Sennelier Artists' Oil Stick - Vine Black

Pigment Information

This color contains the following pigments:

PBk8-Vine Black

Pigment Name

PBk8-Vine Black

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

carbon

Chemical Formula

C

Properties

Black is a semi-transparent, slightly textured blue-black pigment with excellent hiding power. It has a finer grain than other black pigments, so it spreads better in watercolor. However, it is inferior in intensity, tinting strength, and chemical purity to the major black pigments.

Permanence

Vine Black has superior permanence and lightfastness because carbon absorbs light well.

Toxicity

Vine Black has no significant hazards.

History

Vine Black is a carbon based black traditionally produced by charring desiccated grape vines, stems, and wood from willow trees. These processes have been used since antiquity, though a superior artificial variety was developed in the United States in 1864 to make a black appropriate for watercolors.