Crea%ng a Faiyum Portrait Using Egg Tempera Paint
In this lesson sequence, SBMA
Teaching Ar%st Itoko Maeno demonstrates
how to paint a portrait using egg tempera paint. The process is similar to the one used by the ancient ar%st who created the SBMA Faiyum Mummy
Portrait of a Woman.
Materials for this project:
The original ar%st used:
v the yolk of a fresh egg v a small amount of water v grinding stone v minerals or stone v a wood panel, coated in in a mix of animal glues and gypsum (a
white powdery earth substance) v a small animal hair brush v black ink v an instrument for piecing the egg sac v a bowl for the pure egg yolk v a completed ink sketch (on the wooden panel) of the woman
depicted in the SBMA Faiyum Mummy Portrait of a Woman
We will use:
v the yolk of a fresh egg v a small amount of water in a container v a piece of sand paper v stones, chalk pastels, or powdered tempera paint v watercolor paper (140 lb.) cut to 5” x 7” or 8” x 10” v a pencil v small paint brush v a craS s%ck or other mixing implement v paper towel and a paper plate v a toothpick v a bowl for the pure egg yolk v a completed sketch of a subject (see the next slide)
Before mixing paints, students should complete a portrait sketch. Some possibili%es include: v a sketch of the woman in the Faiyum Mummy
Portrait v a sketch of a god or goddess v a sketch of a person from history v a sketch of a contemporary person In keeping with the history and purpose of the SBMA Faiyum Mummy Portrait of a Woman, students may choose to create a self-‐portrait sketch. A Faiyum pain%ng was naturalis%c, and oSen depicted a person at a par%cular %me in his/her life. Students may choose to capture their likeness and spirit in their sketches, as an alternate to a tradi%onal school photograph. Please refer to two other presenta%ons on this website: the SBMA Portrait Sketching Lesson and Portrait Propor:ons Lesson.
Begin by preparing powdered pigments. In the method illustrated above, the ar%st collects soS stones in various colors and rubs them against coarse sandpaper to create colored powders. This process is %me consuming, but it is possible to produce organic pigments in a manner that is similar to the original grinding process used by ancient and Renaissance ar%sts.
An alterna%ve method is to mimic the original produc%on process by rubbing pieces of chalk pastels against rough sand paper. These ground pigments work well for this project, and chalk pastels come in a variety of colors.
A third choice is to simply use powdered tempera paint.
Preparing the Egg Tempera Paint
When the powdered pigments are ready to mix with the egg yolk, it is %me for the following Teacher Demonstra%on. Teachers should experiment with this simple process before demonstra%ng it to students.
First step – assemble a fresh egg, a bowl or container for the egg yolk, and a toothpick. Have some paper towels or rags nearby. Begin by holding a fresh egg over a bowl or plas%c container and cracking it, but do not drop the en%re contents (yolk and egg white) into the container.
Separate the yolk from the egg white by pouring the yolk from one half shell to the other, allowing the egg white to fall into the bowl below.
ASer all of the egg white is gone, demonstrate how to gently pour the intact egg yolk into the palm of one hand. Show students how to carefully roll the yolk from one hand to the other, each %me wiping their free hand on paper towels to remove excess egg white.
Next, demonstrate how to “pinch” the yolk by liSing it over the bowl between the thumb and index finger. Then “pop” the yolk with a toothpick. The contents of the yolk sac will run into the bowl, leaving the thin sac between the thumb and index finger. Discard the yolk sac.
The contents of the yolk sac will mix easily (see the next steps) with the powdered pigments to create the egg tempera paint.
The egg yolk will serve as a “binder” for the powdered pigment. Why is it important to separate the egg yolk from the egg white and remove the egg sac? The percentage of albumin in the white of the egg is too low to make good paint, and the egg sac will not mix well with the powdered pigment.
Note: ASer demonstra%ng the steps described above, a teacher could distribute small containers of prepared egg yolk. An egg separator simplifies the process. However, if group size and %me allows individual students to follow the procedures described above, they will experience the authen%c process ancient and Renaissance ar%sts used in their workshops.
Pick up some of the egg yolk with the %p of the craS s%ck.
Place a puddle of yolk on the center of a paper plate (the small heaps of powdered pigment surround the egg yolk).
