Egg Tempera Painting: A Comprehensive Guide

Congratulations Mrs Koo Schadler on compiling a true GUIDE, that is unequivocally and remarkably COMPREHENSIVE.As a masterless lay person who has no formal training in art studies I am most indebted.Possessing a passion for egg tempera and color making can only take one so far.The despair of a beginner's journey using egg tempera as a medium, not to mention the difficulty being compounded by a self imposed insistence to use ones own locally sourced inorganic pigments (renowned volcanic geology of the island of Cyprus) and all the pains and labor it entails, can only be measured by ones irresolute persistence and patience in search of genuinely applicable knowledge and guidance.The author speaks original truth that can only be sourced from her experience in application and is never acquired through anecdotal reference from older sources, as many publishings are these days.Her writing is concise. Possessing an inherent honesty (especially concerning materials and manufacturers) and is imbued in encouragement that is remarkable in an age of soulless copy/paste and hyped marketing.The ability to impart truthful and useful knowledge through experience (original truth) is testament to a master's character, and can be found in every chapter of this treatise. Thank you Mrs Schadler.The companionship of your treatise has begun to make the journey all the more pleasant and assuring, providing applicable knowledge and the sense of a guiding presence over my shoulder to pursue it more heartily.Wishing you fruitfulness in your pursuits and endeavors.Most gratefully,Andreas PatsalisP.s To all fellow & unknown companions on this timeless journey in the medium of egg tempera: Be bold, aim for excellence and show irresolute patience, for the worst outcome can only be mediocrity in outcome and virtue through patience. Take up metal point. You will be better for it!

It's rare to find an artist's practical book that is so thoroughly and expertly written. The author has obviously spent decades researching and practicing egg tempera painting and this 301 page book is absolutely packed with ever imaginable detail about how, what and why egg tempera painting is achieved. A breathtaking accomplishment of a book. Both for the egg tempura technique, but also for the process of gesso grounds which is a painter's skill versatile to learn for other types of mediums in addition to egg tempera.

I own the kindle version and physical copy, and as a working artist who hates computers the book itself is preferable. I have thousands of questions about tempera, including the proper way to mount and gesso paper to panel, all of them answered in great detail by Koo who leaves absolutely nothing to the seeker’s imagination. I realized that my rabbit gesso panels kept cracking because they were primed without a fabric (or paper) barrier. This book is a necessity for all tempera painters, especially those of us who never took a class on the subject. Thank you Koo.

The book is Not a spiral, as one of the reviewers stated; it is a perfectly regular paperback.The quality of the paper and clarity of the print is better than in most books.The quality of the coloured pictures, if not the best possible, -- that would have been prohibitively expensive, -- is adequately fine, much better than that of many art instructional manuals.Colour is nowhere spared: important parts of the text are (typographically) highlighted andparagraphs are printed in brighter colours for emphasis. That is very helpful.The text's quality is superb and nonparallel.The annotated bibliography is a gem of its own.All in all -- an Excellent practical manual, well-written, decently bound attractive volume.The author is the artist of the highest rank.That cannot be said of the most art techniques writers.

Excellent book with great technical information. Thank you.

Just received the book a few days ago, so too soon to review for the contents, which I expect will take many months to explore in depth. I just wanted to clear up a misconception that I picked up from another review, and thought it might confuse others as well. Hesitated to buy this because someone had written that they copy they received was a spiral bound, xeroxed copy with black-and-white illustrations.I decided to trust the other reviewers and hope for the best. The copy I received is beautiful, well-written and well-organized, with good quality binding and cover, and is loaded with full-color examples. It's a beautiful book and I expect to treasure it for years to come.

As soon as I found out that the new edition of Koo's book had been released I bought a copy, even though at the moment I work far more in watercolor and oil than egg tempera. Her artistic sensibility, intelligence, writing ability, and knowledge of design, materials, and art history are such that I'll read anything K.S. writes about art, even even if it's about a medium I don't often use. This book is her magnum opus in terms of writing, and while I admired the previous editions, this one is on a new level. Even if I never use egg tempera again, I'm sure I'll be returning to this book regularly for the rest of my life as an artist. In my experience very few books on painting (in English at least) match this one in terms of depth, thoroughness, and clarity.

It's dense with information. Amazingly so.But I returned it.I found it so dense with information andbeautiful but small images, that I felt overwhelmed by it.Maybe after using a simpler guide to the medium,I might give this book another try.

Das Non-Plus-Ultra zum Thema Ei-Temperamalerei!Das Buch erinnert mit seinen dünnen Seiten und der kleinen Schrift etwas an Telefonbücher früherer Jahrzehnte, aber der Inhalt ist absolute Spitzenklasse. Die Autorin behandelt sehr detailreich alle Aspekte dieser eher unbekannten Maltechnik. Nach einem ersten Überfliegen (was auch seine Zeit in Anspruch genommen hat) habe ich mich seit etwa 1,5 Jahren nur mit dieser Art zu malen beschäftigt, schaue sehr regelmäßig einzelne Kapitel intensiver durch und entdecke immer wieder gute Ratschläge und Anleitungen.Man darf nicht erwarten, sofort ein Meister in der Ei-Tempera-Malerei zu werden, wenn man in dem Buch rumgeblättert hat, aber alles, was man dazu braucht, steht in diesem Meisterwerk.6 Sterne!

In my opinion this book is the 'bible' on egg tempera painting.

Koo Schadler est artiste peintre et est une des rares à utiliser encore la technique de la tempera (pigments et jaune d'oeuf). Dans ce guide ultra complet (en anglais), elle livre absolument tous ses secrets : de la préparation des supports à la préparation des couleurs, sans oublier la mise en oeuvre et les nombreuses astuces qu'elle utilise pour réaliser ses tableaux.Elle a voulu être exhaustive, on le sent. D'ailleurs, elle se répète souvent et parfois on a l'impression de juste lire ses notes. Mais on lui pardonne largement, son ouvrage étant d'une telle richesse et une aide réelle pour qui veut se lancer dans la tempera.Il est rare qu'un artiste dévoile autant de précisions sur ses méthodes et ses techniques, alors un grand merci à Koo.Enfin, précisons que même avec ce livre de référence, il n'y a qu'avec beaucoup de pratique que l'on pourra atteindre un beau résultat.Il n'y a plus qu'à !

Amazing book with many information. I just simply adore.