Making Paint Out of Goat’s Milk Is an Ancient Idea

Dee Harley of Harley Farms is behind Farm Paints, a line of paint made from goat’s milk: you can watch the video above to see how they make it. Farm Paints is a relatively new line, but the idea behind it—making paint out of milk—is extremely old. Sam Brasch at Modern Farmer explains:

That basic trinity of paint — lime, milk, and pigment — reaches much farther back. King Tut had a dairy-based lacquer in his tomb. Artists may have stuck pigments to cave walls with something like like a milk paint mixture. Now, home hobbyists have picked up on the tradition, starting with skim milk to make paint for nurseries and furniture projects.

According to Harvey, the idea for Farm Paints came from the same place all great vision begin: “Around the dinner table with a bottle of wine and your friend Three-Finger Bill.” Brasch takes a moment to clarify that T.F.B. is the nickname of a craftsman who lives nearby. He also feels the need to point out that “this is all true.”

Rose Eveleth | | READ MORE

Rose Eveleth was a writer for Smart News and a producer/designer/ science writer/ animator based in Brooklyn. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Scientific American, Story Collider, TED-Ed and OnEarth.