First Line (grinding pigment) by Glen Holland

Comic Book Paintings

Glen Holland

First Line (grinding pigment)

Dry pigment is ground in water to make a pigment paste to be used in the making of egg tempera paint.

CONCEPT

PREPARATION (substrate and ground)

PAINTING PROCESS

Making tempera paint requires the mixing of pigment, solvent, and binder. Since the binder is egg yolk, and must be made up freshly daily, the pigment can be ground into the solvent, water, and stored in sealed containers to be simply mixed with the binder as needed.

	The dry pigment is placed in a dimpled mound on the ground glass grinding surface. Slowly water is added and mixed with the pigment until it is the consistency of icing. not too thick (gummy), not too thin (runny).
	The mixture is spread out in a thinnish layer and is ground with the glass muller. Once ground as thinly as possible gather up the concoction spread it again with the spatula and grind again. Repeat until it becomes a smooth paste. Scoop into jar, put a skim coat of water on top and seal with lid.
	Some pigments, such as alizarin crimson, and ultramarine blue do not readily absorb the water, but a few drops of alcohol usually solves that problem. Clean the muller, glass surface, and pallette knives and spatulas between colors.
	Materials: -dry pigment -distilled water -alcohol(stale beer(I heard) or rubbing alcohol work) -glass muller -thick glass panel(ground with carborundum powder) -jars with lids -palette knife and spatula -gloves -mask

I usually grind all the colors before the beginning of a series, and then grind and replace pigment pastes as needed. I use about a dozen colors, a pallette modified from the colors I used for oil painting. The egg tempera colors were worked out through research, and trial and error, and allow me to get rather quickly, through mixing, to all the colors I will need for painting. Adding new pigments, and trying out replacements for existing color needs is part of the process, always changing, adapting, and growing.

For technical details and instructions read these books (and keep them handy):
The Craftsman's Handbook: "Il Libro dell' Arte" -Cennino d'Andrea Cennini
The Materials of the Artist and Their Use in Painting-Max Doerner
The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques-Ralph Mayer
A Manual of Painting Materials and Techniques -Mark David Gottsegen
Formulas for Painters -Robert Massey
The Practice of Tempera Painting-Daniel V. Thompson, Jr.
The Luminous Brush-Altoon Sultan

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