Eggciting Paint
Suitable for ages 5+
Discover more about eggciting paints
and pigments in the museum...
Go up to Level 2, gallery 42: Early Italian Art
This semi-precious stone is called Lapis Lazuli.
Lapis Lazuli is very expensive, in fact it once was more
expensive than gold!
Lapis Lazuli is very rare and found in Afghanistan.
Find this painting
Can you see any blue in this painting?
The blue paint is made by grinding Lapis Lazuli to make a
pigment (powder) called Ultramarine Blue. Because
Lapis Lazuli was so expensive, artists used this much less
often and saved it for special purposes. Who has blue
clothes in this painting and why they are so special?
How many other paintings can you find in this
gallery that use blue paint?
This artist has used eggs to make the paint in this painting!
This is called egg tempera. It dries quickly and is very
strong.
This is gold leaf.
Gold leaf is made from real gold which has been hammered into
thin sheets.
Find this painting in the same room
Artists used only the finest materials for religious paintings.
This painting has some gold leaf on it. Can you spot any?
Do you think that the person in this painting was important?
Why do you think this?
Go to, gallery 43: Italian Renaissance
Find this painting of a hunt
This painting has many colours. All of these colours were made using pigments (powder).
Look below to find out more about the pigments used in this painting.
The green paint used for the grass and the trees is made using
a mineral called malachite. Did you know that the Ancient
Egyptians used malachite to make beautiful jewellery.
There are pieces of gold leaf in the trees. Can you spot any?
You might have to look quite closely.
The dark blue sky is painted with ultramarine blue paint which is
made from lapis lazuli.
Look at the horsemen. How many of them are wearing red
clothes? The paint used for these red clothes is called
Dragon’s Blood which is made from cinnabar rock.
Before you came to the museum today, what did you think paints were made from?
Find this painting of a young boy in the same room
This painting was made using oil paints.
Lots of artists in this gallery have used oil paints.
Many artists still use them today.
Oil paints are not made using eggs but use
linseed oil instead. This is made from the
dried seeds of a flax plant.
Oil paints take a very long time to dry which
means that artists can take their time when
painting. The colours also mix together well.
Can you see any differences between egg tempera paint and oil paints?
If you were getting your portrait painted which paint would you chose,
egg tempera paint or oil paint?
Make your own egg tempera paint! Recipe to try at home
Why not try making your own egg tempera paint at home?
All you need is:
1 egg yolk
Pigment (powdered paint) any colour
Cold water
Instructions:
- Pierce egg yolk and let liquid stream into a cup.
- Mix a small amount of the egg yolk with a few drops of water.
- Mix a little bit of water with some of the pigment (powder) to make a paste.
- Add about an equal amount of egg yolk to the paste.
- Stir thoroughly with a paintbrush. Paint a few strokes and let dry. If dull and
chalky, add more egg mixture. If very shiny add a little more pigment paste.
Now that you’ve made your very own egg
tempera paint you can paint a self-portrait!
Flax plant