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I, Albrecht Dürer, master craftsman of Nuremberg, share the precise methods I developed for capturing the world's form and truth. Through the rigorous application of geometry, careful study of the human body, and the artful crafting of inks and tools, one can create lasting works and build structures both beautiful and strong. Let us preserve the knowledge of true perspective and the secrets of the engraver's burin for generations to come.
A Craftsman's Method for Grinding Earthly Colours
March 11th 1513
Last updated December 9th 2025
Mark my words, the soul of a painting lies not only in the artist's hand, but in the purity and permanence of his colours. God has placed these hues in the very earth beneath our feet and in the stones of the mountains, but it is our sacred duty to coax them forth with diligence and skill. A poorly prepared pigment is a lie upon the canvas, fading with time into a ghostly shame. This is no task for the impatient or the slovenly. Follow my instruction with a clear eye and a steady hand, and you shall learn to transform raw earth into colours fit for an emperor, colours that will speak of our world long after we have returned to dust. This is the true alchemy of the painter's workshop.
You will need:
Coloured earths (ochres, umbers) or soft mineral stones (malachite, azurite).
A heavy, flat grinding slab of hard, non-porous stone like porphyry or granite.
A stone muller, shaped like a cone with a flat bottom, to fit comfortably in your palm.
A hammer or mallet for initial crushing.
Several clean water vessels or pots.
A fine-weave cloth, such as linen, for sifting.
A flexible blade or horn spatula for scraping the slab.
Small pots, shells, or clean animal bladders for storing the finished pigment.
1. Select and Break Your Material
First, find your colour. Look for soft, richly coloured clays and earths, or stones like green malachite. Break these down into small, pebble-sized pieces with a hammer. Do this on a sturdy surface, not your fine grinding slab. The goal is to make the material manageable for the next steps. Wear a cloth over your mouth if the dust is great.
2. Purify the Earths through Levigation
For earthen pigments like ochres, this step is paramount for purity. Place the crushed earth in a large pot of clean water and stir vigorously until the water is thick with colour. Allow it to stand. The coarse sand and grit will fall first. After a short while, carefully pour the coloured water, which holds the finest particles, into a second vessel, leaving the dross behind. This may be repeated to achieve true purity.
3. Dry the Pigment Paste
Allow the fine pigment suspended in the water to settle completely in its new vessel. This may take a day or more. Once settled, gently pour off the clear water from the top. You will be left with a thick, pure paste at the bottom. Spread this paste onto a clean tile or cloth and let it dry completely in a warm, dust-free place. It will form a hard cake.
4. Prepare the Grinding Slab
Your slab and muller must be immaculately clean. Any stray grain of a former colour will corrupt the new batch. Wash them thoroughly with water and a stiff brush, then dry them completely. A clean workspace is the mark of a serious craftsman; do not neglect it.
5. The First Grind: Creating a Powder
Place a small amount of the dried pigment cake (or crushed mineral if you skipped levigation) onto the center of the slab. Using the muller, crush it into as fine a powder as you can. Use pressure and a rocking motion. This is dry, dusty work, but it prepares the pigment for its true transformation.
6. Introduce the Liquid and Begin the True Grind
Add a few drops of clean water to the powder to make a stiff paste. Now, the real work begins. Grip the muller firmly and grind the paste in a wide, circular motion, using the full surface of the slab. The motion should be from the shoulder, consistent and patient. You should hear a gentle, sandy whisper. If it screeches, the paste is too dry.
7. Achieve the Correct Fineness
Continue grinding for a long time. An hour is not too much for a small batch of fine colour. The paste should become smooth and buttery. To test it, take a small amount on your spatula. It must feel perfectly smooth, with no graininess. Or, smear it thinly; it should be a pure, unbroken film of colour. If you feel any grit, your work is not yet done. This is what separates pigment from coloured sand.
8. Collect and Store Your Colour
Once you are satisfied with the fineness, use your spatula to carefully scrape all of the precious pigment from the slab and muller into a small, clean pot or shell. If storing for later use as a powder, you would have stopped before adding water. But as a paste, you can add your binder (like egg yolk or oil) now, or store it under a little water to keep it from hardening. Your colour is now ready for use.
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