Egg Tempera Fine Art

Technique de la Peinture a l'oeuf   Technique     Introduction  Binder  Tools  Pigments  Supports  Varnishing  Masters  Suppliers

 
Supports for Egg Tempera

Standard size | Scale enlargment | Supports | Preparation | Resources

Standard Size

 
  Latin standard size of supports in centimeters
Proportions through the golden rule - 1 cm = 0,3937 inches
Number F.igure (Portrait) P.aysage (Landscape) M.arine (Seascape)
1 22 x 16 22 x 14 22 x 12
2 24 x 19 24 x 16 24 x 14
3 27 x 22 27 x 19 27 x 16
4 33 x 24 33 x 22 33 x 19
5 35 x 27 35 x 24 35 x 22
6 41 x 33 41 x 27 41 x 24
8 46 x 38 46 x 33 46 x 27
10 55 x 46 55 x 38 55 x 33
12 61 x 50 61 x 46 61 x 38
15 65 x 54 65 x 50 65 x 46
20 73 x 60 73 x 54 73 x 50
25 81 x 65 81 x 60 81 x 54
30 92 x 73 92 x 65 92 x 60
40 100 x 81 100 x 73 100 x 65
50 116 x 89 116 x 81 116 x 73
60 130 x 97 130 x 89 130 x 81
80 146 x 114 146 x 97 146 x 89
100 162 x 130 162 x 114 162 x 97
120 195 x 130 195 x 114 195 x 97

 
AngloSaxons standard size of supports in inches
5 X 7 12 x 16 20 x 24 24 x 36
8 x 10 14 x 18 22 x 28 24 x 48
9 x 12 16 x 20 24 x 20 30 x 40
11 x 14 18 x 24 24 x 30 36 x 28

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Scale enlargment

 
Scale enlargment of a project for a final working size pannel
 
l
        
Project
h
L / H = l / h
         
L
     
Final
Working size pannel
H

L = (H x l) / h

H = (L x h) / l

l = (L x h) / H

h = (H x l) / L

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Choice of supports

 

Traditional supports
 Egg Tempera can be saffely applied on any kind of absorbant surface.
Mural painting: stone, mortar, dry plaster
Easel painting: paper, cardboard, illustration board, wood, canvas (Egg Oil Tempera only)
Innovative supports
hardboard/Massonite of 1/8" = 3 mm
Forex from Airex Ltd. Egg Tempera on Forex by Hugues Delbergue
Saponified wax on Forex by Hugues Delbergue
Priplak (Colored polypropilen material often use for the jackets or folders)

 

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Preparation

The preparation of a support has to be done in three steps: Size, ground, Priming

  1. The size has to be applied hot. It helps the ground or the paint to stick on the support. It also separate the paint from the support and avoid all kinds of chimical reactions. For instance, the corrosive actions of oils.
  2. The ground or Gesso has to be applied hot. It is an artificail reconstruction of a wall texture. A plastered wall is a grounded support.
  3. The priming has for purpose to adjust the absorption of the ground. It is regularly applied over the ground. Nevertheless it can also be applied directly over the dried size.

     

Steps for the preparation of a panel Hardboard/Massonite

  1. Sand the panel on its smooth side in order to remove the oilcloth and make it enough absorbant for the size. The edges should also be sanded. The sand paper should be wraped around a flat piece of wood to be hold by the hand and so ensure an even abrasion. The sand paper should be fine enough to avoid making deap stripes.
  2. Settle the board on glasses and apply the warmed size with a 3 inches wide (8 cm) housepainter's brushe of good quality. Don't forget to cover the edges with size. Let dry the panel on a flat surface covered with paper. Both side have to be treated one by one. One or two coats are necessary
  3. Continue the process, giving 5 to 7 coats of ground/Gesso. Brush strokes have to be given into the opposite direction each time.
  4. Polish the surface with very fine sand paper or pumice stone powder and wipe it with a soft and humid clean rag. It should become smooth as marble.
  5. At this stage the surface is ready for painting, but you might find it too absorbant. To overcome this problem, the best is to apply a first coat of Egg Tempera paint with the same 3 inches wide (8 cm) housepainter's brushe you used previouly. You can instead choose to apply some Water varnish.
Size
Steps Ingredients Volumes & proportions
1 Rabbit skin glue in powder 70 g 1 cup
Cold water 1 liter 10 cups
2 Stire and Let soak into cold water during12 hours    
3 warm up in a microwave oven or in a saucepan while stiring    

Ground or Gesso
Steps Ingredients Volumes & proportions
1 Rabbit skin glue in powder 70 g 1 cup
Cold water 1 liter 10 cups
2 Stire and Let soak into cold water during12 hours    
3 warm up in a microwave oven or in a saucepan while stiring    
4 White of Meudon/Plaster of Paris (Marble powder) 210 g 2 cups
Titanium White (+ pigment to give a color) 70 g 1/2 cup
5 Stire with a spatula to reduce lumps and filter    

Water Varnish from Egg White
Ingredients
Volume
1 Egg white betted into snow 40 ml
Collect the over night juice of the preparation  

 

Preparation of a plaster Wall for dry Fresco

  1. Ground step, Once the plaster is dry, smooth the surface
  2. Traditional Priming, with a big sponge apply an egg yolk Emulsion of 1 volume yolk for 1 volume water.
    Alternative Priming, 1 volume of Caparol for 5 volumes of water.

 

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Resources

Have your personal essay beeing linked here

 

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