Search results for 'pigments'

Topaz Orange Limited Edition 15 ml. is an opaque, richly coloured and sparkling brown orange, produced from the mineral phyllosilicate, one of the hardest naturally occurring minerals. Learn More

Toxicity A/B Learn More

NB1

Genuine Indigo is a natural vegetable pigment derived from the Indigofera Tinctoria plant, which was first imported into Europe from India in the seventeenth century. It replaced woad, which had been grown natively in Europe for its blue dye. The leaves are soaked in water to ferment; upon drying, an oxidised residue forms on the dry leaves, which is removed, washed, boiled in water, and then dried to form cakes of pigment or dye.

Indigo is very transparent, with a good tinting strength. It requires a wetting agent to disperse, and in oil it dries very slowly. It is fugitive to light; this drawback means that it is no longer commonly available in commercial paints. It fell out of general use at the beginning of the seventeenth century, largely replaced by Prussian Blue, and synthetic Indigo was patented in the 1890s. However, it provides a subtle shade of blue that is still desirable in works that are going to be protected from light.

Toxicity: B

Learn More

Warm Ochre Pigment Learn More

Cornelissen Pigment Colour Chart. 85 pigment samples displayed in a 6 page 300 gsm A4 booklet, including 'permanence' and 'colour index' references. Colour swatches have been made using a casein binder. Learn More

PR108

Cadmium Red is a synthetic organic pigment that has been in use since the 1920s. It is formed by heating cadmium sulphide and selenium, the hue is determined by the level of calcination and proportion of selenium. It is very opaque, and lightfast, with a high tinting strength. It absorbs a small amount of oil, and dries very slowly to form a hard, flexible paint film. This shade has been formulated to imitate the bright hue of vermilion.

Larger quantities are available by request.  

Limeproof

Toxicity: C

Learn More

Egyptian Blue is stable in all media, highly transparent, with a weak tinting strength. A synthetically produced calcium copper silicate, it is considered to be the earliest artificial pigment, dating from antiquity and widely used in ancient Egypt. Larger sizes available on request Learn More

Vermilion Imitation Pigment (PR4, PY1, PW21). Organic pigment. Mixture of Studio Red, Hansa Yellow (Azo) and Blanc Fixe. Semi-transparent. Good tinting strength. Good Lightfastness, but prone to fading when mixed strongly with white . Slow drying rate. Requires wetting agent. Suitable for all media. Used since early 20th Century. Toxicity A. Learn More

Gypsum is powdered Calcium Sulphate, a traditional ingredient in gesso grounds used in southern Europe. One of the advantages of preparing your painting surface with gypsum is that it allows for a particularly even absorption of the paint film. It can also be added to acrylic primers to increase absorbency or add tooth to a surface. Learn More

Gum Sandarac, derived from a coniferous tree, is available in powdered or lump form. It can be dissolved in alcohol to create a varnish that is suitable as an isolating layer in oil painting and as a traditional top coat for egg tempera. It forms a brittle layer, so is only suitable for use on a rigid support. Another application is as a surface preparation for calligraphy; the ground gum can be dusted across a piece of prepared vellum or paper to create a resist, which shrinks ink strokes slightly, making them appear finer, with crisp edges. Learn More

PG23 Burnt Green Earth is a semi-transparent pigment that is stable in all media, although it may be difficult to incorporate into an acrylic binder. A calcined form of Green Earth, it has a low tinting strength, long drying time, and is very lightfast. Toxicity: B Limeproof Learn More

A glass slab with wooden cradle for the grinding of pigments.

The friction created between the sand-blasted surfaces of the glass slab and muller facilitates the thorough mixing of pigment and medium, creating a consistent and strong paint body. This slab can be used to manufacture many types of paint including watercolours, egg tempera and oils.

Mulling is of particular importance when making oil paint; simply mixing pigment and oil together using a palette knife will result in an unstable substance with poor plasticity, which contains a large amount of excess oil and unevenly distributed pigment particles. Thorough mulling in a figure-of-eight motion will enable the pigment to be fully combined into the binder, strengthening the resultant paint film.

PLEASE NOTE: The separate glass slabs are in stock but it is a call to order item due to the fact that we cannot guarantee its safe delivery, however well we package it. Please ring us to discuss your delivery options. In combination with the glass frame, delivery is more secure but we still cannot guarantee a delivery without breakage.

Learn More

Van Dyke Brown pigment is know for its poor lightfastness and instability in all mediums. Our Van Dyke Brown, also known as Cassel Earth, offers the same dark brown colour and transparency as the traditional pigment, but without the drawbacks usually associated with its longevity and use. It is made from lignite, or brown coal, from the Alsace region in France.

