Borax and Quark Paint
I don't care to use lime in paintmaking, as unslaked lime is extremely caustic. So I save a step by using borax, which is less alkaline than lime, and a little less work. This is the recipe for Quark and Borax Paint I use as a substitute for traditional quark and lime milk paint.
1 C plus 2 T quark
1 1/2 T borax, dissolved in 1/4 C warm skim milk
1/2 C marble dust, or slaked whiting if you prefer
Blend quark until smooth and add borax and milk mixture. Use an electric mixer to mix until lumps are minimal. Strain your boraxed quark through a sieve, pressing the mixture through with a rubber spatula. For pastel paint colors, add in marble dust slowly, blending with electric mixer until smooth.
Add lime-safe pigment until the color of the paint is to your liking. Slaked pigments make smoother paint. Alternately, if you have them you may add your hand-made lime safe oil paints to color your paint. The borax in your mixture will permit oil to blend with your paint.
CAUTION: Marble dust is powdered stone. It can set up in your pipes and damage your plumbing. Do not pour any leftover paint containing marble dust down your drain. Scrub off your bowls and utensils with paper towels before washing.
For fine art painting, using a larger palette:
Prepare several containers containing lime-safe pigments or handmade oil paints in preferred amounts to make the colors of your choice. More pigment makes a stronger color. For a smoother paint using dry pigment, slake pigment in advance. For more highly saturated colors, omit the marble dust from the recipe above. The result will be a fairly transparent paint. You may need several layers to create a more opaque look. When layering, alternate with a fine coat of borax and skim milk between layers for better adherence. Some prefer to alternate acid and alkaline glazes, such as beer glaze on borax and oil glaze, to ensure adhesion between layers. Allow layers to dry between applications. It will not take longer than ten or twenty minutes; faster if you dry with a heat gun.
1 C plus 2 T quark
1 1/2 T borax, dissolved in 1/4 C warm skim milk
1/2 C marble dust, or slaked whiting if you prefer
Blend quark until smooth and add borax and milk mixture. Use an electric mixer to mix until lumps are minimal. Strain your boraxed quark through a sieve, pressing the mixture through with a rubber spatula. For pastel paint colors, add in marble dust slowly, blending with electric mixer until smooth.
Add lime-safe pigment until the color of the paint is to your liking. Slaked pigments make smoother paint. Alternately, if you have them you may add your hand-made lime safe oil paints to color your paint. The borax in your mixture will permit oil to blend with your paint.
CAUTION: Marble dust is powdered stone. It can set up in your pipes and damage your plumbing. Do not pour any leftover paint containing marble dust down your drain. Scrub off your bowls and utensils with paper towels before washing.
For fine art painting, using a larger palette:
Prepare several containers containing lime-safe pigments or handmade oil paints in preferred amounts to make the colors of your choice. More pigment makes a stronger color. For a smoother paint using dry pigment, slake pigment in advance. For more highly saturated colors, omit the marble dust from the recipe above. The result will be a fairly transparent paint. You may need several layers to create a more opaque look. When layering, alternate with a fine coat of borax and skim milk between layers for better adherence. Some prefer to alternate acid and alkaline glazes, such as beer glaze on borax and oil glaze, to ensure adhesion between layers. Allow layers to dry between applications. It will not take longer than ten or twenty minutes; faster if you dry with a heat gun.