Sylvia Rose
Gouache Painting: Artist Essentials & Art Tips
Gouache painting has a unique charm and offers versatility for artists and art appreciators. This unctuous type of paint delivers vibrant...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 173 min read
Bright Common Nails: Composition to Corrosion
Bright common nails in hardware are used in construction, woodworking, and various DIY projects from building to pigment making. Bright...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 166 min read
10 Ancient Spices of Trade, Health & Beauty
Spices come from distant lands along ancient trade routes. These commodities bring flavor to food, health and beauty to consumers and...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 154 min read
Secrets of Xanthan Gum for Artists & Chefs
Xanthan Gum, a versatile ingredient with various applications, is a growing trend in multiple industries. In art and food it's valued as...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 155 min read
Gum Arabic, Guar, Xanthan: Guide for Artists & Artisans
Thickening gums such as gum arabic, guar and xanthan gums are indispensable for creation of inks and pigment by individual or industrial...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 155 min read
Secrets of Elemental Carbon for Truth Seekers
Carbon is the ubiquitous element. Art, beauty, science and health pivot around the life force of carbon. Carbon is a complex element...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 143 min read
Make Black Ink or Paint Pigment with Soot
Soot, also loosely called lampblack or carbon black, is traditionally used to make ink, painters' pigment, medicines and makeup. A...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 146 min read
Soot & Lampblack: Beauty, Art and Medicine
Soot is as old as fire. A dark, powder formed by incomplete burning of organic matter, it's used for centuries due to its easy...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 145 min read
Carbon Steel: Origins, Composition & Uses
Carbon steel is an essential material in various industries, renowned for versatility and strength. Uncover the secrets of carbon steel:...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 133 min read
Metal to Rust: Unseen Organisms in Action
Rust, the reddish-brown coating on metals, is formed by exposure to oxygen and moisture. Responsible for this phenomenon are several...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 116 min read
Eight Dye Plants & Natural Dyes in History
From vibrant reds extracted from roots to the deep blues synthesized from leaves, plants have abundant natural dyes and also health...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 91 min read
Experiments With Rust: Going 4 the Gold
Experimenting with rust. Mmm rust. Amazing how many colors it gives out. I'm trying for an earthy gold and a couple other tones. On the...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 77 min read
Art of Egg Tempera: Paint Like the Old Masters
Egg tempera painting is beloved for its luminous quality and durability. This method uses egg yolk as a binding agent for pigments, and...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 63 min read
Process of Projection in Renaissance Alchemy
Projection, according to experts of the Renaissance, is the final act of alchemical work once the Philosophers' Stone has been made. The...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 54 min read
Alchemy & the Magnum Opus - Black White Yellow Red
The Magnum Opus or Great Work is the goal of alchemists. From ancient Alexandria and the wisdom of Maria the Prophetess comes a color...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 35 min read
Book of Comarius: Making Gold with Cleopatra
The Book of Comarius is a mysterious tome dedicated to Cleopatra the Divine, or Cleopatra the Alchemist of Alexandria. In it, Comarius, a...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 36 min read
Cleopatra the Divine & the Book of Comarius
Cleopatra the alchemist is active in Alexandria, Egypt c. 300 AD. She may be contemporary to Zosimos , who mentions her in his writings....
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 23 min read
Tartrate Crystals: Secrets of Tartaric Acid
Tartrate crystals appear on the bottom of a wine glass or in a bottle of grape juice, created by a reaction of tartaric acid. Reference...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 22 min read
Red & White Tartar: Wine Salts of Alchemy
Red and white tartar are ingredients used by ancients and yet today. Alchemists have great interest in salts, waters, spirits and...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 26 min read
Making Lixivium: Alchemy of Lixiviation
Lixiviation or leaching is an ancient process alchemy still used today in making tea, extracting dyes and ores. Lixivium is a general...
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