The Egg Tempera Painting Technique.

Painting Techniques of the Renaissance.

 The egg tempera painting technique was the main method of applying paint to panel throughout the early renaissance. As the title suggests the pigment is mixed with egg, using the white of the egg or the yolk results in different effects, the mixture is fast drying and permanent.

 Egg tempera has been discovered on early Egyptian decorations and the painting technique was also used throughout the Byzantine period.

 Typically a wooden panel was prepared by covering the surface with layers of gesso (made with gypsum mixed with animal glue and worked into a thick paste).

A rough layer was applied, the gesso grosso, the panel would then be finished in a smooth covering of gesso, the gesso sottile.

Any joints or knots in the wood had to be sealed with strips of linen or sized to ensure that the gypsum adhered to the surface of the panel. The final gesso surface is then polished to the smooth, brilliant white consistency required for the application of the paint. 

 Typically an artist would transfer a drawing (cartoon) to the surface using the pouncing method. This is the technique of puncturing holes into the lines of the drawing, the paper was then laid onto the gesso ground and dusted with charcoal powder. The charcoal penetrated through the holes leaving a series of dots on the gesso. From this the artist was able to outline the final composition of the painting.

 Pigments were ground on a slab and the egg was added only when they were used. Tempera can only be laid in thin layers and has a very fast drying time, so a tempera painting cannot achieve the depth of finish available to an artist working in oil paint.

 Oil paint tends to yellow  with age and the colors can darken and become transparent. One advantage of tempera is that the color does not change over time, however the Tempera artist must display a great deal of discipline and be methodical in the application of the technique.

 Tempera artists displayed an intimate understanding of all the materials used, and pride
 in the technique was passed from master to pupil throughout the generations.

Raphael, A Knights Dream. c.1504.
Tempera on wood. National Gallery London. 

(Note:- This is intended as a general illustration of the Tempera method. It is not suggested that Raphael followed these exact stages when constructing this painting.)  

The Fresco Method.

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