Casein paint
Encyclopedia
Casein paint, derived from milk
casein
, is a fast-drying, water-soluble medium used by artists. It generally has a glue-like consistency, but can be thinned with water to the degree that fits a particular artist's style and desired result. It can be used on canvas panels, illustration boards, paper, wood and masonite
. Because the dried paint film is inflexible and brittle, it is not appropriate to be applied in heavy impasto
s on flexible supports such as canvas. Casein paint is reworkable and can be used for underpainting. It generally dries to a matte finish.
Casein paint has been used since ancient Egyptian times as a form of tempera
paint, and is still used today. One of the qualities that artists value casein paint for is that, unlike gouache
, it dries to an even consistency making it ideal for murals. Also, visually it can resemble oil painting more than most other water based paints, and works well as an underpainting.
A quick way to make casein painting medium is to take some skim milk cottage cheese and first wash off any of the milky fluids. The lumps of casein left behind are then dissolved by adding, in a pot, water and some ammonia. The ammonia should be preferably in the form of ammonium carbonate. As the mixture is stirred while it warms it begins to froth and the lumps dissolve. It is not boiled but kept simmering and stirred until the frothing stops. After the syrup is cooled, that is the medium. It keeps in a refrigerator for about four days.
Native American artist Oscar Howe
of South Dakota
used casein extensively.
Santa Clara Pueblo artist Pablita Velarde
created a series of more than 70 paintings of everyday Native American life in New Mexico
for Bandelier National Monument
between 1937 and 1943, painted mostly on masonite using casein paints.
Casein was widely used by commercial illustrators as the material of choice until the late 1960s when, with the advent of acrylic paint
, casein became less popular. Dick Tracy (1960), and Popeye (1960), two early paintings by Andy Warhol, who had been a commercial illustrator before becoming a fine artist, were painted with casein.
Category:Painting materials
http://www.trueart.info/casein.htm
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
casein
Casein
Casein is the name for a family of related phosphoprotein proteins . These proteins are commonly found in mammalian milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk and between 60% and 65% of the proteins in human milk....
, is a fast-drying, water-soluble medium used by artists. It generally has a glue-like consistency, but can be thinned with water to the degree that fits a particular artist's style and desired result. It can be used on canvas panels, illustration boards, paper, wood and masonite
Masonite
Masonite is a type of hardboard invented by William H. Mason.-History:Masonite was invented in 1924 in Laurel, Mississippi, by William H. Mason. Mass production started in 1929. In the 1930s and 1940s Masonite was used for many applications including doors, roofing, walls, desktops, and canoes...
. Because the dried paint film is inflexible and brittle, it is not appropriate to be applied in heavy impasto
Impasto
In English, the borrowed Italian word impasto most commonly refers to a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface very thickly, usually thickly enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas...
s on flexible supports such as canvas. Casein paint is reworkable and can be used for underpainting. It generally dries to a matte finish.
Casein paint has been used since ancient Egyptian times as a form of tempera
Tempera
Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium . Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera paintings are very long lasting, and examples from the 1st centuries AD still exist...
paint, and is still used today. One of the qualities that artists value casein paint for is that, unlike gouache
Gouache
Gouache[p], also spelled guache, the name of which derives from the Italian guazzo, water paint, splash or bodycolor is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. A binding agent, usually gum arabic, is also present, just as in watercolor...
, it dries to an even consistency making it ideal for murals. Also, visually it can resemble oil painting more than most other water based paints, and works well as an underpainting.
A quick way to make casein painting medium is to take some skim milk cottage cheese and first wash off any of the milky fluids. The lumps of casein left behind are then dissolved by adding, in a pot, water and some ammonia. The ammonia should be preferably in the form of ammonium carbonate. As the mixture is stirred while it warms it begins to froth and the lumps dissolve. It is not boiled but kept simmering and stirred until the frothing stops. After the syrup is cooled, that is the medium. It keeps in a refrigerator for about four days.
Native American artist Oscar Howe
Oscar Howe
Oscar Howe was an American artist from South Dakota, who became well known for his casein paintings.-Early life and education:...
of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
used casein extensively.
Santa Clara Pueblo artist Pablita Velarde
Pablita Velarde
Pablita Velarde born Tse Tsan was an American painter.-Early life:After the death of her mother when Pablita was about five years old, she and two of her sisters were sent to St Catherine's Indian School in Santa Fe...
created a series of more than 70 paintings of everyday Native American life in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
for Bandelier National Monument
Bandelier National Monument
Bandelier National Monument is a National Monument preserving the homes of the Ancestral Pueblo People. It is named after Swiss anthropologist Adolph Bandelier, who researched the cultures of the area. Bandelier was designated a National Monument on February 11, 1916, and most of its backcountry...
between 1937 and 1943, painted mostly on masonite using casein paints.
Casein was widely used by commercial illustrators as the material of choice until the late 1960s when, with the advent of acrylic paint
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry...
, casein became less popular. Dick Tracy (1960), and Popeye (1960), two early paintings by Andy Warhol, who had been a commercial illustrator before becoming a fine artist, were painted with casein.
Category:Painting materials
http://www.trueart.info/casein.htm