Media: Painting — Tempera The many temperaments of tempera Prior to the development of oil paint in the 15th century, tempera was the medium of choice. Tempera is made by mixing pigments in a water-soluble solution, traditionally a mixture of egg yolk and water — although mass-produced tempera paints usually omit the egg. Tempera can be used to achieve crisp detail and flat planes of color, as Andrew Wyeth demonstrated in the tempera paintings that helped to make him one of the most celebrated American painters of the 20th century. Egg belongs in your paint, not on your face Some fine artists still carry on the time-honored tradition of using egg tempera. Egg tempera colors are especially clear and bright, and the paint is quick-drying and impervious to aging. However, it's not very flexible when it dries — so it must be painted on a rigid surface (such as a board) rather than on canvas. This is a hands-on process, as shown below. The artist opens the egg and separates the yolk from most of the white, repeatedly passing the yolk from one hand to the other to remove the last bits of white. The artist pierces the skin of the yolk and drips the contents into a mixing bowl, then mixes the yolk with pigments. Below are examples of tempera paintings available on NextMonet. Click on any one to learn more about the individual work. Todd McKie Belinda Chlouber Jim Lutes The main types of painting are: Acrylic  Encaustic  Gouache  Oil  Sumi  Tempera  Watercolor  Mixed Media