Great American Handmade Pastel - Chestnut 2, 135.2

Pigment Information

This color contains the following pigments:

PW18-Calcium Carbonate

PBr7-Burnt Sienna

PBr7-Burnt Umber

Pigment Name

PW18-Calcium Carbonate

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

calcium carbonate

Chemical Formula

CaCO3

Properties

Calcium carbonate, the mineral constituent of chalk, is a low tinting strength, inexpensive white pigment that is often used is a buffer and filler. Because of its low tinting strength, it is overwhelmed by other colors. It is used in gesso and other coatings to give the surface more tooth, a desirable characteristic for some painting techniques.

Permanence

Calcium carbonate is lightfast. Like all carbonates, it reacts with strong acids

Toxicity

Calcium carbonate is completely non-toxic, and is used in many food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products. However, excessive consumption is not recommended. 

History

Naturally occuring chalk deposits have been mined since prehistoric times. Rocks and minerals that contain calcium carbonate include aragonite, calcite, vaterite, chalk, limestone. marble, and travertine. Calcium carbonate is the principle component of lime, used in many agricultural and industrial applications.

Pigment Name

PBr7-Burnt Sienna

Pigment Type

earth

Chemical Name

iron oxides

Chemical Formula

Fe2O3

Properties

Burnt Sienna is a warm, mid-brown color formed by burning the yellow-brown limonite clay called Raw Sienna. It ranges from semi-opaque to semi-transparent due to the combination of its opaque, red-brown mass tone and its transparent, orangey undertone. It is an excellent mixing complement for blues and greens and creates salmon or peach colored tints when mixed with white. It can be useful for subduing bright colors and does not get chalky in dark mixtures.

Permanence

Burnt Sienna has good permanence and is considered one of the most versatile of the permanent pigments.

Toxicity

Burnt Sienna has no significant hazards.

History

Burnt Sienna has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times, but its current name came about during the Renaissance. It comes from the city of Siena, in Italy, and is short for terra di Siena, meaning earth of Siena. Sienna was famous for the mining and production of earth pigments from the Renaissance until World War II. Due to the depletion of clay deposits in Tuscany, Italian siennas now come from other areas, including Sicily and Sardinia.

Pigment Name

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.