Common Pigment Names

We learn all about colors then head into the art supply store only to be met with a wall of paint. Not a tube is labeled, "blue," or "red." Instead they have these mystery names. What do you choose? How do you know? Choosing a palette of colors will be covered later in this course. Here we are going to start with clearing up the mystery of these names!

Commonly Used Paints - with a quick description of where they are on the color wheel.

Titanium White - a thick opaque white. Most commonly purchased "color" of paint.

Zinc White - very transparent. (In oils, can be prone to crack)

Ivory Black - semi-transparent. Good for mixing. Also called "Bone Black"

Payne's Gray - Nearly a perfect neutral. A bit to the green side.

Reds

Cadmium Red - a warm red (like a fire truck)

Vermillion - a warm red

Alizarin Crimson - a cool red

Yellows

Cadmium Lemon Yellow - a cool yellow (to the green side)

Cadmium Yellow - a warm yellow

Naples Yellow - a muted warm yellow

Hansa Yellow - a cool yellow (transparent)

Blues

(French) Ultramarine - Blue, to the violet side

Cerulean Blue - Blue, slightly to the green side

Cobalt - Blue, closer to a true blue than Ultramarine, still a bit violet

Greens

Viridian - Green. Very common on landscape palettes

Sap Green - yellow-green, not a pure chroma (a bit earthy)

Hookers Green - extremely variable between brands. Test your own. Earthy.

Earth Tones

Raw Umber - an warm yellow earth tone

Burnt Sienna - a reddish brown

Van Dyke Brown - Very dark brown, a bit to the red, but very neutral.

Purple/Violet

Dioxazine Purple - a wonderful purple for mixing. Very high chroma.

Magenta and Quinacridones - transparent. Great for reaching certain colors common to flowers. Magenta can be treated as a primary red, since you can't mix to it. However, it is a kind of a magical unicorn. More on that later.

There are many more colors, but as we progress through the color wheel lessons you will learn how to understand the color of any tube!