Cornelissen

For sizing canvas prior to priming with an oil based primer. Do not use under acrylic primer. Soak overnight in water. Heat in double boiler (do not boil). Ratio water:size 13:1. Use while still warm. Rabbit Skin Glue do not contain any preservatives. 340 - 360 Bloom Learn More

Beeswax is derived from melted honeycomb, and is available in two grades. Bleached Beeswax Pellets are white, having been bleached by the sun, and are an appropriate choice for using with pale colours, although they may revert to yellow over time. Natural Beeswax Pellets are yellow in colour, and offer a more flexible structure with a higher resin content. Beeswax has a melting point of 63-66°c, and may turn brown if over-heated. It is the most widely used wax in artists' materials, having a wide range of applications. Please see below for more details.

Beeswax is derived from melted honeycomb, and is available in two grades. Bleached Beeswax Pellets are white, having been bleached by the sun, and are an appropriate choice for using with pale colours, although they may revert to yellow over time. Natural Beeswax Pellets are yellow in colour, and offer a more flexible structure with a higher resin content. Beeswax has a melting point of 63-66°c, and may turn brown if over-heated. It is the most widely used wax in artists' materials, having a wide range of applications. Please see below for more details.

Casein is a protein derived from dried milk, which has been used in painting since ancient times. It can be combined with Ammonium Carbonate to form an emulsion, which acts as a durable, non-resoluble binder for pigments, producing a matte, fast-drying paint, similar in appearance to egg tempera. We use casein as a binder for our L. Cornelissen & Son Pigment Colour Charts, as it is a medium that clearly showcases the characteristics and behaviour of each pigment in its pure form. Casein paints can be applied in thin layers to watercolour paper, but would require a more rigid support, such as a gesso panel, to be applied thickly, as the comparative inflexibility of the paint layer means that it can be prone to cracking. Subsequent layers of paint should be more diluted to aid adhesion, and impasto effects are not recommended. It is possible to varnish casein paintings using an acrylic or damar varnish to obtain a glossy surface if desired, although this is not a necessary step. Casein can also be used as an ingredient in gesso, and is a suitable binder for fresco secco techniques.

Some pigments may require a wetting agent in order to fully disperse within the binder, in which case alcohol may be used.

PB29

Lapis Lazuli is a natural mineral pigment, mined in Afghanistan and South America. For many centuries it was the most reliable blue pigment available, and became particularly significant during the Medieval and Renaissance periods, when its inclusion in a work of art denoted the wealth and status of the patron, or the holiness of a painting's subject. In commercial paint production it has largely been replaced by the more affordable Ultramarine Blue, although it still has a place on modern palettes due to its unique soft violet tone. It is a transparent pigment, with a low tinting strength.

Larger quantities are available by request.

Realgar, like Orpiment, is sulphide of arsenic, and these two substances are often found in close proximity to each other in nature. Realgar exists in small deposits throughout the world and has been used for its colour since ancient times, although its extreme toxicity means that it has been superseded by cadmiums in modern painting. It is an opaque pigment with poor tinting strength.

Larger quantities are available by request.

PB30

Azurite is a naturally occuring copper carbonate, with a long history within European and Asian painting. It was mined in northern Europe, so was a less expensive source of blue than Lapis Lazuli, which was imported from Afghanistan. Medieval artists would often use Azurite in underpaintings, before applying layers of Lapis Lazuli during later stages of production.

It is best used in aqueous media, as the acidity of oils can cause it to darken in colour, although this can be somewhat counteracted by protecting the pigment particles with a protein such as egg yolk. It has a very low tinting strength, and the particle size tends to be quite large, to give a darker colour. It is sensitive to damp conditions, and is slightly transparent.

NR4

Carmine has been used as a dye and pigment since antiquity. Originally derived from the kermes insect, it was replaced by cochineal following the discovery of the Americas. It has a good tinting strength and is very transparent, although it is fugitive to light.

Larger quantities are available by request.

