Color Swatch created using heavy application/medium application/50% tint and was applied on acrylic primed canvas (7 oz) material.
This color contains the following pigments:
PW4—Zinc White
Pigment Type
inorganic
Chemical Name
zinc(II)-oxide
Chemical Formula
ZnO
Properties
Zinc White is the coolest white, and it has a cold, clean masstone and a slightly bluish tint. It has less hiding power and is more transparent than other whites. It dries slowly and is good for painting wet into wet and for glazing and scumbling. Zinc White is neither as opaque nor as heavy as Lead White, its covering power is not as good, and it takes much longer to dry. However, it does not blacken when exposed to sulfur in the air as Lead White does. It is very valuable for making tints with other colors. Unmixed Zinc White dries to a brittle and dry paint film that may crack over the years, so it is not good for frescoing. It is more transparent in acrylic form than Titanium White and is the most commonly used white with gouache. Chinese White is a version of Zinc White appropriate for opaque watercolor techniques.
Permanence
Zinc White has great permanence and lightfastness.
Toxicity
Zinc White is moderately toxic if ingested and slightly toxic if inhaled.
History
Though historians are divided on who first isolated the element zinc, they agree that it was first suggested as a white pigment in 1782. Zinc White was accepted as a watercolor in 1834 and was called Chinese White due to the popularity of oriental porcelain in Europe at the time. Ten years later, a suitable oil form was produced. By the early 20th century, it had improved to the point where it was an acceptable alternative to Flake White.
Alternate Names
Chinese White, French White, Permanent White, Silver White, Snow White, Zinc Oxide.
PB15:4—Phthalo Blue
Pigment Type
organic
Chemical Name
copper phthalocyanine
Chemical Formula
C32H16CuN8
Properties
Phthalo Blues are pure and clean primary blues with superior covering power. They have a very high tinting strength and tend to overwhelm other pigments, but if color strength can be controlled, they make predictable mixed colors. In oil form, blues are very deep and slow drying. When mixed with other colors or if chlorine is added, Phthalo Blue quickly tends towards green. When using alone, mix with some white, as Phthalo Blue can be semi-transparent and almost black on its own. It is among the most compatible of modern colors with mineral colors and is considered more reliable than Prussian Blue, while sharing the same physical and color properties. Phthalo Blue is a good color for glazing.
Permanence
Phthalo Blues are completely lightfast and stable and are permanent for all paint uses. They are currently used in inks, coatings, and many plastics due to their stability and are considered a standard pigment in printing ink and the packaging industry.
Toxicity
Phthalo Blues have no significant hazards, although those made before 1982 contained some PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).
History
Developed by chemists using the trade name Monastral Blue, the organic blue dyestuff now known as Phthalo Blue was presented as a pigment in November 1935 in London. Its discovery was accidental. The dark color was observed in a kettle where a dye was being made from a British dyestuff plant. The demand for such a pigment came from commercial printers who wanted a cyan to replace Prussian Blue.
Alternate Names
Bocour Blue, Cyan Blue, Helio Blue, Heliogen Blue, Intense Blue, Monastral Blue, Phthalocyanine Blue, Rembrandt Blue, Thalo Blue, Winsor Blue.
PY150—Nickel Azo Yellow
Pigment Type
inorganic
Chemical Name
nickel azomethine yellow
Chemical Formula
C30H18Cl2N6NiO4
Properties
Nickel Azo Yellow is a transparent, moderately staining yellow pigment with high tinting strength. It is considered a good color match in botanical and landscape painting for natural gamboge (NY24), a historic yellow pigment with fair to poor lightfastness.
Permanence
Nickel azomethine yellow has excellent lightfastness.
Toxicity
Nickel azo yellow pigment is mildly toxic, and is often labeled as hazardous. Avoid respiratory and skin exposure to pigment dust. It should be disposed of properly with other hazardous wastes, not washed down the sink. However, the contribution of artist pigments to levels of nickel metal complexes in the environment is almost insignificant. Nickel is often present in the environment naturally. Nickel is used heavily in steelmaking, and in many industrial processes and products.
History
Nickel azomethine yellow has been developed as an artist pigment becasue it is a close match for gamboge, a historic yellow.
Alternate Names
Gamboge Hue, New Gamboge.
PBr7—Burnt Umber
Pigment Type
earth
Chemical Name
iron oxides with manganese silicates or dioxide
Chemical Formula
Fe2O3,MnO2 or Fe2O3 + MnO2 + nH2O + Si + Al2O3
Properties
Burnt Umber is a more intense reddish brown pigment that results from heating the clay pigment Raw Umber. It has medium to excellent tinting strength and high opacity, and it is quick drying in oil form. Burnt Umber is somewhat more transparent than Raw Umber. It has excellent color properties and can create a variety of subtle, clear tints when mixed with white. It can tend towards chalkiness in dark mixes in oil form, but overall it mixes well with other colors. To create a black color in oil form, mix Burnt Umber with Phthalo Blue or Ultramarine. To achieve a similar color in watercolor form, mix it with Ultramarine or Payne's Gray.
Permanence
Burnt Umber has good permanence.
Toxicity
Burnt Umber itself is considered non-toxic. If contaminated by manganese compounds, it may be highly toxic if inhaled and moderately toxic if ingested.
History
This pigment gets its name from the Latin word umbra, meaning shadow or shade. Its full name is listed as terra di ombra, meaning earth of shadow/shade, due to its original extraction from the area of Umbria, Italy. It has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times. Currently, the finest umber comes from Cyprus.
Alternate Names
Chestnut Brown, Euchrome, Jacaranda Brown, Mars Brown, Mineral Brown, Raw Brown, Spanish Brown, Van Dyke Umber. Cyprus Umber, Turkey Brown, and Turkey Umber are the best quality umbers.
