There were many different techniques invented during the Renaissance that, if it were not for these innovations we would not have modern paint as we know it today.
Oil Paint
Oil paint was invented in the Renaissance, the earliest known traces of it being used were in the 15th Century, by Jan van eyck, who decided to mix linseed oil and nuts with pigments in order to make this paint. However, it is most prominently used in many paintings made during the Renaissance. Oil paint was extremely useful for making translucent effects in the painting.
'The Birth of Venus' Sandro Botticelli ( 1486 )
Tempera Paint
The technique of tempera painting dated back to the Renaissance. It was a technique involving eggs, in which you used eggs mixed with paint in order to create a more durable and long lasting paint. During the fifteenth century, when oil paint was first made, it was common for paintings to be made with tempera paint, as early artists would commonly mix the paint with eggs. In fact, to this day we have a modern day tempera paint, commonly found in places like your local dollar store.
Raphael's Vision of A Night ( 1504 )
Fresco Painting
Fresco paint was a mixture of plaster, water, and pigments and used on wall paintings. This caused durability for the paint, as it stuck very well to the wall. This is called buon fresco, and another version of fresco paint exists, in which it is simply dry pigments being applied to the wall. It is unknown who invented this technique, however it was highly relied upon during the Renaissance, due to the vast amount of walls being painted in places like churches, and was very useful for painting murals.
Michelangelo's Mural in the Sistine Chapel
Leonardo Da Vinci
Da Vinci, as well as being a gifted scientist and painter, also invented revolutionary techniques at the time. The technique is called sfumato. Sfumato means 'to tone down' in Italian, and is a technique that hazes the blur between colors causing a hazy and soft effect on the eyes, similar to gaussian blurs used in digital art today. These effects cause the eye to see the figure to be out of focus. The technique is famously used in Da Vinci's iconic painting of the Mona Lisa in 1516.
