Egg Tempera For Beginners

A quick introduction to the course and warm welcome from your instructors. 

Meet your teachers!  Learn about our background in art, our expertise in egg tempera, and how we came to love with this amazing medium in the first place.  

Egg tempera is one of the oldest and most durable painting mediums, known for its vibrant colors and detailed work. This section will explore its rich history from ancient times to its revival in modern art.

In this course you will learn the foundational techniques of egg tempera painting, from preparing your materials to mastering the application and layering of paint. We share tips for how to get the most out of this course, so you maximize your learning and gain valuable experience working with the medium. 

We are going to take an in depth look at everything from pigments to surfaces, brushes to additives, and anything else you may need for painting in egg tempera, and this course. 

This section will introduce you to the essential materials needed for painting in egg tempera. This course requires specific materials, including a selection of pigments, eggs, water, and selected brushes, all of which we will detail for your preparation.

Learn about a variety of different surfaces or substrates that are compatible with egg tempera, including both traditional and modern options, and some really useful ready-made selections. You will learn what is suggested for the painting and various exercises in this course. 

In this lesson, Candice will introduce the pigments that we will be using for this course, and discuss pigments in general.   You will learn the difference between natural and synthetic, organic and inorganic, as well as some toxic pigments and excellent non-toxic alternatives.  She will show you what to expect when buying pigments, some common sizes they are available in, how much you will need, and how to handle your pigments with ease.

Learn about the different varieties of brushes available to an egg tempera artist and which ones are especially helpful.

In this lesson, Julio introduces some excellent choices for egg tempera palettes, and some that you should definitely avoid!  He shows you how to organize your egg tempera palette and workspace in a way we recommend, and explains the reason behind keeping your palette organized in the same manner each day you work.

In this video Candice specifies what exact materials you should acquire, and some current vendors for these materials.  Attached to this lesson is a PDF of the reccommended course materials that you can download for your own use. 

In this bonus lesson, learn how you can make your own simple and effective glass palette perfect for painting with egg tempera, with just a few simple items.  

For this course, choose an image that works well on the size of the panel you are procuring.  Anything that you wish to paint, and are inspired to tackle in egg tempera, will be perfect for this first painting.  If you have strong skills in another medium, feel free to choose something more challenging.  

Learn to create precise drawings and ink underpaintings for egg tempera, mastering techniques to transfer designs, establish values, and set a strong foundation for vibrant paintings. This video is a quick overview of what we will be teaching in this module.

In this lesson, Julio demonstrates how to create a simple yet accurate drawing directly onto his panel, creating the perfect framework for future painting.

In this lesson, Candice shows you how to transfer a drawing onto your panel, without ruining the original drawing.  This method is excellent for those who prefer to create detailed drawings on paper, and then transfer the important framework lines to a panel.  For this method you will need a sheet of transparency film, wax free transfer paper, an extra fine sharpie, and a pencil.

In this lesson, Candice shows a simple method of tracing and transferring a printed image or a drawing on paper onto your panel.  This method is great for those of you who want to get right to painting, and not expend the time or energy trying to make an accurate drawing today.  For this method you will need an image the same size as your panel, a piece of wax free transfer paper, a pencil, and some tape.

In this lesson, we explain the significance of utilizing an ink underpainting, why you might want to create one, and how it helps you build your egg tempera paintings faster.  

Learn how to set up for ink painting, what tools you might need, and how to work with the ink.

In this lesson Julio paints a sphere in ink, showing you how to use your brushes and ink to create believable three dimensional forms with a crosshatching technique.  This is an exercise we want you to recreate yourself in your stone paper sketchbook, in order to get familiar with your brushes, water control, applying ink, crosshatching, and building form with this method.   We will use these ink paintings of spheres in a future module to practice painting in egg tempera.  

In this lesson Julio paints a second sphere in ink, showing you how to build believable three dimensional forms with loose, larger brushwork, abandoning crosshatching.  This is an exercise we want you to recreate yourself in your stone paper sketchbook, in order to get familiar with your brushes, water control, applying ink, and building form with this method.   We will use these ink paintings of spheres in a future module to practice painting in egg tempera.  

After painting the spheres, you are well warmed up and ready to use ink for your underpainting!  In this lesson Julio starts building an ink underpainting, locking his drawing into place and making his first value statements.

In this lesson, Julio finishes his ink underpainting, giving himself an excellent base for all future painting done on this panel.  He has locked in his drawing and made intelligent value decisions before ever having to wrestle with color.  It is at this stage of our course, we ask that you stop your lessons, and create your ink underpainting on your panel.   

A brief overview of what you will be learning in this module.

