Da Vinci Fluid Acrylics - Indigo, 16 oz bottle

Pigment Information

This color contains the following pigments:

PB15-Phthalo Blue

PR122-Quinacridone Magenta

PBk6-Lamp Black

Pigment Name

PB15-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.

Pigment Name

PR122-Quinacridone Magenta

Pigment Type

organic, quinacridone

Chemical Formula

C22H16N2O2

Properties

Quinacridone Magenta is a semi-transparent and powerful bluish red with an impressive mixing range. It makes an excellent glazing color and is one of the bluest of the Quinacridone colors. The pigment's properties vary considerably, depending on how it is ground. 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 Magenta offers very good lightfastness in most media, but some have argued that it is less lightfast in watercolor form. Although Quinacridone Magenta received only a passing grade of "fair" under ASTM test protocols, other test results have rated the pigment very good to excellent. Transparent reddish violet pigments in general have more problems with lightfastness than any other range of colors. PR122 is often used as the Magenta of CMYK (four color) process printing because it offers a better tradeoff between tinting strength and lightfastness than other pigments in its class.

Toxicity

Quinacridone Magenta has no 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

Quinacridone Magenta came from a red violet aniline dye that was first produced in 1858 by Natanson. It was called Magenta to commemorate a battle in Magenta, Italy. Over time, Magenta became the standard color name for a deep, violet red. 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. PR122 has become particularly popular in the formulation of Magenta for CMYK process printing.

Pigment Name

PBk6-Lamp Black

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

carbon

Chemical Formula

C

Properties

Lamp black is a very opaque, heavily staining black pigment that does not have much covering power. It is typically the most opaque black in watercolor form. Though a very pure black, it tends to muddy slightly in mixtures, is one of the slowest drying pigments in oils, and should not be used under other colors.

Permanence

Lamp Black is very lightfast and absolutely permanent. It is used in all techniques in permanent painting.

Toxicity

Lamp Black is slightly toxic by skin contact and inhalation. It is a possible human carcinogen.

History

Lamp Black is a carbon based black traditionally produced by collecting soot (known as lampblack) from oil lamps. It is the black found in Egyptian murals and tomb decorations and was the most popular black for frescoing until the development of Mars Black.