DIY Distemper Paint

Painted tapestry in Queen Margaret's chamber at Owlpen

Distemper was the transition from egg tempera to oil painting and painting on stretched canvas. It was the original fabric painting medium. Painted or stained cloths were a cheaper alternative to tapestries until the late 17th Century when they fell out of favor. It was a temporary painting medium used for celebration banners, stage scenery and home decoration. This style of painting was short lived and few examples survive because it wasn't durable. Painted cloths were replaced with patterned wall cloth, the predecessor to wallpaper. Distemper was also used as a whitewash during WWII for airplane camouflage. It was the preferred method for painting walls, plaster, wall paper, brick and furniture until the 1950s when latex paint was developed. There are two types of distemper: soft and hard. Soft is a blend of water, chalk pigment and glue. It is used for painting tapestries and wood furniture. It’s a low traffic paint used for decoration. Hard is made with milk, vinegar, lime and pigment. It is used for wood furniture, walls and fresco. It’s a high traffic paint resistant to weather and wear. Today, we might refer to soft distemper as chalk paint or gesso and hard distemper as casein or milk paint.

Rabbit Skin Glue is available from Blick Art for $11.95/lb. Please keep in mind that rabbit hide glue is acidic.

Methylcellulose is a vegan and alkaline alternative to rabbit skin. It is also added as an emulsion stabilizer, pigment suspension agent, paint thickener and binder. It is used as sizing to treat fabric and used on paper to prevent watercolor absorption. Without pigment, it can be a clear liquid or thick gel. It's available from Dharma Trading for $15.95. Also sold as wallpaper paste at home improvement stores.

Calcium Carbonate is also called precipitated chalk or whiting. TKB sells 8 oz for $4.00.

Refer to my posts: Make Your Own Art Supplies, Makeup, Pigment, Paint and Dye, and Media Molds and Containers for a list of things you will need to complete this tutorial.

Traditional Paint Primer and Canvas Sizing

1 part Rabbit skin

10 parts Distilled Water

Soak the skin in the water overnight. Heat the glue over a double boiler while stirring to dissolve. Do not heat over 140F. Remove from heat and allow to cool and gel up.

If the surface is too porous (paper, cloth and some wood), it may need to be primed with glue and allowed to dry. 

Traditional Soft Distemper

4 oz. Rabbit skin

2-1/2 C. Distilled Water

8 lb. Calcium carbonate + water to cover

1 tsp. Ultramarine Blue pigment (optional)*

4 oz. Pigment + water to cover

*Ultramarine Blue counteracts the yellow tinge of the skin and whitens the paint.

Soak the skin in 2-1/2 cups of water. Slake the colored pigment in water. Soak the chalk in water as well to soften it. Leave all in water overnight to fatten up. Heat the glue over a double boiler while stirring to dissolve. Do not heat over 140F.

Carefully pour off the water from the chalk and discard it. Add the ultramarine blue pigment and stir. Pour the heated glue through a strainer into the bucket of chalk. Add the slaked pigment to the glue and chalk mixture while it's warm and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Upon cooling, the mixture will become a thick gel. It will cover 100 sq. ft. Use a 6" brush to paint vertically top to bottom in one stroke. Paint will appear darker when wet than when dry. Do not paint over dry areas. Wait until all of the paint is dry before painting a second coat.

Vegan Paint Primer and Canvas Sizing

1-1/2 Tbsp Methylcellulose

1 Gallon bucket of warm water

Pour 1 gallon of warm water into a bucket. Slowly add Methylcellulose stirring constantly with a large spoon. Stir until the Methylcellulose is dissolved and appears clear, let sit for 30 min for bubbles to rise. Use while warm for mixing vegan paint or allow to gel for primer.

Vegan Soft Distemper

2-1/2 C. Warm vegan paint primer

8 lb. Calcium carbonate + water to cover

4 oz. Pigment + water to cover

Slake the pigment in water. Soak the chalk in water as well to soften it. Leave all in water overnight to fatten up. Heat the paint primer over a double boiler while stirring. Do not heat over 140F.