NR9

Madder Lake pigment is derived from dye that has been extracted from the root of the madder plant, and attached to alum as a base. It has largely been replaced by synthetic alizarin pigments, but it is still used as an ingredient in some commercially-available paints. It provides a very transparent pigment, with a weak tinting strength, which can be used in all lime-free media, although it is very slow-drying in oil. It is fugitive to sunlight, so paintings containing Madder should be stored appropriately, but it remains one of the most lightfast plant-based pigments. It requires a wetting agent to aid dispersion.

Larger quantities are available by request

PR106

Cinnabar, composed of mercuric sulphide, is a mineral pigment found in crusts or veins in sites of volcanic activity. It has good tinting strength and opacity but, like many red pigments, it dries very slowly in oil media. Due to its high toxicity, it is no longer an ingredient in commercial paints, but is a prominent colour in historical palettes.

Generally, Cinnabar refers to the natural mineral, while Vermilion refers to the synthetic pigment. Cinnabar has been mined since at least the tenth millennium BC, and used as a painting material, gemstone, and ritual object by many cultures around the globe. 

Larger sizes available on request.

PY39

Orpiment, also called King's Yellow, is a mineral pigment containing naturally occurring sulphide of arsenic. Its high toxicity, and the prevalence of cadmium pigments, means that it is largely obsolete outside the field of restoration. It works best bound in oil or egg tempera, but it is not reliably permanent.

Larger quantities are available by request.

Please note, unfortunately we are not able to send this product outside the UK.

PW1

Flake White Pigment, sometimes referred to as Lead White or Cremnitz White, is an artificial mineral pigment, lead carbonate. It is no longer available as a paint, due to its extreme toxicity. For this reason, great care must be taken when handling the dry pigment.

It is not usuable in water-based media, but works well in oils. It creates a flexible paint film that dries quickly. Although opaque, small quantities do not dominate mixtures, and can help slow-drying pigments to dry. For this reason, it has been a popular mixing white historically; in fact, until the mid-19th century, Flake White was the only white pigment available to artists. Although varnishing is generally considered optional for oil paintings, it is recommended for works containing Flake White, as contact with sulphur in the atmosphere can cause it to blacken. It creates a warm white, which can yellow over time when mixed with linseed oil.

Toxicity: D

Permitted uses: Restoration of art works and protected buildings when alternatives unsuitable.

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. 

Cobalt Violet Light Pigment (PV14). Synthetic inorganic pigment. Semi-opaque. Weak tinting strength. Excellent Lightfastness. Fast drying rate. Good for oil and watercolour but not acrylic as pigment 'settles out'. Used since early 1900's. This colour cannot be matched through mixing other colours.

Limeproof

Toxicity: C

Please note, unfortunately we are not able to send this product outside the UK.

Cobalt Violet Dark Pigment (PV14). Synthetic inorganic pigment. Semi-transparent. High tinting strength. Excellent Lightfastness. Low oil absorption with fast drying rate. All media including ceramics. Used since late 19th Century.

Limeproof

Toxicity: C

Please note, unfortunately we are not able to send this product outside the UK.

PB35

Cerulean Blue is an artificial mineral pigment that is prepared by heating a mixture of Cobalt Chloride and Potassium Stannate. It was first synthesised in the early nineteenth century, becoming more widely used from 1870, when Rowney introduced Coeruleum Blue into their range. It produces a very bright, clear, and unusually opaque blue, hence its name, which is derived from the Latin for "sky-blue", or perhaps "heaven-blue". It has a very low tinting strength meaning that, although it is stable in all media, some artists may choose to bind it in poppy rather than linseed oil, so that the colour isn't affected by the colour of the binder. It creates a fairly flexible paint film, and is a fast-to-medium drying pigment.

Limeproof

Toxicity: B

Toxicity: B

Please note, unfortunately we are not able to send this product outside the UK.

Azure Blue Pigment (PB28). Inorganic pigment made from various aluminium, zinc and cobalt compounds. Semi-opaque. Weak tinting strength. Excellent Lightfastness.

Toxicity: C

Limeproof