M. Graham Artists' Oil Color - Warm White (Unbleached Titanium), 37 ml tube

Pigment Information

This color contains the following pigments:

PW6:1-Buff Titanium

PW4-Zinc White

Pigment Name

PW6:1-Buff Titanium

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

titanium dioxide

Chemical Formula

TiO2

Properties

Buff Titanium is an warm, reddish, off-white pigment that shares the properties of Titanium White, including opacity and slow drying time.

Permanence

Buff Titanium is lightfast and permanant.

Toxicity

Titanium dioxide and iron oxide are naturally occuring and are abundant in the Earth's crust. Both are considered non-toxic. Particle sizes tend to be larger in Unbleached Titanium than for titanium dioxide pigments used in white paints.

History

Titanium dioxide often occurs in nature with iron oxide. Buff or unbleached titanium is a natural mineral form of titanium dioxide. A variety of processes are used to produce buff or unbleached titanium. Some manufacturers may add synthetic iron oxides to a titanium base, while others use naturally occuring titanium ores that contain impurities. In this respect, Buff Titanium or Unbleached Titanium is a color that that may vary from one manufacturer to another.

Pigment Name

PW4-Zinc White

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

zinc(II)-oxide

Chemical Formula

ZnO

Properties

Zinc White is the coolest white, and it has a cold, clean masstone and a slightly bluish tint. It has less hiding power and is more transparent than other whites. It dries slowly and is good for painting wet into wet and for glazing and scumbling. Zinc White is neither as opaque nor as heavy as Lead White, its covering power is not as good, and it takes much longer to dry. However, it does not blacken when exposed to sulfur in the air as Lead White does. It is very valuable for making tints with other colors. Unmixed Zinc White dries to a brittle and dry paint film that may crack over the years, so it is not good for frescoing. It is more transparent in acrylic form than Titanium White and is the most commonly used white with gouache. Chinese White is a version of Zinc White appropriate for opaque watercolor techniques.

Permanence

Zinc White has great permanence and lightfastness.

Toxicity

Zinc White is moderately toxic if ingested and slightly toxic if inhaled.

History

Though historians are divided on who first isolated the element zinc, they agree that it was first suggested as a white pigment in 1782. Zinc White was accepted as a watercolor in 1834 and was called Chinese White due to the popularity of oriental porcelain in Europe at the time. Ten years later, a suitable oil form was produced. By the early 20th century, it had improved to the point where it was an acceptable alternative to Flake White.