Search results for 'pigments'

Pearl Lustre Pigments 1 kg. Colour swatch on the left indicates colour on a White Background and Colour on a Black Background on the right. Learn More

Pearl Lustre Pigments 7g. Colour swatch on the left indicates colour on a White Background and Colour on a Black Background on the right. Learn More

Pearl Lustre Pigments 100g. Colour swatch on the left indicates colour on a White Background and Colour on a Black Background on the right. Learn More

PR101

Mars Violet is an artificial mineral pigment. Its pigment code, PR101, refers to a wide spectrum of synthetic iron oxide pigments including yellows, oranges, reds, violet-browns and green-browns, which replace many natural earth colours, to provide pigments without impurities and with great opacity. It has a good tinting strength, is lightfast and stable in all media, and has a medium drying time in oil. Although it is similar to Caput Mortuum and Indian Red, it is less transparent than the former and warmer than the latter.

Toxicity: B

Limeproof

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PB28

Cobalt Blue is an artificial mineral pigment, produced by the calcination of cobalt oxide and aluminium oxide. It has been widely used since the early 1800s, following its discovery by the French chemist Thenard at the beginning of the century. The name Cobalt has its roots in the German word Kobold, meaning imp or evil spirit. German miners specifically used this name in the late-Middle Ages, as the presence of Cobalt ore in the mines made the extraction of silver very difficult. They were possibly aware of the toxic properties of the mineral frustrating their efforts.

Cobalt remains a very popular colour today, and is present in most ranges of paints, being a semi-transparent pigment that is stable in all media. As a watercolour, all cobalt pigments tend to granulate. As an oil paint, it requires less oil content than most other pigments, and dries quite quickly. Like Cerulean Blue, some artists may choose to bind it with poppy oil, to avoid any possible colour changes brought about by the yellowish cast of linseed oil and the pigment's weak tinting strength.

Limeproof

Toxicity: C

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PBr7

Raw Sienna is a natural earth pigment that dates back to antiquity. Our Raw Sienna comes from areas of Tuscany where the earth has been coloured by iron-rich minerals. It provides a good tinting strength, excellent lightfastness, and a fast to medium drying rate in oil. It is stable in all media but, like umber pigments, can be difficult to disperse in an acrylic binder. It is similar in composition to Yellow Ochre, but whereas Yellow Ochre contains a higher proportion of clay, Raw Sienna contains a higher proportion of silica. As a natural material, the exact colour and qualities of the resultant pigments can vary, but generally this difference creates a paler, more opaque Yellow Ochre, and a darker, more transparent Raw Sienna.

Toxicity: B

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PY42

Mars Yellow is an artificial mineral pigment, a synthetic iron oxide. Mars colours in general replace many natural earth colours to provide pigments without impurities and with great opacity. It has a good tinting strength, is lightfast and stable in all media, and has a medium drying time in oil, creating a strong, flexible paint film.

Toxicity: B

Limeproof

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PR101

Mars Red is an artificial mineral pigment. Its pigment code, PR101, refers to a wide spectrum of synthetic iron oxide pigments including yellows, oranges, reds, violet-browns and green-browns, which replace many natural earth colours to provide pigments without impurities and with great opacity. It has a good tinting strength, is lightfast and stable in all media, and has a medium drying time in oil.

Toxicity: B

Limeproof

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PY43

Yellow Ochre is a natural earth pigment that has been in use since prehistoric times. It is derived from iron-rich clay deposits that are present all over the world; our Yellow Ochre comes from the hilly regions around Verona, Italy. As a pigment, it is semi-opaque, extremely lightfast, and stable in all media. It has a medium to slow drying rate in oil, creating a tough, flexible paint film. Yellow Ochre is similar in composition to Raw Sienna, but whereas Yellow Ochre contains a higher proportion of clay, Raw Sienna contains a higher proportion of silica. As a natural material, the exact colour and qualities of the resultant pigments can vary, but generally this compositional difference creates a paler, more opaque Yellow Ochre, and a darker, more transparent Raw Sienna. 

Toxicity B

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PR83

Alizarin Crimson is a synthetic organic pigment that became available in 1868. It requires a wetting agent to disperse, and in oil it also absorbs a lot of liquid and dries very slowly to form a hard, brittle paint film. It is chemically identical to madder-root pigments and should be protected against UV light where possible as it can fade when applied onto a white ground, although it is less fugitive than its natural counterpart. Alizarin Crimson is a very transparent pigment, with a high tinting strength and slightly blue undertone.  

Toxicity: A/B

Larger quantities are available by request. 

