Artists Pigments - an Index of Resources: Thank you for visiting

Minium

Minium Pigment	Close-up View

Also known as...: Red Lead

Noteworthy characteristics: Toxic, very bright orange/red pigment made by heating lead.

Personal Notes: This is a heavy jar of pigment with an extremely zingy, bright orange hue. The only other pigment in my collection that comes close in terms of brightness is cadmium orange.

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Alizarin Crimson

Alizarin Crimson Pigment	Close-up View

Also known as...: Madder Lake

Noteworthy characteristics: transparent blue-ish red, traditionally made from madder root, but largely superseded by a synthetic version since the 19th century. There seems to be a lot of debate relating to the lightfastness of alizarin crimson.

Personal Notes: I am somewhat concerned about the reputed reaction that this pigment has to light, however I have found it to be a useful colour, being a beautiful deep red and transparent in nature. I have used tiny amounts of Alizarin in flesh tone mixes, in the darker areas of my lobster painting and as a glaze over an umber underpainting in the tablecloth of my 'still life with books' (see below).

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Vermillion

Vermillion Pigment	Close-up View

Also known as...: cinnabar; mercuric sulphide

Noteworthy characteristics: Toxic, vivid red pigment derived from mercury, commonly used in flesh tones

Personal Notes: I find Vermillion to be a useful colour, though many people these days prefer cadmium red. Nothing else in my collection occupies quite the same middle ground between bright orange and pink. I have used Vermillion in flesh mixes and also quite prominently in the lighter areas of my lobster painting (see below).

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Genuine Rose Madder

Genuine Rose Madder Pigment	Close-up View

Also known as...: (n/a)

Noteworthy characteristics: Fugitive, transparent deep rose pigment, largely replaced by alizarin crimson

Personal Notes: When ground in oil or water, this pale pink powder becomes a deep red. I first used rose madder with egg tempera to add the red details to my detail study of a Verocchio painting (see below)

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Wikipedia

Genuine Naples Yellow

Genuine Naples Yellow Pigment	Close-up View

Also known as...: Lead antimonate

Noteworthy characteristics: Highly toxic, opaque sunny yellow pigment manufactured from lead

Personal Notes: I use this vibrant, opaque pigment in a variety of places. As well as mixing fresh greens for fruit and foliage, I've used it on the lemon peel of a still life and in the sky of landscapes (see examples below)

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Lead Tin Yellow

Lead Tin Yellow Pigment	Close-up View

Also known as...: Lead-tin oxide

Noteworthy characteristics: Highly toxic, light opaque yellow manufactured from lead-tin oxide

Personal Notes: This opaque pigment has an unusually pale, bright yellow quality with strong coverage. I have used it in the light areas of flesh tones and also alongside naples yellow in the peel of a lemon in a still life (see below)

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