Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor Pan - Graphite Blue

Pigment Information

This color contains the following pigments:

PBk10-Blacklead

PV23-Dioxazine Violet

PB1-Victoria Blue

Pigment Name

PBk10-Blacklead

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

graphite

Chemical Formula

C

Properties

Grayish black with metallic luster.

Permanence

Graphite is lightfast.

Toxicity

Graphite is not toxic.

History

Graphite is a crystaline form of pure carbon that occurs naturally, and has been used to create pencils. It contains no lead. The most famous deposit is near Borrowdale, in England.

Pigment Name

PV23-Dioxazine Violet

Pigment Type

organic

Chemical Name

carbazole dioxazine

Chemical Formula

C34H22Cl2N4O2

Properties

Dioxazine Violet is transparent and has very high tinting strength. It is a staining pigment, very dark valued when it is used at full strength. Concentrated, it paints out nearly black, but it mixes with Titanium White to form bright, opaque tints of purple. PV23 produces slightly redder shades than PV37. Because the hue can vary with the conditions of preparation and grinding, it may be offered in red shade, blue shade, and so forth.

Permanence

Dioxazine Violet has good lightfastness. There may be some concern about it fading or shifting in color in tints and washes. Some artists have reported that PV37, a molecular variant, is more lightfast than PV23.

History

Two molecular variants of Dioxazine Violet, PV23 and PV37, are available. They have similar properties, but mix slightly differently.

Pigment Name

PB1-Victoria Blue

Pigment Type

organic

Properties

Victoria Blue is a brilliant, transparent reddish blue dye, which can be laked as a pigment. Because its tinting power is not so overwhelming as that of Phthalo Blue pigments, it still has a place on the designer's palette, even though Phthalo Blue (Red Shade) might be considered superior in many respects.

Permanence

Victoria Blue is considered fugitive. It should be used primarily in works that are prepared for reproduction, not for permanent display, when there is a need for a transparent blue pigment with less tinting power than Phthalo Blue.

Toxicity

Victoria Blue is not considered toxic.

History

Victoria Blue, one of the oldest synthetic blue dyes, is used in papers, inks, and textile dyes. Although much more reddish in tone, it was an early synthetic replacement for indigo dyes from natural sources at a time when blue was still in great demand in textiles.