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:
PR102—Natural Light Red Iron Oxide
Pigment Type
inorganic, natural
Chemical Name
iron oxide
Chemical Formula
Fe2O2
Properties
Natural Light Red Iron Oxide is a brick red pigment with a bright, scarlet top tone. Mineral sources vary considerably in both hue and transparency. It is generally opaque and has great tinting strength and hiding power, but more transparent versions are available. It creates salmon pinks when mixed with white. Natural Light Red Iron Oxide is often replaced by Mars colors or bright red oxides, which are cleaner and more powerful.
Permanence
Natural Light Red Iron Oxide has excellent permanence and lightfastness.
Toxicity
Natural Light Red Iron Oxide has no significant hazards.
History
Natural red iron oxide comes from the mineral ore hematite, called bloodstone by the ancient Greeks from the word hema, meaning blood. It is one of the oldest pigments, has been used by every major civilization, and was an important mineral for medieval alchemists. It was not widely used in artists' materials until the 17th century and was not produced in large quantities until the 18th century.
Alternate Names
Antwerp Red, Bole, Light Red, Colcothar, English Red, Morelle Salt, Persian Red, Persian Gulf Oxide, Poliment, Pompeian Red, Prussian Brown, Prussian Red, Red Iron Oxide, Sinopia, Spanish Red, Turkey Red.
PY43—Brown Ochre
Pigment Type
n/a
Chemical Name
iron(III)-oxide, partly hydrated
Chemical Formula
Fe2O3(• H2O)
Properties
Brown Ochre provides artists with earthtones from cream to brown and is a dull, dark variety of Yellow Ochre. Its transparency varies widely from opaque shades to more transparent ones, which are valued for their use as glazes. It has good hiding power, produces a quick drying paint, and can be safely mixed with other pigments. The highest quality Brown Ochre comes from Cyprus, where it is yellow in its raw form and is roasted to get the deeper brown-red varieties that result when water is removed. (See Yellow Ochre, PY42/43.)
Permanence
Brown Ochre has excellent permanence.
Toxicity
Brown Ochre is non-toxic.
History
Ochre comes from the Greek word ochros, meaning pale yellow. It has been used since prehistoric times, and evidence of its use has been found in some of the earliest known cave paintings in Lascaux, France. It has also been called Goethite, after the German philosopher and mineralogist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).
Alternate Names
Goethite, Yellow Ochre.
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.
