**What is "Tempera"?**
Intricate details, vivid colors, and a soft sheen... When looking at old Western religious paintings made with tempera, one feels a different kind of appeal compared to oil paints. There are likely many people who have thought, "I would love to try painting with tempera at least once."
Tempera comes from the Latin word "temperare," meaning "to mix properly." In today's art world, it refers to "a paint made by mixing pigments with eggs, and the paintings made with such paint." The binder for the pigments is animal protein (mainly eggs or milk), and before the advent of oil paints, all paints were made with tempera. Classical tempera was simply made by mixing egg yolk, pigments, and water. However, since around the 15th century, egg tempera paint became more common, adding oil and resin to whole eggs to give the colors vividness and depth.
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**How to Make Egg Tempera Paint**
Let's try making egg tempera paint. Below is a method for making the egg medium to mix with the pigments.
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**Recipe**
- Fresh chicken egg (whole egg: yolk + white)*
1 part
- Sun-thickened linseed oil
1/2 part
- Dammar varnish
1/2 part
- Preservative
4 drops (or vinegar, 1-2 teaspoons)
- Lidded jar
1
- Beaker
1
- Whisk
1
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