1) Pick up some of the egg yolk with the %p of your brush.
2) Mix the egg yolk with a pigment of your choice. You may choose to mix different powdered pigments together to obtain the right color for the background, skin, or hair, etc.
3) Add a small amount of water to achieve the right consistency – the paint should be smooth with a gravy-‐like thickness. 1
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Itoko applies the egg tempera paint in small amounts, using short strokes.
Now Itoko is ready to let the paint on face completely dry. The paint dries very quickly. ASer it dries, it is possible to add layer upon layer of addi%onal paint, achieving a richness of color and shading. While the paint on the face is drying, Itoko begins to work on crea%ng the right color for the background.
Itoko experiments with mixing red, blue, and gold together to achieve a deep, bluish-‐brown color. She wants to mix warm brown with a cooler blue. How will she do it?
She knows that mixing red and green together will create brown.
She has red pigment, but she needs to mix green into it. Therefore, she combines yellow and blue pigment to make green.
Then she mixes the green and red pigment together to make brown, and gradually adds blue pigment un%l she mixes just the right color for her background. She could have mixed black, white, and blue, but the color she achieved by mixing pigments is more complex, with subtle undertones that enhance the colora%on.
Itoko experiments with the pigments to mix the exact color of her choice.
At this point, students can mix the background color of their choice, making sure it will contrast with the skin tones. Then, they can paint in the first layers of the background. Itoko will move on to the next steps in the pain%ng demonstra%on, but students should paint in the en%re background with the first layer of color.
Next, Itoko mixes some white powdered pigment with the egg yolk.(1) She is ready to apply some creamy white paint to create the “whites” of the woman’s large eyes. (2)
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She paints the irises of the woman’s eyes a deep gray color, but Itoko decides it is not strong enough.(3) Itoko grinds some black pastel into powder (4), and strengthens the gray pigment un%l it is a rich, nearly black color . Now when you look at the woman’s eyes, they make a definite statement! (5)
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While the eyes are drying, Itoko will go back to comple%ng the background. She applies the bluish-‐gray color she mixed previously, and paints it all over the background. (1) Then she adds some black (2) to the bluish-‐gray background to heighten the contrast of the overall pain%ng. Now the woman’s face stands out against the deeper colors. Finally, Itoko mixes and adds more blue over the black (3), as some of the blue tones were lost when she deepened the background with black. This layering process allows the ar%st to achieve depth and contrast.
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Itoko completes the finishing steps more quickly: (1) She adds brown for the woman’s hair. She will let this first layer of pigment dry , and then and darker tones later. (2) Using a small brush, she outlines the woman’s eyes with a soS black stroke of paint. (3) She adds width and defini%on to the woman’s eyebrows with a dark gray color. (4) She pencils in more shading/defini%on to the woman’s lips and nostrils, which she will paint over later. (5) Using different tones of light brown, she paints in loose, wider strokes for the woman’s tunic and cloak.
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A small touch of white to each eye creates an important highlight – a sparkle that adds to this ancient woman’s %melessness. The black paint of the iris should be dry before adding a white highlight.
Itoko adds new layers of skin tones to the woman’s neck, and stronger color to her lips. She brushes on a hint of rose-‐colored pigment to her cheeks. As a final touch, she adds slightly deeper tones to the leS side of the woman’s neck, indica%ng that the light source is coming downward from the upper right. She adds a slight shadow beneath her chin, and slightly deepens the color of the hair. The final touch? Spots of white for this elegant woman’s earrings.
Some%mes ar%sts learn about new media, processes, and techniques by imita%ng an original ar%st. Itoko was eager to work under the influence of the ancient ar%st who create this portrait, and to experiment with using egg tempera paints. Next, she will apply her discoveries to a new work – her own self-‐portrait, and she invites student ar%sts to do the same.
Credits and Permissions:
This presenta%on is for instruc%onal use only and is not to be altered in any way, or reproduced without agribu%on.
For further informa%on about these or other SBMA Educa%on and Outreach
Programs contact [email protected]
Presenta%on created by Joni Chancer, Program and Performance Consultant to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and Itoko Maeno, SBMA Teaching Ar%st.
A lesson featuring the SBMA exhibit Art on a Human Scale: An:qui:es from the Permanent Collec:on
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