Cave Paintng

[primitiveliver]

I am interested in trying the whole cave painting idea out. But here is the question where to start. I have searched the internet and have not found much information. I have found pigment in powdered form, but not solid. Any help would be great. Thanks

 

[Toddy]

If you have powder you can make either an emulsion by adding it to milk or into an oil paint by adding it to oil or a wax/ oil mix. The powdered colour is sometimes called a 'lake' and if you google that you ought to come across recipes for diy paints.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[primitiveliver]

If you have powder you can make either an emulsion by adding it to milk or into an oil paint by adding it to oil or a wax/ oil mix. The powdered colour is sometimes called a 'lake' and if you google that you ought to come across recipes for diy paints.

cheers,
Toddy

I will give that a go. But will it stick and stay on rock?

 

[w00dsmoke]

When I went walkabout in the bush in Oz in 94, I came across and an indigenous pigment quarry. It was where red and white talc in rock form came close to the surface and it was dug out by the indigenous people of the area and ground down into pigment for body and rock art. They mixed it with just water in many cases.

WS

 

[Toddy]

QUOTE I will give that a go. But will it stick and stay on rock? QUOTE

I suspect that that will depend more on the rock and it's situation than the paint.

If I mix alkanet root with water it will give no colour, if I mix it with alcohol it will still not colour, but mix it with oil and it will give a bright red, and it is a colour fast red too. If the rock is iron rich it will change the colour used to paint on it, alkanet may end up brown, similarly if copper rich then the blue will join with the red to give a dull plum.
If the rock is too smooth then an oil paint might be better..............trial and error I think; might be fun

Look up experimental archaeology, cave painting, and see what turns up.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[firecrest]

charcoal is the most useful and easiest made pigment. put willow twigs in a tin and make it like char cloth.

 

[Ex Member - Sidney Bounty]

I like cave art I do it on the side of my mancave (shed) I do use everything from charcoal to spray paints depending on my mood and what I wish to create....

 

[forrestdweller]

When I went walkabout in the bush in Oz in 94, I came across and an indigenous pigment quarry. It was where red and white talc in rock form came close to the surface and it was dug out by the indigenous people of the area and ground down into pigment for body and rock art. They mixed it with just water in many cases.

WS

i'm definitely no expert in rock art, but what i recall from my visits to the best and most beautyful country and from reading is that aborigines refreshed the paintings regularly.


"disappointed by the monkeys, god created man. then he renounced to further experiments." mark twain

 

[w00dsmoke]

Well they certainly added to them and changed them. The ones I saw in the Flinders ranges hadn't been added to or touched up and they were very very old however the rock they were on was very very dry so there was little errosion of the "paint". I've got a book on it somwhere from when I did my MA in social anthropology, I'll look it out.

 

[spiritofold]

Have a look at the website of this place, they mine ochre, as well a selling it in small quantities. They best i have found!

http://www.clearwellcaves.com

Clearwell Caves - Ancient Iron Mines
Near Coleford
Royal Forest of Dean
Gloucestershire
GL16 8JR
ENGLAND

Andy >>>>>------------------------------------------<>

 

[Toddy]

Excellent link Thank you !


cheers,
Toddy