Welcome to
The Painting Lesson
by Linda Carson
big black pig studio
98 King St. N., Waterloo Ontario Canada
www.bigblackpig.com
Casein
As I say so often in the studio, "Paint is just coloured glue."
In casein paint, the glue is the main protein found in cow's milk and cheese. Yes, this is the artist's version of "milk paint" used on pioneer furniture and homes. As anyone who has ever tried washing a day-old cereal bowl knows, milk is a great glue.
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For example: The extreme close-up of a zebra (above) is painted in casein artist's colours. |
Up until recently, casein on illustration board was a staple of commercial graphic design. It's opaque and quick-drying, cleans up with water, and it leaves a totally flat matte finish that's great for photographic reproduction because it doesn't glare under the lights. It dries too fast for smooth blending, so casein is better suited to hatching, drybrushing and other broken colour techniques.
Because the paint is somewhat brittle, the best support for casein is a rigid panel with a gesso ground. In commercial work, casein is also applied to illustration board, which is a paper surface with a rigid cardboard backing. The solvent is water. Casein dries in minutes, and toughens up permanently in a few weeks. You may varnish the finished painting, leave it bare and matte, or buff it gently. Frame it without glass. Don't hang any painting in direct sunlight.
Back to the main lesson?Art & Text (C) Linda Carson 2002
Loosely translated, that means:
"Please don't copy this material or redistribute it
in some other form, for any reason.
This is my livelihood."