Supplies for Cave Paintings

Thousands of years ago, cavemen drew scenes of daily life on the walls of their caves. They used various paints to enhance their charcoal drawings. Many of these were made of local plants that had been boiled down to create pigment. Some were water mixed with colored clays and minerals. Remnants of these pigments have survived through the years and are studied by artists and scientists alike. Manufacturing methods for these pigments by ancient men is a fascinating subject. They had almost no tools, no scientific training and no local art supply stores. They had to use trial and error to make their colors and hand down the technique to the next generation.