Dmann, I'll try to explain the way I make my paint. I wish I had more pictures....
First I buy the pigment and the shellac.
I prefer to buy the pigment because it's already finely ground and contains no impurities.
The shellac I buy is called button-lac.
I crush it before dissolving in denatured alcohol.
(with a little helper, of course...the kids really enjoy the painting-making...)
The crushed shellac is then dissolved in about twice as much alcohol (by volume) as the shellac.
It normally takes 3 days for the shellac to dissolve.
The shellac mixture is then strained, and then I add enough pigment to make the paint opaque (non-transparent).
This particular type of red pigment that I use is rather gritty, but I think that adds to the "primitive" effect.
I usually allow the paint to dry for at least 12 hours before I handle it...even though it will be dry to the touch after only a few minutes.
It gets really hard and will stick to almost any surface.
You can also mix the pigment with egg yolk, hide glue, beeswax, or pine rosin. The egg yolk is probably the easiest. The hide glue needs to be thinned with a little water before you add the pigment....so it won't gel too quickly. The other two will need to be warmed up before you can paint with them. The beeswax has a lower melting point than rosin, so it will be easier....but neither will be easy to paint with...and will tend to drip and run if you heat up the paint too much.
Of course, there are those that will say, "Just get some acrylic binder 'cause it's cheap and easy!". That's all well and fine. Personally, I like to experiment with and use the stuff that was available before 1900.
A good place to look for instructions on making your own paint is art supply websites. They sometimes have tutorials on how to make you own "historically accurate" paints.
