Whichever colorant you decide to use, they all cost roughly the same amount so you won't be saving any money unless you have unused makeup lying around.
Makeup
Before you buy pigments, I'll let you in on a secret. Most of the pigments used in makeup are the same pigments used in paint. Have you ever tried to get makeup out of your clothes? The photo above is the First Edition 120 Color eyeshadow Palette for $12.50 by BH Cosmetics. They have an 88 color matte palette as well for $11.00.
The color load will not be the same as with pure pigment. It will have a transparent effect, but that may be an advantage. Makeup also contains fillers that are not present in paint. BH Cosmetics, Elf, Sally Beauty Supply, and LA Colors (Dollar General Store) have the best buys.
Grind powder makeup and use the same as pigment. Add talc to thicken liquid formulas. Use cream formulas, wax eye liner or lip liner and lipstick for making oil sticks or oil pastel. Do not use lip gloss or mascara; they are not good for painting.
The one problem you're going to run into with makeup is the limited amount of reds in eyeshadow. Red is generally reserved for lipstick because the dyes and carmine used are generally not safe for use around the eyes, though there are some exceptions. You will have to use the same lake dye used for lipstick or paint for the red spectrum. The only red palette I found is made in the UK by Sleek. It's the Good Girl palette, but it was discontinued so good luck finding it. There is also a 252 color palette on eBay for $13.35 that has a few reds in it. MAC has a few reds in their collection as well.
Use face powder or loose mineral foundation for skin tones. The two palettes above are from Light in the Box for $13.99 each.
This powder foundation, blush, and bronzer palette is part of a kit from Light in the Box for $11.99.
This nude blush palette is from BH Cosmetics for $10.00.
This highlight and contour palette is from BH Cosmetics for $14.00. Use it to make highlight and shadow paint.
Alex Artist Colors on Etsy sells artist pigment for as low as $2.75/30 grams. That's the best price I've found and they have an excellent selection of ochres and oxides direct from Cyprus. They have some pigments that TKB doesn't have.
Kremer Pigments has the largest selection of historic crushed stone and earth pigments at $4.75/100 grams.
Ancient Earth Pigments has this great artist introductory kit for $35.00 and you get to pick any 12 pigments for the kit. They also offer 5 grams of any pigment for $0.75. They don't have a large variety, but they do have some new pigments that other sites may not have. They also sell carbon black.
TKB sells a collection of pigment samples for $11.65 and lake dye samples for $14.65. Any pigment sample is $1.65/6g. This is also a good place to purchase makeup blends and titanium dioxide. They have the best price, but not a large enough selection of matte pigments for artists. Pigments can be prewetted with alcohol, but lake dyes must be prewetted with glycerin or dimethicone. They're also prone to staining. Food coloring can be used with water based formulas because it is made with the same lake dyes. However, it will be very diluted and not as vibrant as the powder dye. Wilton gel coloring may be a good option depending on your formula.
Mica
Use bismuth oxychloride pearl to add an iridescent shimmer to matte pigments or custom blends. TKB sells it for $6.45/oz.
Dye
RIT Powder Dye $2.98 at Walmart. Fiber reactive dye can be used to make fabric paint or markers, but it's use on fabric requires that it be mixed with a mordant. The fabric must also be soaked in washing soda and dried before coloring. Rit now has all their dye color formulas on an iPhone app. They are no longer available on their website.
Glycerin based non-staining salt dye concentrates for coloring soap are wonderful for making transparent paint. You can purchase a dye collection from TKB for $27.65. Ninety seven concentrates are available for 1.65 each.
Hello Vera, I found your blog looking for stuff on making your own Acrylic paint. I've spent a couple of days reading what you've posted and wanted to know if you've thought of/tried to use tempra powder in acrylic paints. From what I've read it's just pigment without an emulsion, traditionally egg is used. You're blog is awesome (and I'm not one to read blogs usually)! Thank you for posting all of your research!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting. The reason I don't use scholastic grade tempera powder is because it contains a surfactant that forces the pigment to mix with water and this is also what makes it washable. Those powders are also typically petroleum based dyes, not mineral pigments. I'm not against petroleum, but I want to be in control of my paints from cradle to grave so I start with pure pigment or dye. The makeup suggestion is for people who want to play with the idea of making paint without investing a lot because they might not enjoy the process. I enjoy making things, even if I have to buy everything to make it with.
DeleteLOL I should check back more often! Thank you for the reply. I tried looking for an MSDS sheet on any of the ingredients in tempera paint/powder to no avail. Good to know it has a surfactant.....so it can be used to make a wash, correct? Normally I use the Dawn dish soap + water + paint to make a wash, but if tempera powder already includes a surfactant, you could use it + water + clear acrylic to make a similar wash?
DeleteI really enjoy the chemistry behind the paint. Right now I'm trying out the makeup one. I have some compressed powder + clear acrylic + water/matte medium (10:1) and it dried looking okay, but it was really fragile. I could scrap it up and it would just turn into like a liquid foundation đ. I'll keep messing with it and read some more.
Thank you again for all of your help (here and in your blog!). There isn't class or course to take for this and this blog is the best resource to make your own paints! đđ
Am I right in assuming you're trying to use children's tempera powder for the pigment in homemade paint? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Another name for children's tempera is poster paint or finger paint. It isn't intended to be permanent. It's designed to wash off of surfaces, skin and clothing without staining. The "pigment" used in these paint powders isn't really pigment. It's the same water soluble dye used for coloring soap. Soap dyes are non staining colorants. They're used in bath bombs, children's bath crayons and to color pool water. Real pigments aren't used for making children's paint because they contain geological minerals that may become toxic with repeated skin exposure over time and would certainly be toxic if breathed into the lungs as may be the case with the powder. My article, Understanding Pigments, will help you decide which pigments to use for your paint. Below are links to some MSDS sheets for three different brands of tempera powder. None of them list the ingredients.
DeleteCrayola MSDS
Ed Colours MSDS
SA Tempera Powder MSDS
Hi vera, I use makeup to paint the faces of characters in my fabric collage pieces. do you have any tutorials where you are using the makeup on fabric? thank you for this amazing site..
ReplyDeleteIf you're already using makeup to paint on fabric, why do you need a tutorial? You're probably more experienced with it than I am.
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