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Home Paints How Make Your Own Water-Based Paint

How Make Your Own Water-Based Paint

How to article on preparing the grinding surface and dispersing pigments

to make your own water-based paint.

Why hand mull pigments into paint? There are two basic reasons for doing

so: To break down agglomerates of pigment particles and to evenly disperse

pigments into the paint. Most artists are aware of the need to smoothly mix

pigment with a binding medium, but few are aware of how breaking

agglomerations of pigment particles can also improve the saturation of the

paint color. Fewer still know about the possibilities that grinding pigments

afford for altering the visual appearance of pigment in paint.

Dispersing pigments into a paint binder with a muller on a flat surface helps

to breakdown agglomerations or pigment particles that have clumped

together from moisture and other weak binding forces. This helps to not

only make the final paint smoother in texture, but improves on the opacity

and color of the paint. However, it is a common mistake to think that the

force of mulling actually grinds pigment particles into smaller sizes.

Greater mechanical force must be applied in order to do so. One way to dothis is with a mortar and pestle. A pestle directs the entire force to a

singular point whereas a muller applies the same force spread out on its

bottom flat surface. In addition, the pressure applied to the concave surface

inside a mortar creates greater lateral forces to shear the particles in smaller

ones. The action of grinding in a mortar can reduce the particle size of the

pigment, and in some case altering its color substantially.

Not all pigments improve in color and appearance by being ground to a

very fine powder and then mixed with a binding medium. For example, the

natural mineral malachite loses its color saturation the finer it is ground. On

the other hand, some pigments, like cinnabar and lazurite improve their

chromacity when grinding to the finest possible particle sizes.

Many synthetic pigments available to artists today are already prepared in

extremely fine grades, since they are essentially made from precipitated

chemical compounds. Whereas this makes for very uniform and small

pigment particles that offer some advantages in covering power and tinting

strength, it also removes the interesting textures and intense chromacity

found in natural pigments. At the very least, it does not allow the artist to

control the pigment to its best potential in painting. Grinding pigments

gives you the tools to overcome this limitation.

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Rublev Colours pigments from Natural Pigments are made to careful

specifications that do not destroy the pigments best qualities and also allow

the artist to refine them for his or her own use through elutriation or

grinding. Many Rublev Colours pigments are basically raw materials that

may require further processing by the artist to achieve certain desirable

effects. Rublev Colours pigments can be used as they come out of the jar or

you may grind them to smaller particle sizes and separate into different

grades for special visual effects. As you become more aware of these

possibilities, you may want to experiment, paying close attention to the way

the pigments look when mixed with your medium, whether it is oil, egg,acrylic, casein or gum arabic.

Tools Needed to Make Paint

The tools you need to disperse pigments and make paint are quite simple

and most are available locally. For convenience, Natural Pigments has put

together an Introductory Paint Making Kit to help you get all the tools and

materials you need to get started. Here are the tools you will need to get

started:

Item Where To Find

Muller Glass, stone or ceramic muller

Glass muller, large (Item No.

640-GLMLL), also small and

medium sizes are availableIncluded in the Introductory

Paint Making Kit (Item No.601-1101) Also availablefrom select specialty art

supplies stores

Mulling

surface

Plate glass at least one

quarter-inch thick, marble,granite or other smooth,

non-porous flat surface.

Grinding Plate (Item No.

640-GLASS)

Included in the Introductory

Paint Making Kit (Item No.

601-1101)Also available from glass

shops, marble and tile shops

Spatula,

palette orputty knife

Spatula (Item No.

652-PT409739)

Also available from hardware

stores and art supplies stores

Flake White andCremnitz White

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when basic lead carbonateis made according to the old

Dutch method or 'stack

process,' it falls off themetallic pieces of lead as

'flakes.' This...December 11, 2011 04:34 PM

Canada Balsam Mediums

For liquid-type oil painting

mediums, we recommend amixture of bodied linseed

oil, solvent and, as an

option, a resin or blasam.Here are several formulas

incorporating Canadabalsam: Canada...

December 12, 2011 07:12 PM

Four Lead White Aritsts'Oils to Choose

Rublev Colours Lead White

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Silicon

Carbide

Also known by its tradename,

Carborundum. It is best to use

100 grit to prepare thesurface.

Silicon Carbide 100 grit(Item No. 670-1201)

Included in the Introductory

Paint Making Kit (Item No.601-1101)

Also available at selecthardware stores

Distilledwater

Supermarket or food stores

Gloves Latex gloves, powdered arebest for ease of putting on or

removing (Item No.

