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All About Pigments
- Basics 3 -

Content:

6. Listing of pigments and their origins.

Description:
In the alphabetical catalog on the following pages the pigments-listing is for reference purposes. Because many inquiries refer to obscure or little-used colours; you will find pigment names wether or not they are used in artist's colours. In the listing you will also find outdated colour names.

In the past centuries pigments are labeld from manufacturers or others with fancy colour names. This was a very confusing system. You could find a single colour known by a dozend different names - or two (or more) entirely different colours to be known by the same name.

Since the adoption of the colour index and standards created by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) the system is today a rational colour nomenclatur.

The colour index name abbreviations are:

Natural Red: NR
Pigment Blue: PB
Pigment Black: PBk
Pigment Brown: PBr
Pigment Green: PG
Pigment Orange: PO
Pigment Violet: PV
Pigment White: PW
Pigment Yellow: PY

Colour names.
In the listing you find 4 different ways of using colour names: e.g.

1. Where the name is purely a synonym and the colours are identical, they are named:
KERNEL BLACK. Vine black.

2. Where the colour is basically the same but is either made by a different method or possesses somewhat different properties, it is named:
DINGLER'S GREEN. A variety of chromium oxide green.

3. Where the variation is sufficiently important to receive specific mention, it is either described in its place or mentioned under the main heading and named as:
CELESTIAL BLUE. A variety of Prussian blue, similar to Brunswick blue.

4. A pigment that has been approved by ASTM for artist's use are followed by an abbreviation of the colour index name and is listed as:
GREEN EARTH. (PG 23)

Color dry characteristics:
Indicates the hue range and so forth: 'BG > G' means bluish green to green

Alphabetical listing:

A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N ·
 O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X  · Y · Z

most of the information for this 'pigment-section' was taken form the following sources:
- The Painter's Handbook, Mark David Gottsegen;
  Watson-Guptill Publications/New York  © 1993, ISBN 0-8230-3003-2.
- The Artist's Handbook of Materials & Techniques, Ralph Mayer, Fifth Edition;
  Faber & Faber, London; © 1940,1951,1957,1964,1970,1971,1972,1981,1991
  by Estate of Ralph Mayer, ISBN 0-571-15067-5.

© 2000 by 'wildbrush' dieter obrecht

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