tupperware-like container – can last months +
*Egg preparation: crack egg, retain yolk only, rinse yolk with water, lay yolk on paper towel - dry by rolling on towel, remove all traces of egg white; To Remove membrane from yolk – hold yolk in hand, poke hole in bottom of egg yolk, gently push yolk through the membrane hole, discard membrane
*add 2-3 drops of white vinegar to extend life of egg yolk; also eliminates smell
*Yolk will dry clear when added to your pigment mixture
*To temper the medium, add equal parts of egg yolk and water to the pigment
(water consistency)
*If paint looks too chalky, you have too much egg in your mixture. Water can be added to thin the egg tempera paint and to get a more transparent look.
*Egg yolk suspends the pigment
*Mixing ratio - Use ¼ tsp. egg tempera to 1 pea size of pigment
*Made a mistake? Can use 0000 sand paper, 0000 steel wool to lift or remove paints from clay board
*Egg tempera can be used as a clear wash to seal a painting
Suggested books for more information on Egg Tempera Painting:
‘The Practice of Tempera Painting, Materials and Methods’ by Daniel V Thompson, Jr.
‘The Art of Andrew Wyeth, the Luminous Brush’ by Altoon Sultan
‘New Techniques in Egg Tempera’ by Robert Vickrey and Diane Cochrane
‘Artist at Work’ by Robert Vickrey
Fantastic program today! Gary had many paintings on display that were awesome! Many thanks for the critiques provided to the GCWS members that brought in their own paintings.
