--- title: Color pigments made by hand based on historical models description: "DIY Historische Farbpigmente: Aus einem Stein wird Farbe" image: https://www.pullmann-art.com/hubfs/file_0000000081908210a040d9d2edbaa496.png --- [Skip to content](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt#main-content) - [English](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt) - [Deutsch](https://www.pullmann-art.com/de/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt) English Show submenu for translations - [Home](https://www.pullmann-art.com/) - [Art Gallery](https://www.pullmann-art.com/art-gallery) - [Journal](https://www.pullmann-art.com/de/journal) - [Exhibitions](https://www.pullmann-art.com/de/ausstellungen) - [The Artist](https://www.pullmann-art.com/artist) - [Music](https://www.pullmann-art.com/de/mikelive) - [Contact](https://www.pullmann-art.com/de/kontakt) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Home](https://www.pullmann-art.com/) - [Art Gallery](https://www.pullmann-art.com/art-gallery) - [Journal](https://www.pullmann-art.com/de/journal) - [Exhibitions](https://www.pullmann-art.com/de/ausstellungen) - [The Artist](https://www.pullmann-art.com/artist) - [Music](https://www.pullmann-art.com/de/mikelive) - [Contact](https://www.pullmann-art.com/de/kontakt) - - [English](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt) - [Deutsch](https://www.pullmann-art.com/de/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt) English Show submenu for translations - [Contact me](https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ2lbZ2S2NkL6kRWTEJFFDQm3phxNBd1dOqEUKfUe1_v05pIr9J86540ylfgCn2ZjbHHurprXg5A) [Contact me](https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ2lbZ2S2NkL6kRWTEJFFDQm3phxNBd1dOqEUKfUe1_v05pIr9J86540ylfgCn2ZjbHHurprXg5A) 11/8/26, 7:27 PM # Color pigments made by hand based on historical models ![Picture of Michael Pullmann](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WhatsApp%20Bild%202024-07-14%20um%2005.24.27_e8fbbf7e.jpg?width=50&name=WhatsApp%20Bild%202024-07-14%20um%2005.24.27_e8fbbf7e.jpg) [Michael Pullmann](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/author/michael-pullmann) Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt) [Twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt) [pinterest-p icon](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt) ## ![file\_0000000081908210a040d9d2edbaa496](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/file_0000000081908210a040d9d2edbaa496.png?width=1448&height=1086&name=file_0000000081908210a040d9d2edbaa496.png) ## How I Ended Up Making My Own Paints It all actually started when I sold all my belongings at some point and set off on a journey as an artist and backpacker. I just wanted to be on the road, discover the world, be outdoors, and be in nature. But of course, I also wanted to keep making art. At some point, I asked myself: How am I actually going to handle the paints? I can’t exactly be lugging tubes around with me all the time. And I can’t just walk into a store wherever I am and buy new paints either. And then this thought occurred to me: How did people actually do this back in the day? I mean, before there were even industrially manufactured paints. Before you could just walk into a store and buy a tube of red, yellow, or blue. It’s fascinating, really, what people were able to create with the resources they had back then. That’s how I stumbled upon egg tempera painting, a centuries-old painting technique in which pigments are mixed with egg yolk to make paint. I actually started with very simple ingredients—turmeric, for example, cinnamon, charcoal, and other things you can find around the house.   ![20261022\_170429](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20261022_170429.jpg?width=4080&height=3060&name=20261022_170429.jpg) ## How I Ended Up in Jena—and What I Discovered There I had actually planned to continue hiking along the Middle Rhine with my backpack and tent, but I ended up in Jena instead. When I opened a book about pigments at the Jena State Library, I was quite amazed. There was a pigment called “Jena ochre.” When I started taking a closer look at the landscape here, I found this yellow stone. There was this incredible variety of rocks and diverse colors. I discovered yellow, yellow-green, and ochre-colored stones here, some of which are so soft and weathered that you can grind them up relatively easily. Then there are these red sandstones, for example in the Stadtroda area, near the train station. There was a greenish-blue one among them, and I’ve seen stones that look almost chocolate-brown-purple. It’s like being in the candy aisle for a pigment collector! So let’s find out if these colors can actually be used for painting. Everysince I started making my own pigments, I’ve been looking at the landscape with a whole new set of eyes. When I see the ochre-colored sandstone cliffs, I wonder what this rock would look like as paint on my canvas. Sometimes you’ll discover very fine, colored earth—formed by weathering—in some of the crevices in the rocks. That turns a walk through nature into a little treasure hunt.   ![20261024\_125929](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20261024_125929.jpg?width=502&height=669&name=20261024_125929.jpg) ## Color from a Stone Once I’ve found a suitable stone, I take it with me and begin to process it. I crush it in my mortar and grind it into an increasingly fine powder. Then I add the fine powder to water. Through a process called slurrying, I can separate the finer pigment particles from the coarser components. The coarse particles sink to the bottom. The fine pigments, which float in the water, are decanted, dried, and are then ready for use after a few days. It’s a time-consuming process. It’s not as if you can just grab a stone, rub it a bit, and have finished paint five minutes later. Sometimes I’m busy with this for a whole week, only to end up with perhaps just enough for a tiny little jar of pigment. When you think about how much rock you’ve collected and processed beforehand, it’s really amazing. But I love this process. For me, pounding and grinding is incredibly meditative. There’s something very soothing about it. Sometimes the dry pigment looks pretty pale at first. Then you add water, mix it with the egg yolk—and suddenly that original, vibrant color comes back to life. It’s fascinating how much time and work goes into this small amount of paint. For me, that’s a completely different feeling than just opening a tube.   ![20261024\_155340](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20261024_155340.jpg?width=3060&height=4080&name=20261024_155340.jpg) ## What Fascinates Me So Much About Earth’s History Have you ever wondered how long it took for these colorful rocks to form throughout Earth’s history? We’re talking in some cases about rock formations whose history stretches back about 250 million years—long before the dinosaurs. It’s hard to imagine. Here lies a piece of red sandstone before me, part of a landscape whose geological history stretches back so unimaginably far. Today, I take this stone, grind it up, and turn it into paint. That’s how long it took for this work of art to come into being. And it means that my painting actually contains a piece of this landscape—a piece of Earth’s history. I find this idea simply awe-inspiring. It also creates an incredibly strong connection to nature for me.   ![20261026\_194913](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20261026_194913.jpg?width=3060&height=4080&name=20261026_194913.jpg) ## Why I’m So Fascinated by Old Painting Techniques I find myself constantly wondering how people actually worked back then. When I imagine how much effort it must have taken just to get a specific color! Today, we go to a store, buy a tube, and immediately have exactly the shade we need. Back then, someone first had to find these materials, extract them, clean them, grind them, and process them into a usable paint. This resulted in works of art, some of which we can still admire today. Precisely because I now realize for myself how labor-intensive it can be to produce even a small amount of pigment, I’ve developed a whole new sense of awe for the craft—and for the knowledge that people have acquired over generations. I want to rediscover these techniques and use them in my own art. I’m trying things out, experimenting, and discovering new materials. There are still so many rocks and minerals I’d like to explore. ![20261022\_195419](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20261022_195419.jpg?width=964&height=723&name=20261022_195419.jpg) ## What This Has to Do with Gratitude I often think about what kind of world we actually live in today. We have so many things that we’ve come to take for granted. We have electricity. We have running water. We have warm homes. We can order something online, and sometimes it’s already at our doorstep the very next day. But when you stop to think about how people lived and worked a thousand or two thousand years ago, it all suddenly takes on a whole new meaning. That’s when you realize just what an incredible level of comfort many of us are fortunate enough to enjoy today—and there’s nothing wrong with that. We just take it for granted. That’s exactly why I think it’s important that we cultivate more gratitude for the things we already have. That’s exactly what I experience with my pigments, too. When it takes me a week to produce a tiny little jar of pigment, I suddenly look at that color with a whole new appreciation. I hope this mindset can be applied to many other areas of our lives as well.   ![file\_00000000db80820aa891bd97ada0bc50](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/file_00000000db80820aa891bd97ada0bc50.png?width=1448&height=1086&name=file_00000000db80820aa891bd97ada0bc50.png) ## Why I Want to Work with Natural Materials as Much as Possible There’s another aspect I haven’t mentioned at all until now. I used to work a lot with acrylic paints. One time, when I was washing out my brushes, the leftover acrylic paint ended up down the drain while I was cleaning up. It’s an industrial paint, and acrylic isn’t good for the environment and really shouldn’t end up in drinking water. That just didn’t feel right to me anymore. I wanted to become less dependent on industrially produced paints. I wanted to know for sure what I was actually painting with. I wanted to use materials—whenever possible—that I could source myself from nature or that were at least environmentally friendly. What really surprised me is how many possibilities this old egg-tempera technique offers. In any case, I don’t feel like I have to limit myself artistically just because I no longer simply reach for a tube of acrylic paint. On the contrary. A whole new world is opening up for me right now.   ![20261029\_191027](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20261029_191027.jpg?width=4080&height=2296&name=20261029_191027.jpg) ## Gold and the Inner Creative Power of Human Beings One of my favorite symbols of the positive creative force that lies within each of us is gold, which, like a young plant, pushes its way up from the earth. Like the flowing life that lies at our core. Here, I apply 23-karat gold leaf to crown the artwork. It represents our heart, our innermost being. It reminds us to find our way back to ourselves—to learn to feel ourselves and be at peace with who we are. For I believe that everything in the world that is meant to change ultimately begins with us.     ![20261105\_204616](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20261105_204616.jpg?width=413&height=734&name=20261105_204616.jpg) [Back to start](https://www.pullmann-art.com/journal?hsLang=en)   [Kunstreise](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/kunstreise), [ArtTrip](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/arttrip), [SpiritualArt](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/spiritualart), [art](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/art) ## Related posts [![](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EinhornBeiler.jpg?height=200&name=EinhornBeiler.jpg)](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/the-chain-of-coincidences-that-completed-my-work-of-art?hsLang=en) [Globetrotter](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/globetrotter), [backpacking](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/backpacking), [ArtTrip](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/arttrip), [TravelBlogger](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/travelblogger), [SystemDropout](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/systemdropout), [Transformation](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/transformation), [SpiritualArt](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/tag/spiritualart) ## [The chain of coincidences that completed my work of art](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/the-chain-of-coincidences-that-completed-my-work-of-art?hsLang=en) ![Picture of Michael Pullmann](https://www.pullmann-art.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WhatsApp%20Bild%202024-07-14%20um%2005.24.27_e8fbbf7e.jpg?width=50&name=WhatsApp%20Bild%202024-07-14%20um%2005.24.27_e8fbbf7e.jpg) [Michael Pullmann](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/author/michael-pullmann) 10/10/24, 10:58 AM The punk unicorn Beiler It's amazing what all had to come together. First of all, I had to travel... 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[Read more](https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/panta-rhai-everything-flows?hsLang=en) --- # Pullmann-ART Copyright © 2020, Michael Pullmann Am Bahnhof 15 07646 Stadtroda ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Michael Pullmann", "url" : "https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/author/michael-pullmann" }, "dateModified" : "2026-11-08T18:35:51.707Z", "datePublished" : "2026-11-08T18:27:01.000Z", "headline" : "Color pigments made by hand based on historical models", "image" : [ "https://www.pullmann-art.com/hubfs/file_0000000081908210a040d9d2edbaa496.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.pullmann-art.com/en/blog/farbpigmente-nach-historischen-vorbild-selber-hergestellt", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" }, "name" : "Michael Pullmann Kunstgalerie" } } ```