natural pigments
Paint or Pigment... what is the difference?
"Humans on almost every continent ground up earthen clays and minerals and mixed them with a binder such as honey, urine, blood, sap, egg, grease or oil."
Natural Earth pigments were among the earliest recorded by our ancestors to make paint. Starting at least 100,000 years ago, ancient people from all over the world, including Egyptians, Native Americans, ancient Buddhists, Medieval Monks, and Renaissance masters, used earthen pigments to make their paints. Humans on almost every continent ground up earthen clays and minerals and mixed them with a binder such as honey, urine, blood, sap, egg, grease or oil. This basic technique, with numerous variations, became the prevailing method of oil painting until the Nineteenth century’s introduction of synthetic pigments and petroleum- based paints.
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A pigment is what gives colour to paint. Historically earth pigments have been used to document stories of cultures from every region of the world. Many of these earth pigments, still vibrant on ancient cave walls and cultural artefacts, have stood the test of time with many of the colours unobtainable through modern synthetic paints. Pigments are simply a powder derived from materials such as clay, rocks, plant life, charcoal, and even animal bones.
To make a paint, a powdered pigment, needs some form of glue to bind the pigment together. Binders help hold the paint to the surface on which it is being applied. History documents and array of binders – everything from egg yolk in tempera paint, plant resins for water colour, and different types of oils for oil paint. Different binders will give your paint different strengths and qualities. In the clips below I'll show you how to make some simple paints using a binder and pigment.