Carefully pour off the water from the chalk and discard it. Pour the heated glue through a strainer into the bucket of chalk. Add the slaked pigment to the glue and chalk mixture while it's warm and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Upon cooling, the mixture will become a thick gel. It will cover 100 sq. ft. Use a 6" brush to paint vertically top to bottom in one stroke. Paint will appear darker when wet than when dry. Do not paint over dry areas. Wait until all of the paint is dry before painting a second coat.

Faux Acrylic Gel

1/4 oz Methylcellulose

1/2 Pint Distilled Water, boiling

1/2 Pint Distilled Water, cold

1/8 tsp. Ammonia

Boil 1/2 pint of water. Slowly add methylcellulose while stirring. Pour in cold water while stirring. Add ammonia and stir. Check the pH. Allow to rest for 20 minutes and stir again. Pour into a 1/2 pint Mason jar.

Faux Acrylic Emulsion

1//2 pint Faux Acrylic gel

1/8 tsp. Triton X-100

1/4 oz. Ammonia Water

1/2 Tbsp. Stearic acid

5 Drops Germall plus

Combine the ammonia water with the Triton and stir. Add stearic acid to the acrylic gel and stir. Add the ammonia water mixture to the gel mixture and stir again. Add the preservative and stir to combine.

Check the pH; it should be 8-9. If it is below 8, add 1/8 tsp of ammonia and check it again. This is the acrylic emulsion. Pour into a Mason jar and set aside. Works also as a paint medium. Adding ammonia water in varying amounts will change the viscosity to match store bought mediums.

Faux Acrylic Paint

1 Drop or Smidgen Glycerin

1 Tbsp. or more Pigment 

1-1/2 oz. Faux Acrylic Emulsion

1/4 tsp. Super Clear Thickening Gel (optional)

Equipment

Grinder

Palette knife (#62)

Plate Glass

Glass condiment bowl or beaker

Mini blender with immersion attachment

2 oz Flip top bottle or tube

Grind pigments to a powder or combine with additives, if using. Place pigment on plate glass and make a hole in the center. Add glycerin. Work into a paste with a palette knife. Transfer to a bowl and add the emulsion. Stir with the blender until thoroughly combined. Adding thickening gel will produce a heavy body consistency. Transfer to a bottle or tube.

Hard Distemper or Casein Paint

Casein paint is completely natural, water based, alkaline and durable once dry. It's also very cheap to make either from milk or dehydrated casein powder. Depending on the alkali used, it can be applied outdoors, indoors as a wall paint, on unfinished wood, canvas or fabric. It dries rapidly which is great for painting wood. Glycerin may be added for canvas or fabric painting. The given formula is transparent. Talc may be added as an opacifier.

Wood Furniture Formula

1 gallon nonfat or skim milk, room temperature 

2 C. White Vinegar

3/4 C. Hydrated Lime

3/4 C. Water

2 Tbsp. Pigment (4 for deep black)

4 Tbsp. Water

2 gallon stainless steel pot

Cheesecloth or muslin 

Colander

Glass bowl

Rubber spatula

Plastic container with lid

Disposable plastic cup

Plastic spoon

Paint filters

Quart size mason jars w/lids or used pasta sauce jars

Allow milk to sit out to come to room temperature. Pour milk into a pot. Add vinegar and stir. Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Pour through a cheesecloth lined strainer. Rinse the vinegar and whey off of the curds. Do not press to hard. You don’t want cheese. Add lime to a glass bowl. Pour in water and stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Dump the curds into the lime, scraping as much of the curds as you can off the cheesecloth. You won’t get it all. Mix it up until it is as smooth as possible. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Break up any remaining clumps. Strain the mixture through some fresh cheesecloth into a plastic tub. Place pigment into a disposable cup. Add 4 tablespoons of water and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour the pigment into the milk base and stir with a plastic spoon. Use a bit of water to get the remaining pigment out of the cup. Strain paint through a paint filter into glass jars. Shake before use. The foam subsides after a bit of painting. Store in the refrigerator for 1 week. One coat of red oxide looks like a heavy stain. Two coats are fairly opaque and make a good underpainting for black or another dark pigment. This is traditional for Shaker style furniture. Cover with a wipe on varnish for durability.

