Black and White Pigments

Got any Blacker?

It's not all black and white, there are shades of grey too. Grey areas can happen if you are not sure you have the right black or white when you are making art. St Luke is in Collingwood so we know how to dress in black and white and how to paint with these tricky pigments.

BONE BLACK Pigment Black 9

Ivory black has a cool bluish undertone and was utilised in painting by Rembrandt. Ivory black is traditionally made by the charring of animal bones, getting it's title "Ivory" form the burning of waste ivory bones. Also known as Bone Black this pigment

LAMP BLACK Pigment Black 6

Lamp Black is one of the oldest pigments and has been in use since pre-historic times. Light and fluffy it is also confusingly known as Carbon Black although it does not have the same production method or properties as Pigment Black 7. it is produced from the soot of burning oils.

CARBON BLACK Pigment Black 7

Intense and Velvety, t

his pigment makes beautiful pigmented ink and is recommended for use with water

based binders (i.e. watercolour and acrylic) as it is a thirsty pigment and slow drying. Made from the carbonising of oils, woods or vegetable matter. Pigment black 7 is a form of Carbon Black that was invented in America by burning natural gas and came into use around 1884, this pigment is one of the blackest blacks.

Also known as Furnace Black.

MARS BLACK

Pigment Black 11

A high

performance black that is creamy, dense and opaque. Mars is one of the fastest drying of all the blacks. It has a warm brown undertone and is recommended as a superior oil painting black as it is least likely to sink into the substrate once painted out. Also known as Iron Oxide Black

TITANIUM WHITE Pigment White 6

Trying to hide? Titanium White is very opaque and gutsy.

When painting pure white, this colour is the best option. Its tinting strength is high

when mixed with other colours and can tend to bleach out your palette, choose zinc as

your mixing white. The warmest of all the whites, Titanium White is a necessary staple

for all artists, ideal as a pure white highlight.

ZINC WHITE Pigment White 4

First manufactured in 1781 by Chemist Bernard Courtois as an alternative to the lead

based Flake White. Zinc is a semi transparent pigment with a slightly cold, bluish tinge.

Also known as permanent white or Chinese white, Use this pigment to create clean tints

when mixed with other colours.

FLAKE WHITE Pigment White 1

Made from lead, Flake White is one of the earliest manufactured pigments and its popularity only wained when other white pigments were introduced in the early 1900's. Flake white imparts a beautiful warm reddish yellow undertone and is popular for portrait painting because of its hiding power and delicate glow. The painter Lucian Freud is known for using this pigment. Also known as Lead White or Cremnitz White.

Bibliography

Ralph Mayer, The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques.