Cornelissen

PBk7

Carbon Black is an inorganic synthetic pigment, created by burning natural gases to form an almost pure carbon. It is semi-transparent, and in oil dries very slowly to a soft, brittle paint film. It requires a wetting agent, and can show in streaks, even when mixed with other colours. 

Larger quantities are available by request. 

PBk8

Vine Black is derived from charred vines, forming an organic pigment of pure carbon. It has been in use since antiquity, providing a cold black with bluish undertones, which creates a blue-grey when mixed with white. It is a very lightfast, slow-drying colour with a medium tinting strength. It requires a wetting agent to disperse properly, and is not suitable for use in fresco, mortar or cement, as the water-soluble impurities within the pigment can create efflorescence. 

Toxicity: A

Spinel Black, sometimes known as Manganese Ferrite Black, is a synthetic mixed-metal oxide pigment. It provides a deep, cool, transparent black, which dries quickly in oil.

Toxicity: C

PBk11

Mars Black is an artificial mineral pigment composed of hydrated ferric oxides. Like other Mars colours, it provides a very opaque, permanent colour, which is stable in all media. It has an average drying time in oil, forming a hard, fairly flexible film, making it more suitable for impasto application than carbon-based black pigments, which tend to be brittle. It also wets more easily than other black pigments, and possesses a warm, brownish undertone.

Toxicity: B

Limeproof

Larger quantities are available by request. 

PBk 6

Lamp Black is an inorganic, synthetic, pure carbon pigment. Originally made from soot collected from oil lamps and fireplaces, its modern equivalent is derived from partly combusted mineral and vegetable oil. It is a cool, transparent, bluish black, with a good tinting strength, and stable in all media. It requires a wetting agent, and in oil it has a very high absorption drying very slowly.

Larger quantities are available by request. 

Ivory Black is a natural pigment of impure carbon, derived from charred animal bones. It is semi-transparent, very lightfast, and offers good tinting strength. It is a particularly slow-drying pigment, which forms a soft, rather brittle paint film in oil.

Compared to other blacks, such as Vine Black, Ivory Black possesses warmer, brownish undertones. It should not be used at full-strength in an underpainting, as subsequent layers are likely to crack. Otherwise, it is a very useful all-purpose black for many types of paint, excluding mortar, fresco or cement.

Toxicity: B