Color Swatch created using heavy to light application and was applied on 100 lb (163 gsm) drawing paper material.
This color contains the following pigments:
PV15—Ultramarine Violet
Pigment Type
inorganic
Chemical Name
complex silicate of sodium and aluminum with sulfur
Chemical Formula
H2Na(4-6)Al6Si6O24S2
Properties
Ultramarine Violet is a semi-transparent, dull purple to pale violet with low tinting strength. As a pigment, it is weak in most oil applications, but it performs better in water-based mediums, pastels, and chalks. It is generally the bluest of the violet pigments, although there can be significant differences in color across brands. It is not suitable for fresco work and does not mix well with yellows. Ultramarine Violet is a variant of Ultramarine Blue, and their pigment properties are identical.
Permanence
Ultramarine Violet has excellent permanence and lightfastness.
Toxicity
Ultramarine Violet has no significant hazards.
History
Unknown.
Alternate Names
Mineral Violet, Violet Ultramarine, Ultramarine Red.
PB29—Ultramarine [Blue]
Pigment Type
inorganic
Chemical Name
complex silicate of sodium and aluminum with sulfur
Chemical Formula
Na8-10Al6Si6O24S2-4 or Na6-8Al6Si6O24S2-4
Properties
Ultramarine is the standard warm blue, a brilliant blue pigment that has the most purple and least green in its undertone. It has a moderate to high tinting strength and a beautiful transparency. Synthetic Ultramarine is not as vivid a blue as natural Ultramarine. Ultramarine dries slowly in oil and tends to produce clean, though granular, washes in watercolor. French Ultramarine mixes well with Alizarin colors in oil and watercolor form to create a range of purples and violets. It can dull when mixed with white in acrylic form, but mixes well with other colors. The shade varies based on manufacturer. Considered a great color for glazes, it is not suitable for frescoing.
Permanence
Ultramarine has excellent permanence, although synthetic Ultramarine is not as permanent as natural Ultramarine. It may discolor if exposed to acid because of its sulfuric content.
Toxicity
Ultramarine has no significant hazards.
History
The name for this pigment comes from the Middle Latin ultra, meaning beyond, and mare, meaning sea, because it was imported from Asia to Europe by sea. It is a prominent component of lapis lazuli and was used on Asian temples starting in the 6th century. It was one of the most expensive pigments in 16th century Europe, worth twice its weight in gold, and so was used sparingly and when commissions were larger. Ultramarine is currently imitated by a process invented in France in 1826 by Jean Baptiste Guimet, making blue affordable to artists and extending the range of colors on their palettes.
Alternate Names
Artificial Ultramarine, French Blue, French Ultramarine, Gmelin's Blue, Guimet’s Blue, Permanent Blue, Royal Blue, Synthetic Ultramarine. New Blue describes particular shades of Ultramarine. Armenian Blue and Lazuline Blue are names for genuine Lapiz Ultramarine. Sky Blue is a pale tone of Ultramarine.
PV19—Quinacridone Violet
Pigment Type
organic synthetic, quinacridone
Chemical Name
n/a
Chemical Formula
C20H12N2O2
Properties
Quinacridone Red is a high performance, transparent pigment with an average drying time and uneven dispersal. It is another name for Quinacridone Violet (PV19) and Quinacridone Red (PR192). Quinacridone pigments have relatively low tinting strength in general. For this reason, quinacridone colors are often expensive, because more pigment is required in the formulation.
Permanence
Quinacridone Violet has excellent lightfastness and is considered the most lightfast organic pigment in this shade range.
Toxicity
Quinacridone Violet has no known acute hazards. Overexposure to quinacridone pigments may cause skin irritation. Quinicridone pigments contain a compound found to be a skin, eye, and respiratory irritant.
History
Although quinacridone compounds became known in the late 19th century, methods of manufacturing so as to make them practical for use as commercial pigments did not begin until the 1950s. Quinacridone pigments were first developed as coatings for the automotive industry, but were quickly adopted by artists.
Alternate Names
Quinacridone Red (PR192), Quinacridone Red (PR19).
PBk11—Mars Black
Pigment Type
earth
Chemical Name
iron oxides
Chemical Formula
FeO or Fe2O3
Properties
Mars Black is an opaque black with a strong and cool masstone, a slightly warm tint, and a warm brown undertone. It is not as black as Ivory Black, but it dries more quickly and has three times the tinting strength. Mars Black is normally the only black available in acrylic form and that is safe to over paint. It can be used in all media without reservation and is widely used as an alternative to Lamp Black and Ivory Black.
Permanence
Mars Black is very lightfast with excellent permanence.
Toxicity
Mars Black has no significant hazards and is the only major black pigment considered non-toxic.
History
The word Mars refers to the Roman god of iron and war. Mars Black was developed in the early 20th century from inorganic, synthetic iron oxide.
Alternate Names
Black Iron Oxide, Iron Black, Magnetic Oxide, Mapico Black, Mineral Black. Sometimes labeled as Vine Black.
PW6—Titanium White
Pigment Type
inorganic
Chemical Name
titanium dioxide
Chemical Formula
TiO2
Properties
Titanium White is the most brilliant of the white pigments. It is considered an all purpose oil color useful in all techniques and the best all around white. Its masstone is neither warm nor cool, placing it somewhere between Lead White and Zinc White. It is less prone to cracking and yellowing than Lead White, but it still yellows easily. Titanium White dries slowly in oil form, more slowly than Lead White but more quickly than Zinc White. It is opaque in oil and acrylic forms and semi-opaque in watercolor form. This pigment has good chemical stability, and its tinting strength is superior to both Lead White and Zinc White.
Permanence
Titanium White has excellent permanence and lightfastness.
Toxicity
Titanium dioxide is highly stable and is regarded as completely non-toxic. Animal studies give no indiciation that it is absorbed biologically, even after long periods of exposure. The primary safety concern is with inhalation of fine pigment dust particles. Titanium White, if inhaled in large amounts over the course of several years, may cause a benign pneumoconiosis that is visible on x-rays. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) considers fine titanium dioxide particles, if inhaled, to be a human carcinogen. The primary concern for artists is to avoid exposure to fine particulate dust from raw pigments.
History
Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the Earth's crust, however mineral deposits that are economical to mine are less common. Titanium dioxide was first discovered in 1821, although it could not be mass produced until 1919. Widespread use of the pigment began in the 1940s. Since that time, it has become the most commonly used white pigment. The name comes from the Latin word Titan, the name for the elder brother of Kronos and ancestor of the Titans, and from the Greek word tito, meaning day or sun.
Alternate Names
None.
