Asking about the genuine articles rather than synthetic equivalents.
Do you have experience of the media?
Casein v Egg Tempera
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Re: Casein v Egg Tempera
I've used both when applying glazes to finished gilding. Casein makes a good binder for watercolour paints in that you can paint on several layers without disturbing the underlying dried paint and allows you to paint on a variety of finishes without the paint beading. The finished effect is very flat and is in effect a dried glued on film of pigment - the casein has no obvious optical contribution to the appearance of the paint. A thin top coat of matted varnish however can bring out the brilliance of the pigments.
Egg tempera is a more interesting binder in that you can again use it with watercolour paints but you get the added advantage of having an oil varnish in the mix which can enhance the finished colours. You can even add a little bees-wax to give the paint some body and even polish up the dried paint when finished. Egg tempera will dry more permanent than casein.
Apart from making casein with ammonium carbonate, you can buy a concentrated binder made by Schminke that doesn't go off after a few days.
Egg tempera keeps a bit longer in the fridge.
Egg tempera is a more interesting binder in that you can again use it with watercolour paints but you get the added advantage of having an oil varnish in the mix which can enhance the finished colours. You can even add a little bees-wax to give the paint some body and even polish up the dried paint when finished. Egg tempera will dry more permanent than casein.
Apart from making casein with ammonium carbonate, you can buy a concentrated binder made by Schminke that doesn't go off after a few days.
Egg tempera keeps a bit longer in the fridge.
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Re: Casein v Egg Tempera
Thanks Dermot, most interesting. Would you say casein is more brittle? I want a crisp effect. Perhaps like a layer has broken off, like one might find on an old frame. Frustratingly Cornellissen only supply casein powder by the 1kg bag — I have lots of pigments and a sack of lime in the farm shed and only want to experiment.
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Re: Casein v Egg Tempera
Yes, casein is a very brittle medium. It's only good for painting on boards and not canvasses. It is also a very strong glue, so if you wanted it to de-laminate you would need to isolate each layer with a varnish and wax. I know a kilo of casein powder seems a lot, but it's usually the ammonium carbonate that costs the most. As I mentioned, Schminke do a liquid casein that doesn't deteriorate with age. £15 or so.
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