The basic components to all paints are pigment, binder, thinners, and solvents.
Paint has been used in a decorative capacity since the earliest records dating back to the stone age and cave paintings. It was not until the 17th century that paint was widely used for wall surfaces both for decorative and protective purposes as an alternative solution to the scarcity or expense of quality hardwood. The basic components to all paints are pigment, binder, thinners, and solvents. The pigment or color is mixed with a glue or binder that once applied with a thinner and drier, if required, becomes fast to the surface.
Color Pigments
Natural earth pigments are some of the oldest color dyes. Ground from earth, rocks, plants, or even insects, these natural pigments make up some of our most well known and loved colors such as umbers, siennas, and yellow ochres. Techniques such as burning the pigment came into popular practice in order to manipulate the color. Naturally occurring white pigments, found in chalk and barytes, were historically cheaper to produce and lasted longer as opposed to other natural dyes more difficult to source, expensive to produce, and often quick to fade. Though incredible improvements including UV protection and synthetic color fastness, pigments may still be bought in their natural powdered state prior to being mixed with a binder.
Grinding up the pigments.
The paint binder (or medium) acts to hold together the pigment to the intended surface. The type of painting is often denoted by the binder in the description. Well, known historic binders include tempera made from eggs, casein from milk, and animal glues. Animal proteins were historically readily available but unfortunately, perishable. A binder can be made from a plethora of materials including fats, oils, tree resins and gums, beeswax, and even beer! In the middle ages, oil binders came into popular use. Oil paints were longer lasting and easier to manipulate since the fat properties of the oil did not dry but rather, hardened over time. Different binders function in different ways depending on the drying time, the reaction with the pigment, even the manner in which the binder holds the color over a long period of time. Understanding the need for the paint is necessary when selecting a binder as well as any thinners and or solvents.
Binders ~(Left) Rabbit Skin Glue (Right) Linseed Oil
Thinners and driers are solvents added to thin the mixture during the application process and to change the performance of the paint. Water-based and acrylic paints use water as the primary thinner. While turpentine, mineral spirits or white spirits are used to thin oil paints. Driers assist in the drying of the coating to the substrate. Water based paints, such as distemper or latex, rely on evaporation. However, oil utilize a product called Japan Drier which is a petroleum-based product that creates a chemical reaction with the paint to accelerate the drying. This allows the oil paint to dry fast and uniformly. Understanding the materials as well as the local environment are vital to developing the right mixture for each particular project.
Solvents (Thinners & Driers) ~Japan Drier and Turpentine
You will notice that three main categories of traditional paints are named for the type of binder: distemper, oil, and limewash. To read more about types of historic paints click here and here. There are a number of synthetic binders, such as acrylic, as well as numerous incredible color enhancers available today. When needed, we adapt with modern materials to improve the color fastness and longevity of the paint. However, our process of mixing our paints in the Canning studio remains virtually unchanged. We utilize historic recipes passed down for generations that follow this basic outline: pigment and binder combined with thinner and drier as required.
