CREATE YOUR
OWN PAINT
If you were a young apprentice in a Renaissance workshop, chances are you would be spending a lot of your time mixing paint. To do this, artists mixed powdered pigments with a base (oil, egg yolk, or water) to transform the colors into spreadable paint. In the spirit of the Renaissance, we're going to make our own paint using some ingredients you might already have sitting in your kitchen.
TOOLS
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warm or hot water
bowls or jars to hold your paint
strainer or cheesecloth
paintbrush
watercolor paper or other thick white paper
mortar and pestle
If you want to make the colors stronger, just add layers of paint on top of each other.
PIGMENTS
Spinach — Green
Add some leaves and a splash of warm water to a mortar pestle. Mash up the leaves to create some juice. You can either dip your paintbrush directly into the juice or and strain the mixture into a bowl (you may need to use a spoon to squish it down and get more of the liquid out).
Raspberries — Pink & Red
For a deep pink color, mash up some berries in a mortar and pestle and dip your paint brush directly into the juice to get a quick paint. For best results, use frozen raspberries and defrost them before mashing them up.
The red color in Renaissance paintings was made using crushed up insects called cochineal bugs
Turmeric Powder — Yellow
Mix the powder with some warm or hot water so it can dissolve. Then pour the mixture through a strainer or cheesecloth and into a bowl.
Paprika — Orange
Just like the turmeric powder, you can mix the paprika with some warm or hot water. Then pour the mixture through a strainer or cheesecloth and into a bowl.
In the Renaissance, blue was a sign of wealth because the color was made from a semi-precious stone called lapis lazuli
Canned Beets — Pink
If you want a vibrant pink, pour a bit of the liquid out of the jar and into a bowl to use as your paint and apply to the piece of paper.
Instant Coffee or Cocoa Powder — Brown
To make a brown color, you will need to mix either instant coffee or cocoa powder with some warm or hot water. Once the powder has dissolved, pour the mixture through a strainer or cheesecloth into a bowl.
Red Cabbage
For purple, chop up some red cabbage leaves and boil for 15 minutes. Strain out the cabbage and continue to cook the leftover liquid until it is a dark purple color.
Purple & Blue
To create a blue pigment, take the purple liquid you just made and add a tiny pinch of baking soda. Continue adding baking soda in very small amounts until the liquid turns blue. Be careful not to add too much or it will turn green!