660-2100)Also available frompharmacies, drug stores, and

medical supply stores

Respirator NIOSH-approved dust

respirator (Item No.

661-2600)Also available from hardware

stores

Eye Protector Eye Protector (Item No.

660-3100)Also available from hardware

stores

CAUTION: Always wear a NIOSH-approved dust mask while grinding or

working with any dry earth or pigment. Wear protective clothing and gloves

while working with pigments in any form -- dry or wet.

Preparing the Surface

The mulling surface must be roughened before it is useable for dispersing

pigments. You will need about 15-20 minutes to prepare the surface for

dispersing pigments. Here are the steps you should follow to prepare the

surface:

Step 1: Place the surface on a firm support such as a countertop or firm

table. If you are using glass as your mulling surface, you may find it helpful

to put a white washcloth or a white kitchen towel beneath the glass to

stabilize it while grinding.


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Step 2: Pour a small amount of silicon carbide onto the surface. About 1/8

of a teaspoon will be fine to start with. Apply distilled water to the silicon

carbide a drop at a time to make a stiff paste.

Step 3: Mix the water into the silicon carbide to make a paste the

consistency of toothpaste.

Step 4: Place the muller onto the small pile of silicon carbide paste and

begin moving it a circular motion reaching to the edges of the surface. The

corners of the mulling surface do not need to be roughened. Continue togrind in this motion for 5 to 10 minutes.

It will be necessary to remove accumulated silicon carbide paste from the

sides of the muller using a scraper, palette or putty knife. Periodically

scrape the paste into a small heap at the center of the mulling surface in

order to continue grinding. When you have completed grinding the surface,

visually inspect it to see if it has been roughened by holding it up to a light

at an angle. If the surface was smooth and shiny to begin with, you should

notice a matte appearance where you have been grinding.


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To avoid contaminating your pigments, clean your tools well by washing

with soap and water.

Mulling and Dispersing Pigment into Water for Water-Based Paint

Now that the mulling surface has been prepared, you can begin to

dispersing pigments and making your own paint. Lets mull some pigment

intended for use with water-based mediums, such as egg yolk (tempera),

hide glue (distemper) or gum Arabic (watercolors). Disperse pigment only

in distilled water. Tap water may contain a high amount of minerals andperhaps bacteria that can contaminate your paint.

Step 1: Place a small amount of pigment in a heap at the center of the

prepared surface. Start by working with about 10 grams of pigments.

Step 2: Add a small amount of distilled water to the heap of dry pigment a

few drops at a time. Do not add too much water to start.

Step 3: Mix the water into the pigment with a spatula, palette or putty

knife. The correct amount of water is added when the pigment has the

consistency of toothpaste. It is easier to judge the thickness of the paste

once you begin grinding with the muller. Hence, in the beginning it is better

to begin grinding with a stiff paste than one that has excess water.

Step 4: Holding the muller firmly with the heel of your hand down and

your thumb up, slowly move the muller in a circular motion while keeping

the pigment in the center of the surface. The pigment will slowly

accumulate along the outside of the circle. Use the spatula to move the

paste to the center of the mulling surface in order to continue grinding.

If the paste becomes too stiff, add more water a few drops at a time. Do not

worry if suddenly the pigment is thin and watery. Simply add more dry


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pigment to the mixture.

Periodically lift the muller from the mulling slab and remove any

accumulated pigment from the sides of the muller using a spatula, putty or

palette knife.

Sometimes suction will form between the muller and mulling surface

making it difficult to move or lift the muller. Use the spatula as a lever to

raise an edge of the muller. Then slide the muller horizontally off themulling surface.

To prevent contaminating your next pigment, clean your tools very well. If

you have been grinding with water-based media, wash with warm water

and soap. If you are mulling with oil, clean up with turpentine, mineral

spirits or lacquer thinner. Always wash your mulling tools with warm water

and soap after cleaning with solvents. You may remove caked-on pigment

and paint by mulling with any kitchen scouring powder, borax or pumice

with the muller on the mulling surface. Follow this by washing with soap

and warm water.

References1 Thompson, Daniel V. The Materials and Techniques of Medieval

Painting. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1956, ISBN 0-486-20327-1,

Page 86.Categories:

Acrylic, Casein, Fresco, Tempera, Watercolor, TutorialsTags:

grinding, pigments, water-based paint

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