Preamble
This is the twenty-fifth post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.
To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.
If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.
The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!
Classification of Pigments - Part I [1]
Pigments may be classified according to color, use, permanence, etc. It is customary, however to classify them according to origin as follows:
A. Inorganic (Mineral).
1. Native earths: ochre, raw umber etc.
Australian Ochre.
2. Calcined native earths: burnt umber, burnt sienna, etc.
Burnt Umber.
3. Synthetic organic pigments.
Blue Ochre Vivianite Pigment Australia Premium.
B. Organic
1. Vegetable: gamboge, indigo, madder etc.
Indigofera australis – Australian Indigo.
Photo courtesy: Australian Plant Society.
2. Animal: cochineal, Indian yellow, etc.
Cochineal Bugs - Ground - Natural.
3. Synthetic organic pigments.
An array of synthetic pigments.
General Characteristics of these Groups
Artificial mineral colors made with the aid of strong heat generally have the greatest permanence for all applications, while those requiring delicate or vey accurately balanced processing are less so. The artificial counterparts of the red and yellow earths are more brilliant, and if well prepared, superior in all other respects to the native product.
A synthetic gem material (see above) is one that is made in a laboratory, but which shares virtually all chemical, optical, and physical characteristics of its natural mineral counterpart, though in some cases, namely synthetic turquoise and synthetic opal, additional compounds can be present.
In general, pigments derived from natural sources are less permanent than the average synthetic color. The synthetic organic pigments are characterized by a great brilliance and intensity. Some of them are remarkably permanent, but many others, particular the older ones, are fugitive and have the defect of bleeding in oils. Many require the addition of inert bases during manufacture.
Natural ultramarine pigment.
Synthetic ultramarine pigment.
The native earths used as pigments occur all over the world, but there is always some special locality where each is found in superlative form or where conditions have been established, which permit it being purified to a greater or more uniform extent than is economically possible elsewhere. Substitutes for French ocre, Italian sienna, etc., are offered for reasons other than the purpose of supplying the best available product.
Variation in color between substitutes and natural pigments.
The natural impurities in some red earths are of such a character as to be harmful; therefore the artificial red oxides are preferred to them. The impurities or non-coloring constituents of the highest grades of ochre and the other permanent earth colors seldom present the same disadvantage.
There is some doubt as to the antiquity of the practice of refining, calcining, or otherwise treating native earth pigments under the name of artificial or manufactured cinnabar. Theophraste has described the purification and improvements of a fine variety of native red iron oxide and noted that it was a recent innovation in his era, namely being only 90 years old (i.e., fourth century BC.)
All the more complete records of the Roman times show that the procedures of calcination and levigation of the native earths was a common practice. The identification of pigments found in ancient relics is not particularly difficult for the experienced technician and many studies have been made of them.
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
This is the twenty-fifth post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.
To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.
If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.
The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!
Classification of Pigments - Part I [1]
Pigments may be classified according to color, use, permanence, etc. It is customary, however to classify them according to origin as follows:
A. Inorganic (Mineral).
1. Native earths: ochre, raw umber etc.
2. Calcined native earths: burnt umber, burnt sienna, etc.
3. Synthetic organic pigments.
B. Organic
1. Vegetable: gamboge, indigo, madder etc.
Photo courtesy: Australian Plant Society.
2. Animal: cochineal, Indian yellow, etc.
3. Synthetic organic pigments.
General Characteristics of these Groups
Artificial mineral colors made with the aid of strong heat generally have the greatest permanence for all applications, while those requiring delicate or vey accurately balanced processing are less so. The artificial counterparts of the red and yellow earths are more brilliant, and if well prepared, superior in all other respects to the native product.
In general, pigments derived from natural sources are less permanent than the average synthetic color. The synthetic organic pigments are characterized by a great brilliance and intensity. Some of them are remarkably permanent, but many others, particular the older ones, are fugitive and have the defect of bleeding in oils. Many require the addition of inert bases during manufacture.
The native earths used as pigments occur all over the world, but there is always some special locality where each is found in superlative form or where conditions have been established, which permit it being purified to a greater or more uniform extent than is economically possible elsewhere. Substitutes for French ocre, Italian sienna, etc., are offered for reasons other than the purpose of supplying the best available product.
The natural impurities in some red earths are of such a character as to be harmful; therefore the artificial red oxides are preferred to them. The impurities or non-coloring constituents of the highest grades of ochre and the other permanent earth colors seldom present the same disadvantage.
There is some doubt as to the antiquity of the practice of refining, calcining, or otherwise treating native earth pigments under the name of artificial or manufactured cinnabar. Theophraste has described the purification and improvements of a fine variety of native red iron oxide and noted that it was a recent innovation in his era, namely being only 90 years old (i.e., fourth century BC.)
All the more complete records of the Roman times show that the procedures of calcination and levigation of the native earths was a common practice. The identification of pigments found in ancient relics is not particularly difficult for the experienced technician and many studies have been made of them.
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
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