Painting with Minerals
Cave-dwelling, prehistoric people painted images on their cave walls with minerals. In the middle ages, artists crushed different minerals and added the powder to colorless paint to make bright, vibrant colors for their artwork. Even today, artists create their own paints using natural materials, usually minerals.
The crushed mineral in a paint is called the pigment. A pigment is the material that gives the paint its color. In this activity you are going to crush minerals to create your own pigments and paints.
The crushed mineral in a paint is called the pigment. A pigment is the material that gives the paint its color. In this activity you are going to crush minerals to create your own pigments and paints.
Mineral Pigments
Hematite creates red.
Azurite creates blue.
Malachite creates green.
Limonite creates red or yellow, depending in the specimen.
Stibnite creates black.
Cinnabar creates bright red (also called vermilion).
Lapis Lazuli creates blue.
Dioptase creates brilliant green.
Hematite creates red.
Azurite creates blue.
Malachite creates green.
Limonite creates red or yellow, depending in the specimen.
Stibnite creates black.
Cinnabar creates bright red (also called vermilion).
Lapis Lazuli creates blue.
Dioptase creates brilliant green.
Create a Painting with Minerals
Example: Let's make blue paint using azurite.
Example: Let's make blue paint using azurite.
Materials You Will Need: a piece of azurite (not a good specimen; a chunk that you are willing to crush into powder); a mortar and pestle or a hard surface and a hammer; safety goggles for your eyes; gloves to protect your hands; thickened linseed oil; bowl or cup (that you won't mind throwing out when you are done); a smock or work clothes; safflower oil (you can buy this at a grocery store).
What to wear: Put on your smock or work clothes. Making your own paint can be messy and when you get some on your clothes, it won't come out!
Where to work? Please work in the yard or garage or any place that, if you spill or make a mess, it won't damage a carpet, furniture, floor or something important. If you work in the kitchen or other room in your house, be sure you cover your work surface with newspaper or a sheet that can have paint spilled on it!
Step 1: Crushing (You must put on your eye goggles and gloves for safety!)
Take a piece of azurite, place it on a hard surface and carefully crush the specimen using your hammer. You will have to experiment and discover just how hard you have to hit it. Hit it too hard and it will fly all over the place. Hit is too soft and it will barely break. Continue to crush your specimen until it is a fine powder.
HINT: Take a little bit of the powder and rub it between your fingers. Does it feel a little bit like fine sand? If it does, then it is not crushed enough yet. You want the powder to be very fine and soft. If it feels like sand at all, it is too coarse.
Step 2: Add Thickened Linseed Oil
Linseed oil is the base to which you will add the mineral pigment. It is a thick liquid which is what you obviously want so you can brush your colors onto the canvas.
Place your powdered azurite into a small bowl or cup. Now, pour a very small amount of thickened linseed oil into the bowl or cup.
Step 3: Mix
Using a stick or spoon, mix the crushed azurite with the linseed oil. If the mixture is pasty and thick, add just a little bit more of the thickened linseed oil and mix again.
Repeat this process until your mixture is thick enough to stick to your paint brush, but not so thick that it is pasty. With practice, you will learn the thickness that is just right for your liking. Some artists like very thick paint in order to leave thick globs of paint on the canvass. Others prefer thinner paints in order to spread them thinly across the canvas.
Step 4: Paint!
Now, take your paintbrush and paint!
Step 5: Repeat!
Repeat this process with a number of different minerals. Hematite will give you a wonderful, deep red color.
Prepare a number of different colors and then try your hand at painting. The more you practice, the more successful you will become.
Step 6: Clean Up
Linseed oil-based paints are not too difficult to clean up.
Brush: Rub your brush on a piece of paper or towel until you have removed as much of the pain on the brush as you possibly can. Then, dip your brush in safflower oil. After the brush is soaked with the safflower oil, rub it clean on a cloth or paper towel. Repeat until no more color comes off of the brush.
NOTE: Safflower oil is suggested because it is natural and effective. You can use chemical solvents, but these can be dangerous and harmful.
What to wear: Put on your smock or work clothes. Making your own paint can be messy and when you get some on your clothes, it won't come out!
Where to work? Please work in the yard or garage or any place that, if you spill or make a mess, it won't damage a carpet, furniture, floor or something important. If you work in the kitchen or other room in your house, be sure you cover your work surface with newspaper or a sheet that can have paint spilled on it!
Step 1: Crushing (You must put on your eye goggles and gloves for safety!)
Take a piece of azurite, place it on a hard surface and carefully crush the specimen using your hammer. You will have to experiment and discover just how hard you have to hit it. Hit it too hard and it will fly all over the place. Hit is too soft and it will barely break. Continue to crush your specimen until it is a fine powder.
HINT: Take a little bit of the powder and rub it between your fingers. Does it feel a little bit like fine sand? If it does, then it is not crushed enough yet. You want the powder to be very fine and soft. If it feels like sand at all, it is too coarse.
Step 2: Add Thickened Linseed Oil
Linseed oil is the base to which you will add the mineral pigment. It is a thick liquid which is what you obviously want so you can brush your colors onto the canvas.
Place your powdered azurite into a small bowl or cup. Now, pour a very small amount of thickened linseed oil into the bowl or cup.
Step 3: Mix
Using a stick or spoon, mix the crushed azurite with the linseed oil. If the mixture is pasty and thick, add just a little bit more of the thickened linseed oil and mix again.
Repeat this process until your mixture is thick enough to stick to your paint brush, but not so thick that it is pasty. With practice, you will learn the thickness that is just right for your liking. Some artists like very thick paint in order to leave thick globs of paint on the canvass. Others prefer thinner paints in order to spread them thinly across the canvas.
Step 4: Paint!
Now, take your paintbrush and paint!
Step 5: Repeat!
Repeat this process with a number of different minerals. Hematite will give you a wonderful, deep red color.
Prepare a number of different colors and then try your hand at painting. The more you practice, the more successful you will become.
Step 6: Clean Up
Linseed oil-based paints are not too difficult to clean up.
Brush: Rub your brush on a piece of paper or towel until you have removed as much of the pain on the brush as you possibly can. Then, dip your brush in safflower oil. After the brush is soaked with the safflower oil, rub it clean on a cloth or paper towel. Repeat until no more color comes off of the brush.
NOTE: Safflower oil is suggested because it is natural and effective. You can use chemical solvents, but these can be dangerous and harmful.
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