Let's talk about eggs!! Learn which eggs are best for egg tempera, and the technique for separating the egg yolk from the white, which is crucial for the purity and quality of the paint.

This section covers the precise measurements and steps needed to combine water, egg yolk and pigment in to a paint mixture that is well tempered.  We will create a strong, durable paint film that is both smooth and well bound.

Delve into the challenges and solutions for handling pigments that resist water, ensuring that they blend well with the egg medium.  With these methods of overcoming hydrophobic pigments, many modern colors are available for you to use as you wish!  

Explore various additives that can enhance the properties of egg tempera, such as stabilizers and preservatives, and how to incorporate them effectively.

Learn how to test your batches of paint for consistency and strength.  You will learn what a well tempered paint feels like, along with methods to correct any issues that arise.

Techniques for keeping your paint ready for use, including proper stirring for even pigment distribution, and methods for storage to maintain the paint's usability over time.

A brief overview of all the lessons you will be learning in this huge module!  

A helpful guide to setting up your palette each day.

In this delightful and brief lesson, Candice shows the difference between an improperly loaded brush, and a well loaded brush - demonstrating the EXTREME difference it can make in your workflow.  

Learn how to control the amount of water on your brush, in order to build your layers faster, adjust translucency/opacity, and avoid costly mistakes.

Do you need a ton of amazing brushes to create works in egg tempera? Not at all!  In this brief lesson we teach you how to maximize the usefulness and versatility of a single brush…

In this lesson we are going to paint over our ink spheres in egg tempera!   We will gain experience applying egg tempera, building opacity, and turning form before going into our main paintings.

Learn how to develop a proficient way of building layers quickly with egg tempera.  By developing a rhythm of moving around the painting, constantly working in different areas, and circling back as it dries, you can maximize your time and efforts.  

A quick and important lesson on the ideal thickness for an egg tempera layer.  

Julio demonstrates how he begins painting in egg tempera over the developed ink underpainting.  He starts with broad washes of generalized local color, then works into the primary darks, developing a base for further painting.  

In this video Julio continues to build the early layers of his egg tempera painting, moving into the secondary darks and building the first touches of color and opacity. 

In this video, Julio demonstrates the next stage of an early egg tempera painting, moving from the secondary darks into the transitional mid tones, mid lights, and all over color.  He focuses on moving fast and covering the underdrawing in an intentional and methodical way, building a solid base layer of tempera on the face, neck and hair. 

A brief introduction to building your mid tones, detailing what to expect from the lessons, and where your painting should be by the completion of this module.

Learn foundational techniques for blending colors seamlessly by painting gradient strips, focusing on smooth transitions and brush control.  This is an exercise for you to recreate in your stone paper notebooks.

Build on your blending skills with another gradient strip exercise, exploring smooth transitions between colors and values.  This is another exercise for you to recreate in your stone paper notebooks.

Discover techniques for adjusting color opacity and translucency, and explore the differences between opalescent and glazed layers in this tutorial.  This is an exercise for you to recreate in your stone paper notebook.

 In this lesson, you are guided through building mid-tones in an egg tempera painting, transitioning from delicate, watercolor-like early layers into "the ugly stage", where a mix of opaque, opalescent, and translucent areas creates a complex foundation for general opacity.  

In this lesson, Julio demonstrates how to develop mid-tones in an egg tempera painting, guiding artists through the process of building overall opacity. 

A quick introduction to the module Further Refinement.

In this exercise, we show you how to paint 2 spheres, one using Pyrrole Red, the other using your PR 101 or Burnt Sienna.  These will be the base for glazing practice to come in the next 2 video lessons.   Through this series of 3 lessons you will learn how to glaze, and two ways to build vibrant, rich, layered color.  

Learn how to utilize glazing techniques to enhance color, complexity, richness and depth in your paintings.  In a series of glazing demos, you will learn the proper way to create and apply glazes.  

In this final lesson on glazing, you experience the results of layered color.  It is surprising to see the difference in two methods of building red, imagine how exciting and rewarding it will be to experiment with building layered color in your egg tempera paintings to come!

In this very important lesson, learn all about a pesky problem most egg tempera artists face at one time or another... holes.  Find out how they happen, how to avoid them, and how to fix them.  

In this segment, Candice shares some great tips and things to think about at this stage of the painting.  Julio spends a fair amount of time refining some of the more important details of the painting, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, to move the painting forward and get closer to final resolution.   

In this lesson, Julio works on modulating the skin tones, neutralizing some of the exciting color of the early layers with some earthy creams, and accentuating the warms and cools according to the light source.  It is a great cue for you to look for warms and cools in your piece, and make sure that you are following a cohesive light logic throughout your piece.

