Tempera painting is known for its distinct qualities, offering artists a unique medium for creating vibrant and lasting works.
Tempera painting is characterized by its rich, bright, deep colours, a consistency often very close to oil paints, and its fast, even drying.
Key Characteristics of Tempera Paint
Based on the reference and general properties, tempera paints possess several notable characteristics:
- Vibrant and Deep Colours: Tempera paints typically offer rich, bright, deep colours. High-quality tempera, like the MASTER CLASS TEMPERA mentioned, is made without excessive fillers, which helps maintain colour intensity.
- Consistency: The consistency can be very close in consistency to oil paints, providing a familiar feel for artists accustomed to oils while offering different handling properties.
- Drying Properties:
- Layers of the paint dry evenly and quickly.
- The colours do not change their shades after drying, unlike some other water-based paints.
- They do not form a film on the surface like acrylic paints do, contributing to a different surface texture and appearance.
- Composition: Traditionally, tempera uses egg yolk or other binding agents mixed with pigments. Quality paints, like those highlighted, avoid unnecessary fillers, ensuring pigment purity and colour strength.
Drying Comparison
Here's a quick comparison of how tempera dries compared to acrylics:
| Feature | Tempera Painting | Acrylic Painting |
|---|---|---|
| Drying Speed | Evenly and quickly dry | Can dry quickly |
| Surface Film | Does not form a film | Forms a plastic-like film |
| Colour Change | Do not change shades | Can darken slightly as they dry |
| Layer Visibility | Often built up in thin layers | Can be used thickly or thinly |
Tempera's quick, even drying without forming a surface film makes it suitable for techniques involving layering and fine detail. Its consistent colour retention after drying ensures that the final artwork closely matches the wet paint appearance.
