 Old masters used paints containing mixtures of oils and proteins, but we lack an understanding on how and why proteins were used. Here, the authors use egg yolk in combination with two pigments to evaluate how different repartition of proteinaceous binder can be used to control the flow behavior as well as drying kinetics and chemistry of oil paints. This article was authored by Offaly Vanquitt, Celia Juice, Emilia Bramante, and others.