Information

Chalk Recipe

Chalk consist of pigments.

Manufacturing pastels yourself Important note: Please avoid breathing in dust from the colours. Either wear a protective mask, work outside, or work in a space with an open window. Make sure you use premium pigments (artists' pigments).

Material

What are required are pigments, water, milk, champagne chalk, zinc white, pestle and mortar, a container and paper (newsprint). Paperhanging paste, gelatine or fine gruel should be used for binding.

  1. Stir the paperhanging paste and leave to stand overnight (follow instructions) or boil gelatine, using more water than indicated on the pack but staying below one litre.
  2. Loosely sprinkle the pigments into the mortar or container.
  3. Pigments that are too loose usually cannot be processed well and are often a catastrophe during painting.
  4. Light pigments often float on the water and ones that are easily soluble sink. The easily soluble ones feature the earth tones and these can also be easily processed.
  5. Stir smooth any lumps that may appear.
  6. Add the champagne chalk, using a ratio of approx. 01:03, otherwise the chalk will become too brittle.
  7. Note: the colour can be brightened using zinc white.
  8. Now mix the pigments slowly with selected binding agents.
  9. The paste should not be too wet, but also not too dry.
  10. Too wet: it will stick to the hands; too dry: it will crumble.
  11. Despite everything, the rule is to try it and first make sample pieces which can be dried in the oven. Each colour generally reacts differently.
  12. Now the newsprint is required. It is laid out and the paste can be rolled out by hand taking care not to make pieces that are too thick.
  13. In the summer, the pieces generally dry within 24 hours or more quickly and it is best to lay these on fresh newsprint next to each other but with a little space between.
  14. If some have become too hard after all they can be dissolved in milk or salt.

What surfaces can I paint onto?

From acrylic painting paper through fabric (canvas) to watercolour paper and of course on the road.

(translated by: bizz communications agentur für lektorat, adaption und satz)