How to create egg tempera paint

There are several recipes for egg tempera and for this project I decided to use a recipe that would last longer than a week. As I don't always have time to paint, the idea of an egg tempera medium that only lasts a week does not appeal.

If you don't want to spend time mixing up an egg tempera recipe, you can always opt for a ready-made version from a well-stocked art shop. However, not only is this a lot less fun, but it feels a lot less "authentic". You can even buy ready-mixed egg tempera paint in tubes, but where's the fun in that!

This is a whole egg recipe (other recipes use just water, pigment and the egg yoke) with linseed and turpentine added to give the medium some of the qualities of oil paints.

One: Break a fresh egg into your container. I sieved mine, but you could put it through cheesecloth. This should take out any impurities.

Two: Next add equal parts linseed oil and genuine turpentine. Not too much as the recipe will be too thin.

Three: I added in about ten drops of white wine vinegar (you could use white vinegar). This acts as a preservative and should prevent mould. Mix up the recipe well and then seal the container with an air-tight lid and keep in the refrigerator ready for use.

You can buy the pigments from a well-stocked reputable art shop. However, I got my pigments from Morocco as I wanted to try out organic pigments, some of which are archaic in origin and predate the synthetic versions you can buy now. If you don't fancy mixing up your own egg tempera recipe, you can use a ready-made version. I bought this from Green and Stone in London and it cost £12.95.

One: Here are my packets of pigments. It is better to keep them in jars. When you mix the pigments, you should wear a mask to avoid breathing in the fine dust, even if it is non-toxic. Be especially wary of toxic pigments. If using pigment doesn't appeal, you can use gouache paint as an alternative.

Two: Add a few drops of water to the pigment. Here I am beginning to grind the pigment (this one is smalt, which turns from brown to blue) with water added. I begin with a palette knife and then transfer to a pestle and mortar.

Three: With very gritty pigments, such as the smalt that I was using, you will need to grind it with the egg tempera medium to get a smooth paste. You can use a glass muller and plate, but I used a pestle and mortar. Here I added small amounts of the ready-made medium until I got the desired consistency.

After mixing up your whole egg tempera medium, you can add it to your chosen pigment. Here I mixed the egg tempera medium with some Titanium White pigment that I'd bought from Green & Stone in London for £4.75.

One: As well as the organic pigments I brought back from Morocco, I also tried out Titanium White pigment bought from an art shop in London. This pigment was much finer (I wore a breathing mask to avoid inhaling the dust) and didn't need any grinding. I placed a small amount onto a board.

Two: Add an equal amount of egg tempera medium. There is no exact science to this and you can add water to get the desired consistency, as long as it does not become too watery.

Three: As the pigment was so fine and easy to mix, I just used the palette knife to make it into a smooth paste. It is best to mix up fresh paint for each painting session, so only mix as much paint as you think you will need.

Four: As I don't know how stable the pigments are, I prepared a test piece, which I placed on a sunny windowsill (in this case on November 5). It is good to make a note of when you placed it there and which pigments you used. This is a good test for any paints or paper, unless the source is reputable and the pigment is already proven permanent.

Pros: The ready-made ET medium is the quickest to use and works well. The whole egg recipe has the qualities of ET with some of the benefits of a longer lasting oil painting medium.

Cons: The ready-made egg tempera medium worked really well, but has a rather strange odour and is a lot more expensive than mixing up your own medium. The whole egg medium lasts longer than just using egg yolk and water and costs little to make.

Verdict: There seems to be no set way of making egg tempera paints and it is good to experiment with several recipes until you find one that suits. Both the ready-made and whole egg recipes worked well.