Color Swatch created using heavy application/diluted application and was applied on cold press watercolor paper (150 lb) material.
This color contains the following pigments:
PR108—Cadmium Red
Pigment Type
inorganic, cadmium
Chemical Name
cadmium sulfide and cadmium selenide
Chemical Formula
CdS × CdSe
Properties
Cadmium Red is a bright, warm red that ranges in shade from orange-red to maroon and is available in light, medium, and dark versions. It is strong and opaque, with good tinting strength. Cadmium Red dries slowly. It grays down when mixed with white, mixes well with blues to create a range of browns, and mixes well with Cadmium Yellow to create a strong orange. It also works well in neutral mixes. Cadmium pigments have been partially replaced by azo pigments, which are similar in lightfastness to the cadmium colors, cheaper, and non-toxic. Hues vary by brand.
Cadmium Red is usually available in either a pure grade or a cadmium-barium mix. The cadmium-barium mix has the same permanence as pure Cadmium Red, but it has a lower tinting strength.
Permanence
Cadmium Red is lightfast and permanent in most forms, but like many cadmium pigments, it will fade in fresco or mural painting. Its improved lightfastness has helped it to replace Vermilion on the artist’s palette.
Toxicity
Cadmium Red is a known human carcinogen. It is extremely toxic if inhaled and slightly toxic if ingested.
History
Cadmiums get their names from the Latin word cadmia meaning zinc ore calamine, and the Greek word kadmeia, meaning Cadmean earth, first found near Thebes, the city founded by the Phoenician prince Cadmus. Metallic cadmium was discovered in 1817 by Friedrich Strohmeyer, but Cadmium Red was not introduced until 1907 in Germany.
Alternate Names
Cadmium Scarlet, Selenium Red.
PY35—Cadmium Yellow
Pigment Type
inorganic, cadmium
Chemical Name
cadmium zinc sulfide
Chemical Formula
CdZnS
Properties
Cadmium Yellow is brilliant, dense, and opaque, with good tinting strength and very high hiding power. It is the artist’s principal bright yellow and is available in light, medium, and dark shades. The deeper shades appear deep orange and have the greatest tinting strength. It is slow-drying in oil form and is used in both oil and watercolor form. It cannot be mixed with copper-based pigments. A clean Cadmium Orange is created when Cadmium Yellow is mixed with Cadmium Red. Hues vary by brand. Cadmium pigments have been partially replaced by azo pigments, which are similar in lightfastness to the cadmium colors, cheaper, and non-toxic.
Cadmium Yellow is usually available in a pure grade, or in a cadmium-barium mix. This mix has the same permanence with a lower tinting strength.
Permanence
Cadmium Yellow is lightfast and permanent in most forms, but like most cadmium colors, it will fade in fresco or mural painting. The deeper shades are the most permanent. The pale varieties have been known to fade with exposure to sunlight in conditions where moisture is able to penetrate the binder.
Toxicity
Cadmium Yellow is a known human carcinogen. It can be hazardous if chronically inhaled or ingested.
History
Cadmiums get their names from the Latin word cadmia meaning zinc ore calamine, and the Greek word kadmeia, meaning Cadmean earth, first found near Thebes, the city founded by the Phoenician prince Cadmus. Metallic cadmium was discovered in 1817 by Friedrich Strohmeyer. Oil colors were first made from Cadmium Yellow pigments in 1819, replacing toxic Chrome (lead) Yellows. However, their production was delayed until 1840 due to the scarcity of cadmium metals. Landscape painters, such as Claude Monet, preferred Cadmium Yellow to the less expensive Chrome Yellow because of its higher chroma and greater purity of color.
Alternate Names
Aurora Yellow, Cadmium Primrose Yellow, Cadmium Zinc Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Primrose Yellow. Deep Cadmium Yellow is sometimes called Orient Yellow.
