Let's keep this simple. Paint is just two things, pigment and medium. You buy pigment (unless hard rock mining is your scene) and then you mix it into your medium. Well, pulverize it for the best results.
1. Pigment
2. Medium
3. Muller
4. Glass plate
5. Micro spatula
6. Paint brush (optional)
7. Razor/bench scraper/ceramic spatula (optional but HIGHLY recommended)
8. Containers for finished paint (unless you are using it all immediately)
This is a muller. It is made of blown glass and it has a 'rough' bottom to grind your pigments into your medium. The more you grind, the more buttery the texture and in some circumstances, the more brilliant the color. You want to grind on a glass plate because it is a smooth, non-porous, non-reactive surface.
Before you get started, remember, almost every pigment is a heavy metal and it will eventually kill you. Do not inhale and do not ingest. So do this in a well ventilated area (wearing a mask is ideal), do not do this on a surface where you will EVER be eating off of, and wear gloves or be super paranoid not to touch the raw pigment. Seriously.
Alright, now that I have killed off all excitement, let's get started!
There is a recipe for each medium and a ratio for how much medium goes with how much paint. Since this is a recipe, it calls for a cookbook. Even if you come up with your own mixture, you should start with a proven method, just to help you troubleshoot any technical issues. The best book that I have ever come across is The Painters Handbook (see footnotes). Before I start grinding with the muller, I do a quick mixing (just to eliminate loose pigment) with the micro spatula.
I tend to use/make water based paints because they dry faster, thus allowing me to get in more detail in less time and manipulate older paint layers (unless it is egg tempera, but that is another post). My basic medium that I make up is for watercolor. For this, I use a mixture of gum arabic, honey, glycerine, water, and a small amount of thymol, which is an anti-fungal. Just remember that you are making something which can rot, so some sort of preservative will keep your paint from molding or fermenting. You can use other things, like clove oil, but I use thymol because I already had it to add to my wheat paste when I cook it. When I want to make gouache, I just add in some Calcium carbonate to my watercolor medium.
While there is going to be a prescribed ratio of pigment to paint, you can play around with this, too. You want to make something smooth and buttery with the consistency of clotted cream.... or instant pudding. No judgements...
Now put your paint into a container. Got it? You have paint! I would also point out that if you start pricing out the cost per volume on your paint, it is about 4x cheaper than the bought stuff. Unless, you are buying junk, but then, really, why bother.
I hope this is a good starting point for you!
When making paint, try to do it 'right' the first time and then come up with your own house blend on the next batch. I like The Painter's Handbook by Mark Gottsegen because it also explains the 'why' of what you are doing and what exactly each ingredient is doing:
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