Egg Tempera Painting Of Sweet Williams

This is the egg tempera painting of Sweet Williams that I completed last week. It's approximately 12 x 5 inches.


Egg tempera paint dries almost as soon as it's applied, so many short paintbrush strokes are needed to make up the picture. In addition, if it is left too thick, egg cracks when it dries, which means that the paint must be applied in thin layers to avoid cracking of the painting.

Egg is transparent, allowing light to enter the different layers of paint and be reflected back again, giving the painting greater depth and sparkle. Almost like a jewel, the picture becomes more brilliant as more layers are added, giving it more facets for light to play on. This does mean that painting with egg tempera is a time-consuming process, making larger ones that much more challenging - but it's well worth it.I'm working on a beach scene now, which is 20 x 15 inches.