Lime Fresco Formula

2 C. Casein powder

2-1/2 oz.. Hydrated lime

2-1/2 C. Water, divided

1 quart glass jar

1 pint glass jar

Place casein powder in the quart jar. Place the lime into the pint jar. Add half of the water to the casein. Add the other half of the water to the lime. Mix each vigorously until the powders are completely dispersed. 

Pour the lime water into the casein. It will get hot and foam up. Let the mixture rest until the casein is totally dissolved. This will take 12 hours.

1 Tbsp. Alcohol

1/8-1/4 C. Pigment

6 C. Chalk

Quart of casein binder

Equipment

Grinder

Palette knife (#62)

Plate Glass

Paint mixer

Grind pigments to a powder. Place pigment on plate glass and make a hole in the center. Add alcohol and work into a paste with a palette knife. Add to casein. Stir with the paint mixer until thoroughly combined. Use immediately. It will harden in another 12 hours.

Outdoor Wood Wall Formula

1 C. Casein powder

1 C. Baker's Ammonia

3-1/2 C. Water, divided*

1 half gallon glass jar

1 gallon glass jar

Place casein powder in the 1 gallon jar. Place the alkali into the half gallon jar. Add half of the water to the casein. Add the other half of the water to the baker’s ammonia. Mix each vigorously until the powders are completely dispersed. 

Pour the alkali water into the casein. It will get hot and foam up. Let the mixture rest until the casein is totally dissolved. This will take 6 hours for ammonium bicarbonate.

Heavy Body Canvas Formula

1 Tbsp. or more Pigment

1 Drop or Smidgen Alcohol

1/8 tsp. Triton X-100

2 oz of emulsion from recipe above 

Equipment

Grinder

Palette knife (#62)

Plate Glass

Glass condiment bowl or beaker

Mini blender with immersion attachment

2 oz Flip top bottle or tube

Grind pigments to a powder or combine with additives, if using. Place pigment on plate glass and make a hole in the center. Add alcohol and surfactant. Work into a paste with a palette knife. Transfer to a bowl and add the emulsion. Use a beaker if making a lot of paint. Stir with the blender until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a bottle or tube.

Indoor Wall Formula

1 C. Casein powder

1 C. Borax or Baking soda*

10 or 5 C. Water, divided*

1 half gallon glass jar

1 gallon glass jar

*Use borax for indoor walls. 

Use baking soda for fabric. 

*10 cups of water makes a wood painting consistency. 

5 cups of water will make a fabric painting consistency. 

Place casein powder in the 1 gallon jar. Place the alkali into the half gallon jar. Add half of the water to the casein. Add the other half of the water to the borax or baking soda. Mix each vigorously until the powders are completely dispersed. 

Pour the alkali water into the casein. It will get hot and foam up. Let the mixture rest until the casein is totally dissolved. This will take 4 hours for baking soda and 8 hours for borax.

Soft Body Fabric Formula

1 Tbsp. or more Pigment

1 Drop or Smidgen Alcohol

1/8 tsp. Triton X-100

2 oz. emulsion from recipe above

Equipment

Grinder

Palette knife (#62)

Plate Glass

Glass condiment bowl or beaker

Mini blender with immersion attachment

2 oz Flip top bottle or tube

Grind pigments to a powder or combine with additives, if using. Place pigment on plate glass and make a hole in the center. Add alcohol and surfactant. Work into a paste with a palette knife. Transfer to a bowl and add the emulsion. Use a beaker if making a lot of paint. Stir with the blender until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a bottle or tube.