Search results for 'gesso'

Gesso di Bologna is a bright white Calcium Sulphate, or gypsum, from Italy, which can be used as a substitute for whiting in the preparation of gesso. It is ground to a particularly fine powder, which makes it a suitable ground for gilding, as the small size of the particles allows for greater compression when burnishing. Learn More

Carnauba Wax is the hardest wax commonly used in the production of artists' materials, with a melting point of 83-86°c. It is derived from a tree native to South America, and is available in a natural colour (grey), or a refined colour (pale yellow). Small amounts of carnauba wax are commonly used in both oil painting mediums and encaustic painting, usually in conjunction with beeswax to add toughness, durability and sheen to the paint film. It creates an inflexible surface, so works best on rigid supports such as gesso panels, and it should be noted that it will raise the melting point of encaustic mixtures. It can produce a glossy finish; as such it is used in waxes and polishes for shoes, cars, musical instruments, furniture, and wooden floors, especially when mixed with beeswax and turpentine. Learn More

English Red Light Pigment Learn More

Gypsum is powdered Calcium Sulphate, a traditional ingredient in gesso grounds used in southern Europe. One of the advantages of preparing your painting surface with gypsum is that it allows for a particularly even absorption of the paint film. It can also be added to acrylic primers to increase absorbency or add tooth to a surface. Learn More

Soft round domed hog hair. Bound with string instead of metal ferrule (will not rust). Suitable for application of pastes for bookbinding and laying down of gesso. Learn More

Patricia Lovett is one of the world’s leading authorities on the techniques and practical processes of making mediæval manuscripts. She lectures and teaches all over the world on calligraphy and illumination, and has written about a dozen books on these subjects, as well as producing a DVD – Illumination – Tools, Materials, Techniques, Projects. Patricia has run calligraphy courses as well as those on traditional manuscript gilding and painting techniques, and was awarded an MBE for her services to heritage crafts and calligraphy. This book takes the beginner and those with more experience through step-by-step processes to produce simple and easy projects using cheap metals and modern adhesives, and also to create mediæval miniatures and illuminated scrolls on vellum (animal skin). Learn More

Carnauba Wax is the hardest wax commonly used in the production of artists' materials, with a melting point of 83-86°c. It is derived from a tree native to South America, and is available in a natural colour (grey), or a refined colour (pale yellow). Small amounts of carnauba wax are commonly used in both oil painting mediums and encaustic painting, usually in conjunction with beeswax to add toughness, durability and sheen to the paint film. It creates an inflexible surface, so works best on rigid supports such as gesso panels, and it should be noted that it will raise the melting point of encaustic mixtures. It can produce a glossy finish; as such it is used in waxes and polishes for shoes, cars, musical instruments, furniture, and wooden floors, especially when mixed with beeswax and turpentine. Learn More

Isinglass is derived from the dried swim bladders of fish, with Salianski Isinglass being the highest grade available. In the Russian Icon tradition, it commonly provided the glue component in gesso recipes, and was sometimes mixed with pigment to make tempera paints, due to its high binding strength. It can be used to make a pale, clear glue, which is less prone to darkening than other animal glues, and which is particularly flexible, making it a useful material for repairing textiles. Learn More

Titanium White, or Titanium Doixide, is an artificial mineral pigment introduced in the 1920s. It is valued for its opacity, good lightfastness, and stability in all media. Its high tinting strength can render it a dominant colour in mixtures. It is very slow drying in oil, and creates a somewhat brittle paint film, though more flexible than Zinc White. Its brightness makes it a popular addition to gesso.

Toxicity: B

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Refined liquid fish glue for use as a size for gilding on paper. It can also be used as a glue for paper and as a binder in gesso for raised illumination. Seccotine is made from the skin of the Atlantic deep sea cod fish. It remains flexible after drying.

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Casein is a protein derived from dried milk, which has been used in painting since ancient times. It can be combined with Ammonium Carbonate to form an emulsion, which acts as a durable, non-resoluble binder for pigments, producing a matte, fast-drying paint, similar in appearance to egg tempera. We use casein as a binder for our L. Cornelissen & Son Pigment Colour Charts, as it is a medium that clearly showcases the characteristics and behaviour of each pigment in its pure form. Casein paints can be applied in thin layers to watercolour paper, but would require a more rigid support, such as a gesso panel, to be applied thickly, as the comparative inflexibility of the paint layer means that it can be prone to cracking. Subsequent layers of paint should be more diluted to aid adhesion, and impasto effects are not recommended. It is possible to varnish casein paintings using an acrylic or damar varnish to obtain a glossy surface if desired, although this is not a necessary step. Casein can also be used as an ingredient in gesso, and is a suitable binder for fresco secco techniques.

Some pigments may require a wetting agent in order to fully disperse within the binder, in which case alcohol may be used.

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