1. People have been painting for as long as 30,000 years!
Early Cave paintings were drawn with red or yellow ochre, hematite, manganese oxide, and charcoal may have been made by early Homo sapiens as long as 30,000 years ago. These would have been ground to make up a primitive paint substance. Other ingredients used were animal blood and fat.
2. The Earliest Known Oil Paintings Date Back to the 14th Century!
Before the emergence of linseed oil in paint artists had to mix the dried pigments into a paste using egg yolk!
3. Artists Used to Store Their Paint in Animal Bladders!
The bladder was fashioned into pretty purses until the paint tube was invented in 1841!
4. World War II Brought Changes To The Paint Industry!
Linseed oil was in short supply during World War II, forcing paint manufacturers to research other options. This led to the invention of artificial resins, which were cheap, held colour well and lasted a long time.
5. Acrylic Paint Only Became Commercially Available In The 50s!
6. Oil Paint Takes 2 Weeks To Dry!
Different colours and oil paint types vary between 12 hours drying time to 2 weeks. After 2 weeks you will be able to apply a varnish. But be warned, museum curators do not consider oil paintings to be throughly dry until several decades have passed!!
7. Acrylic Paints Take Between 10 Minutes to 2 Hours To Dry!
But they can be kept wet with a moisture retaining palette and a water spray bottle!
8. It takes 570 Gallons of Paint to Repaint The White House
Costing a total of $20,000!
9. Spray paint was invented in the 1949!
By Edward H. Seymour, he added paint to existing spray can technology at his wife Bonnie’s suggestion. It’s usefulness in working illicitly at speed was exploited in the 1970s by Graffiti Artists.
10. Acrylic Paint Has A Lot of Big Names Behind It!
Acrylic paint has a lot of the great artists amongst it’s afficionados, including Roy Lichenstein, Andy Warhol, Bridget Riley and Mark Rothko among others!
Now you are an expert on paint it’s time for you to come and help it work it’s magic on you canvas!
Come and join us for a glass of wine and unleash your creativity!
