Ancient Egyptian paintings were brightly colored and enduring. Found in tombs and on papyrus, they were created from a paint called tempera. Tempera consists of a mixture of natural pigments held together with a binding agent and thinned with water, which helped the paint to stick the surface of the picture. Binding agents were made from egg yolks, egg whites, acacia gum, beeswax or a glue called casein. Casein is easy to prepare at home, making it the perfect base for recreated ancient Egyptian paint.
Things You'll Need:
Things You Will Need
Heat the milk gently until just under boiling point.
Take the milk off the heat. Stir in 3 tsp. of vinegar to curdle the milk and separate it into curds and whey.
Strain the mixture through a sieve. Discard the whey and place the curds in a bowl.
Add a 1/4 tsp. of bicarbonate of soda to the curds to create sticky casein. Add powdered paint of choice and thin with water to the required consistency.
Warnings:
- Supervise young children and ensure they don't ingest the paint.