Page 9 - Artist Materials Advisor

Natural iron oxide pigments, or iron oxide earth pigments collectively referred to as iron oxides, comprise both oxides and oxide hydroxides of iron. Hematite (α-Fe2O₃) is the most common iron oxide in red earth pigments, and the iron oxide hydroxide goethite (α-FeOOH) is the most frequently found iron compound in yellow earth pigments. Umbers are brown earth pigments containing both oxides of iron and manganese...

Oil paint is a slow-drying paint consisting of pigment particles suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by adding a solvent, such as turpentine or mineral spirits (white spirits), and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the dried film. In this article, you will find complete descriptions of oil painting mediums or additives (or, as we prefer to call them, "amendments") made by Natural Pigments. These amendments are designed to alter the consistency of oil paint in novel ways, different from the varnishes introduced into everyday use during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries...

Studies of the reaction of painting supports, oils, and pigments to changes in the environment during the past hundred years make it possible to understand the behavior of paintings. Modern commercial oil paints present new issues to conservators as they observe defects in paint films caused by new pigments and additives used in their formulations...

Fluorescence is a phenomenon where a substance absorbs light at a specific wavelength and then re-emits the light at a longer wavelength. This re-emitted light is known as fluorescence. Fluorescent pigments are substances that can fluoresce and are widely used in various applications, such as in art, science, and industry.

Fluorescence occurs when a molecule, called a fluorophore, absorbs a photon of light at a specific wavelength and then re-emits the light at a longer wavelength. This process is known as fluorescence and is caused by the movement of electrons within the fluorophore.

Fluorescent pigments are made up of a variety of different compounds, such as fluorescent dyes, fluorescent inks, and fluorescent plastics. These pigments are used in many applications, including art, science, and industry.

There are several types of fluorescent pigments, each with its unique properties. One type of fluorescent pigment is called a “dayglow” pigment, which...

Lead sulfate (British spelling, sulphate) formed the basis of several white pigments that were made on a large scale in the 19th and 20th centuries and sold under a variety of names, such as "Patent White Lead," "Non-poisonous White Lead," "Sublimed White Lead," etc. Some of these pigments did not consist entirely of lead sulfate but contained other minerals, such as zinc oxide, barite (barium sulfate), magnesia (magnesium carbonate), etc., in varying quantities...

A comparison of grounds for egg tempera by artist, Koo Schadler. She compares seven different grounds based on six criteria she developed for egg tempera painting. Read this article to see how they measure up...

Support Induced Discoloration (SID) occurs when paint changes color due to pulling up water-soluble substances from the substrate. As the paint dries, these particles remain in the paint, discoloring it. Read how to avoid the discoloration of paint on wood supports...

It’s not possible to physically blend egg tempera paint once it’s been applied because reworking fresh paint dissolves and lifts underlying layers. Thus whatever tool is used to apply egg tempera leaves behind its mark: A brushstroke stays visibly a brushstroke, sponged on paint, and carries the imprint of the sponge. This “mark making” tendency means egg tempera is ideal for rendering fine details, crisp textural effects, and other linear elements. The challenge in tempera is to create smooth, mark-free transitions...

Tempera is a method of painting with pigments dispersed in a binder that is miscible with water such as egg yolk, casein, gum, or hide glue. This article examines the type of supports used today for tempera and the best practice of preparing them for tempera paint using a new ground, Tempera Ground, made by Natural Pigments...

Teresa Oaxaca has been using transparent pigments for about a year and a half now, and a blog post of this nature has been on her to-do list ever since. Seldom very popular (unless the paint tube is labeled the ever famous "transparent oxide yellow"), little known and less understood, most people question why someone would want to go to the trouble of producing, let alone painting with a weak pigment. In the age of cadmium and other bright hi-keyed pigments, earth colors have come into question. Why not mix it down? Why settle for a lower chroma...