Painting on klaf

By Etan Katz -

I just got an email from someone who was asked to paint a design on a megila. She would like advice with regard to the type of paint that can be used.

I personally have never done anything like this, but I assume there are people in the group who can advise…

Comments

  1. Avraham Chaim BloomenstielJune 12, 2012 at 3:10 PM

    Gouache. Either that or, if you have a lot of time on your hand, use egg tempera. These are the two paints most commonly used on parchment and/or vellum.

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    Replies
    1. Etan KatzJune 12, 2012 at 4:38 PM

      Thanks for the reply!

      I thought gouache should only be used for art that was being reproduced — that it is a poor choice for one-off works because the colors don’t last…

      Will acrylic do the job?

      Delete
    2. Avraham Chaim BloomenstielJune 12, 2012 at 6:07 PM

      Modern gouache, if it is professional grade, will have a permanence rating that indicates how resistant it is to fading. The lower the rating, the greater the risk. Use Gouace with the highest number that you can find (will be expensive). Also - don't try to save money buying the student grade stuff - it WILL FADE, regardless of the permanence rating. An art supply store should carry professional grades with a high rating.

      Delete
  2. Mordechai Pinchas/Marc MichaelsJune 12, 2012 at 5:43 PM

    My understanding is that Gouache has been used for hundreds of years and keeps its colour and doesn't damage the parchment if used sensibly. Egg tempera is very similar. Watercolour is too weak and will make the skin wrinkle because of the water content. Acrylic is not flexible enough and will crack in time. With oil based paint, the skin will absorb the oil element and will eventually smudge.

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    Replies
    1. Avraham Chaim BloomenstielJune 12, 2012 at 6:13 PM

      Oil based paints are a disaster on klaf. They don't stay and exude stains that spread throughout the sub surface.

      Delete
  3. ZviJune 12, 2012 at 7:24 PM

    Watch out for the black colors. Some blacks are treif - made with burnt animal bones (usually dogs in China). It's called bone black. Also called ivory black, black-7, PBK-7.

    There is also a treif brown color made with squid extracts.

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    Replies
    1. Etan KatzJune 13, 2012 at 2:29 AM

      Does the issue of “min hamutar bificha” apply to the *paint* as well???

      Delete
  4. Rabbi Eli GutnickJune 12, 2012 at 10:10 PM

    I once thought of printing a generic kesubah on parchment and then fillin in the names. can one print on parchment, and if so how does it come out?

    Perhaps beis hastam can shed some light as i saw some of these in his office once...

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  5. Shmuel BowmanJune 18, 2012 at 5:52 PM

    The Israel Museum has a fascinating display of megilot from around the world, and from different periods. I noticed that tempera was quite popular. Here's the link to the online exhibit: http://www.imj.org.il/Stieglitz/results.asp?cat=7

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