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PR101

Indian Red was imported into the UK during the nineteenth century, its present-day equivalent is a synthetic iron oxide. Its pigment code, PR101, refers to a wide spectrum of synthetic iron oxide pigments including yellows, oranges, reds, violet-browns and green-browns; Indian Red is a slightly cool, bluish shade of red. It is semi-opaque, stable in all media, lightfast, and possesses a good tinting strength 

Toxicity: B

Limeproof

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Terre Verte, sometimes known as Green Earth, is a natural earth pigment derived from clay coloured by iron silicate. As with other natural pigments, impurities can prevent it from fully dispersing in an acrylic binder, although it is a popular pigment in all other mediums. It has been in use since antiquity, providing excellent lightfastness and great transparency, with a low tinting strength. It requires a high volume of oil, and dries slowly to create a soft, flexible paint film. When calcined, Terre Verte becomes Burnt Green Earth.
Toxicity B Learn More

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

Toxicity: C

Limeproof

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PBr7

Burnt Umber is a natural earth pigment from Italy, composed of iron oxide, manganese, and aluminium silicate. It is a form of Raw Umber that a has undergone a process of calcination, becoming warmer, more transparent and easier to disperse. It has a good tinting strength, and is very lightfast, quick-drying, and stable in all media. In oils it forms a hard, fairly flexible paint film, though it may be difficult to use in acrylic mediums.

Toxicity: B

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Green Earth Light Pigment Learn More

Quinacridone Scarlet Pigment (PR209). Organic pigment. Very transparent. High tinting strength. Excellent Lightfastness. High oil absorption with slow drying rate. Requires wetting agent. Suitable for all media. Developed in the 1950's. Toxicity A/B. Learn More

Cadmium Yellow Middle Pigment (PY37). Synthetic Inorganic pigment. Opaque. Good tinting strength. Excellent Lightfastness. Low oil absorption with slow drying rate. Suitable for all media. Good acid and alkali resist. Exterior application not advised as discoloration occurs. Used since 19th Century. Toxicity B/C. Learn More

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. 

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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

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PV15

Ultramarine Violet is a synthetic organic pigment that is produced by heating Ultramarine Blue with Ammonium Chloride, causing the removal of some of the sodium and sulphur and thus a change in colour. It is lightfast and semi-transparent, with a weak tinting strength. In oils, it dries quite slowly, forming a hard, flexible film.

Toxicity: B

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PB27

Prussian Blue is a synthetic organic pigment that was discovered by the paint maker Diesbach, apparently by accident, in Germany in the early eighteenth century. For many years, it was used not only as a colour in its own right, but also as a component of the original Hooker's Green. The other ingredient, gamboge, is highly fugitive, which is why many watercolours painted with Hooker's green have taken on a bluish tone with with age.  

It is a very transparent and heavily staining colour. It dries quite quickly in oil, and can therefore wrinkly if applied too quickly. It is suitable for use in oils, watercolour, and egg tempera. However, it shouldn't be used in conjunction with alkali substances, such as Lead White or Calcium Carbonate as it can turn brown, so it isn't suitable for fresco. For the same reason, it isn't used with acrylic resin binders due to their alkaline nature, so most paint manufacturers will replace Prussian Blue with a mixture of Phthalo Blue and black in their acrylic ranges. It requires a wetting agent to fully disperse into a binder.

Toxicity: B

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Yellow Ochre Light pigment Learn More

Malachite is a naturally occurring copper carbonate, closely related to Azurite. It has a weak tinting strength, is quite opaque, and works best in aqueous media. Larger sizes available on request. Learn More

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

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Phthalo Turquoise Pigment (PB15.3, PG7, PW21). Mixture of Phthalo Green, Phthalo Blue and Blanc Fixe. Transparent. Excellent Lightfastness. Requires wetting agent. Toxicity B Learn More

Quinacridone Magenta Pigment (PR122). Organic pigment. Very transparent. High tinting strength. Excellent Lightfastness. High oil absorption with slow drying rate. Requires wetting agent. Suitable for all media. Developed in the 1950's. Toxicity A/B. Learn More

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

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PBr7

Raw Umber Greenish is a natural earth pigment composed of iron oxide, manganese, and aluminium silicate. It has its roots in the Umbria region of Italy, and was historically a popular colour for underpaintings, as it dries very quickly. It is semi-opaque, very lightfast, and stable in all media but may be difficult to disperse in acrylic. It requires a large amount of liquid when mixed with oil.

Toxicity: B

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Gamboge is a natural tree resin, generally extracted by tapping of Garcinia trees, available as a powder and in the solid "pipe" form. One of the unique features of Pipe Gamboge is that it does not require a binding agent to be used as a paint. Instead, colour can be lifted with a wet brush, as from a watercolour pan. When used as a water colour, it gives a bright transparent golden yellow colour. It is highly transparent, fugitive to light, with a weak tinting strength. The powder can be dissolved in alcohol to colour resin-based varnishes. Gamboge was used from ancient times to dye the clothes and also to make a transparent yellow varnish for the colouring of wood, metals and leather.

Pipe Gamboge is available while stocks last. Larger quantities are available by request.

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