In this important segment, Julio brings up the finish in the background.   He discusses the importance of creating variety in both the scale and appearance of your brushwork in order to create visual interest and an appealing looseness.  This often overlooked concept can be utilized to loosen up areas that feel too tight (giving the eye a place to rest), and draw focus to areas of interest in your painting.

In the next three lessons we are going to teach you all about nourishing layers for egg tempera, which can be thought of almost as a retouch varnish.  We discuss what they are, when to use them, how to make them, how to apply them, and how to adjust them if necessary.  

In this second video about nourishing layers, Julio applies the nourishing layer, and shows you the proper technique for a seamless application.   Candice discusses when to apply a nourishing layer, and how often you might want to utilize it in your work.  

In this final video relating to nourishing layers, we discuss ways you can further refine the appearance of your painting after a nourishing layer.  If your painting still appears to be overly dry and thirsty, applying a second nourishing layer may be a good option to further bind and saturate all areas.  Julio demonstrates another option, which is to lightly unify all areas of the painting with a light polish using a bit of ultra fine grade cheesecloth. 

A quick introduction to our final painting module!

More fine details, subtle nuances, and thoughtful moves to bring the painting closer to the finish.

Improving the painting one brushstroke at a time, Julio shares great insight on all of his work throughout this stage of the painting. 

It's all about subtle shifts in value and color at this stage, and WOW does it make a difference!  

In this final painting demo Julio shows you that it is NEVER too late to fix an error in your painting, and demonstrates how to do that seamlessly.  Candice describes approaching the finish, and how that will look and feel a little different for every artist.  

A quick lesson on how to sign your work.

When your work is complete, it is often a good idea to give it one last light nourishing layer to create an even and unified surface.  Candice shows you how it changes the look of Julio's painting in this quick demonstration.  

In this lesson, we discuss finishes for egg tempera paintings, including a traditional silk polish.  We demonstrate how to perform a silk polish, and show you the final results. 

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S !!!!!!!

We share how proud we are of you for going through the entire course and completing your first painting in egg tempera!  

A final word from Julio and Candice, where we tell you the one thing that can make you improve your skills in egg tempera FAST.  We share resources for further learning and engaging in a community of other egg tempera artists, and say goodbye once more.   Please comment below or email any feedback you have for our course, we would love to hear if it was helpful for you!!!

In this video we will discuss various types of wood commonly used for egg tempera panels.  We let you know which type we are using in this tutorial, all the reasons why we picked that substrate, and where you can procure it for yourself. 

In this quick lesson we prepare rabbit skin glue for sizing our panels.  The ratio we are using is 1 tablespoon rabbit skin glue granules to 1 cup of room temperature distilled water.   We will mix these together and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator, until needed.  

n this lesson we prepare traditional chalk gesso, using Rublev Easy Gesso.  We also share a recipe from Koo Schadler's book for traditional chalk gesso for anyone who wants to put it all together themselves, or who can not source Easy Gesso in their location.  That recipe is also attached below:

In this video we will prepare the panel for rabbit skin glue sizing and the application of gesso.  We start by sanding all sides with a 320 grit sandpaper, then lightly chamfer the edges with a rougher grit, and finish by cleaning the surface thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol.   

In this lesson, we liquify our rabbit skin glue by gently heating it in a warm bath, then we apply it to all sides of the panel and let it sit overnight to fully dry and harden.

In this lesson we are going to show you how to apply each layer of true gesso to your panel, from the first to the last.  We will discuss how many layers you will want to apply, the proper way to liquify your gesso, and the importance of finessing the first layer.  We show you how to avoid pinholes and how to deal with them if they occur.

In this lesson, we share with you a technique for sanding true gesso panels for a fine, silky smooth finish.  We also discuss what happens if you discover pinholes, what sanding grits to use, and how to store finished panels.

In this video, we share with you the method for making your own Rublev Tempera Ground panels. This modern product is a good alternative for traditional chalk gesso, and very easy to use. We have used it for a ton of egg tempera paintings, and we are excited to share this information with you. In this video, we focus on using ACM as a substrate, explaining why it is our FAVORITE substrate for painting, and why it may become yours as well!

Enjoy this deep dive into stone paper!  We talk about stone paper, what is it, and how to use it for quick sketches, studies, and finished works in egg tempera and almost any other medium you can think of.  

Enjoy this bonus lesson pulled directly from our Patreon all about museum board!  In this lesson, Julio shares his experiences with working on museum board, as well as brief videos of him painting on it, and Candice shares an update about preparing the surface that is helpful for any who would like to alter the surface in some way to make it more like true gesso.