This is surprising to me because artists grade paints at least disclose the pigments the paint contains, right on the tube. In fact, of the two manufacturers that I contacted, only Blick would disclose what the main ingredients are. One thing that’s a little frustrating is tempera paints don’t disclose the entire list of ingredients on the label. Therefore, young children should use paints that are non toxic instead of artist grade paints. However, children tend to play with the paint and get it on their hands and clothing. These can be safe to use by adults who follow the basic guidelines set forth by the manufacturers.
#TEMPERA PAINT PROFESSIONAL#
Professional paints often contain pigments that are toxic such as cobalt or cadmium.
#TEMPERA PAINT FREE#
Most brands of tempera paint also advertise their tempera paints to be free from allergens.Ĭompared to professional artists paints, tempera paints are the safer option. This organization tests art materials to determine if they’re toxic. Many tempera paints are AP certified non toxic. While manufacturers don’t disclose all of the ingredients they do reveal if their paints contain any of the common allergens. Here’s a link to the allergens that Crayola tempera paints do NOT contain. The popular brands of tempera paints list all of the allergens that their paints don’t contain.įor example, the Blick essentials tempera paints are free from all of those allergens. There are allergen free tempera paints that are free from latex, dairy, casein, soy, egg, gluten, peanuts, and tree nuts. If I had to guess, I would say they’re food grade colorants because they’re non toxic and more affordable than artist grade pigments. None of the manufacturers would disclose what they use for pigments, except to say they’re non toxic. This gives the dry tempera paint an appearance that’s similar to gouache. Other brands state that they will thicken if shake them up, which is a quality of cornstarch.Ĭalcium carbonate is chalk and it gives tempera paint a matte finish, and opacity. Some of the lists of allergens say they contain corn. I believe the starch that they use for the binder may be cornstarch. Blick says they use starch or cellulose as the binder which makes sense because it’s less expensive than gum Arabic. Gouache and watercolor use gum Arabic as the binder, but I think tempera paints use something different. The binder is also what makes the pigment stick to the canvas or paper. Pigments often come in powder form and you can think of the binder as the “glue” that holds the pigment together. Paint is essentially a combination of pigment and binder. The binder is either starch or cellulose. Generally speaking, tempera paints are a combination of water, calcium carbonate, non toxic pigments, and preservatives. Below are the answers to all of the most common questions pertaining to this type of tempera paints. When people refer to “tempera paint,” they’re usually referring to the inexpensive and non toxic paint that children use in school. Some of the pigments are toxic and they’re not easy to use. It was more popular before the invention of oil paints, which are easier to use.Įgg tempera paints are still in use today, but it’s not nearly as common as other painting mediums such as oils, acrylics, and watercolor.Īndrew Wyeth is a more recent artist who frequently painted with egg tempera paints.Įgg tempera paints aren’t the kind of paints that you give to your children to use for an art project. This is a very old and traditional painting medium–there are egg tempera paintings in museums from the 1600’s. For example, these pigments may have exceptional covering power or saturation. Some of the artist grade pigments are toxic but they have other qualities that make them attractive for paint making. In fact, artists typically make their own egg tempera paints. These paints are used by professional artists and it’s rare to find them in art supply stores. The yolk of the egg is the binder that holds the paint together. It’s a combination of artist grade pigments and eggs. This is the tempera paint that the rest of this article is about.Įgg tempera is a completely different type of paint. Regular tempera paint is a generic name for the inexpensive water based craft paints that you find in schools.
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