Toxicity: B

Learn More

Plastic Paint Tubs Learn More

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

Phthalo (Mona) Green Pigment (PG7). Organic pigment (Chlorinated Copper Phthalocyanine). Transparent. Very high tinting strength. Excellent Lightfastness. Medium to slow drying rate. Requires wetting agent. Suitable for all media. Developed in 1927. Toxicity B Learn More

PB29

Ultramarine Blue is an artificial mineral pigment that is produced by heating clay, soda, sulphur and coal to high temperatures. Its name comes from outremer, or over-the-sea, as a reference to the highly-prized Lapis Lazuli pigment which had been imported into Europe from Afghanistan since the Middle Ages. First manufactured in France and Germany in 1828, synthetic Ultramarine provided a brilliant and affordable blue to artists, and it remains one of the most popular blues on artists' palettes today.

It is a transparent pigment, with a high tinting strength and excellent lightfastness. It reacts to alkali, therefore it is not suitable for use in lime-fresco; we do offer a Limeproof Ultramarine Blue for this purpose. It is stable in all other media, although it can be tricky to grind in oil. Instead of creating a thick, buttery paste, it can remain stringy and deteriorate when stored in a tube. To correct this, many commercial paint manufacturers include additives and waxes in their recipes; if you intend on grinding your own paint, you could try replacing 10-15% of your Linseed Oil with Poppy Oil to improve the consistency. Ultramine Blue provides a slow-drying, fairly hard paint film, which can tend towards brittleness.

Toxicity: B/C

Learn More

PBk10

Graphite powder is an allotropic form of pure carbon, ground to 200 mesh. It is transparent and lightfast, with a slight sheen. It can be applied directly onto a paper support.

Larger quantities are available by request. This variety of graphite is a naturally occurring material sourced from Sri Lanka.

Toxicity: A/B

Learn More

Madder Red-Brown Rose Madder Madder Light Kaolin Learn More

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. Toxicity D.

Larger sizes available on request.

Learn More

Commiphora Myrrh Resin 10 grams Learn More

Dragon's Blood is a natural, resin, mentioned by Pliny in his Natural History. It has a weak tinting strength, and its rich red colour can be fugitive in direct sunlight. It is fully soluble in alcohol, and can be used to add a warm, transparent tone to spirit varnishes. Also available in powdered form.

Learn More

Carnauba Wax is the hardest wax commonly used in the production of artists' materials, with a melting point of 83-86°c. It is derived from a tree native to South America, and is available in a natural colour (grey), or a refined colour (pale yellow). Small amounts of carnauba wax are commonly used in both oil painting mediums and encaustic painting, usually in conjunction with beeswax to add toughness, durability and sheen to the paint film. It creates an inflexible surface, so works best on rigid supports such as gesso panels, and it should be noted that it will raise the melting point of encaustic mixtures. It can produce a glossy finish; as such it is used in waxes and polishes for shoes, cars, musical instruments, furniture, and wooden floors, especially when mixed with beeswax and turpentine. Learn More

Chrome Yellow Orange Pigment (PY34). Synthetic Inorganic pigment (Lead Chromate). Opaque. Good tinting strength. Lightfastness is good, but in some cases unstable as it can darken and turn greenish. Low oil absorption with fast drying rate. Recommended for oils not suitable for water-based mediums. Used since late 18th Century. Toxicity D.

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

Learn More

Dropping Bottle Learn More

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. Toxicity D.

Larger quantities are available by request.

Learn More

An inert substance with coarse texture and no colouring capability. Use in grounds and to provide tooth to mixed paints. Also used as an adulterant. Can be used for thickening acrylic and oil mediums. Learn More

Damar is a pale, almost colourless tree resin, which is soluble in turpentine, but not in alcohol or mineral spirits. It can be used as a varnish or as a glossy painting medium in conjunction with vegetable oils, and is generally preferable to other resin-based varnishes, such as mastic varnish, as it retains its colourless appearance for a longer period of time. In encaustic painting, the inclusion of damar resin imparts toughness and gloss to the paint surface. Learn More

Roberson Glass Mullers are handmade using high quality-glass. 

Mullers act as flat-bottomed pestles, which are used to grind pigment into a binding medium, suspending it evenly to create a uniform covering of binder around each pigment particle. Using a muller and slab, rather than simply mixing pigment and binder together, will create a more homogenised and stable paint. 

Roberson Glass Mullers are handmade using superior boro silicate laboratory glass, which is 40% harder, more heat resistant, and offers better clarity than soda-lime glass. The base of each muller is ground perfectly flat, and sand-blasted to create a fine tooth to facilitate the grinding of pigments.

Use in conjunction with a Cornelissen Glass Slab to make paint efficiently. The sand-blasted texture of the muller and plate helps to push and distribute the pigment throughout the binder quickly. This will mean less grinding, and more painting! 

NOTE: Sizes may vary slightly as these are handmade products. 

Learn More