Rembrandt Artists' Oil Color - Silver, 40 ml tube

Pigment Information

This color contains the following pigments:

PBk11-Mars Black

PW15-Tin Oxide

PW20-Mica

PW6-Titanium White

Pigment Name

PBk11-Mars Black

Pigment Type

earth

Chemical Name

iron oxides

Chemical Formula

FeO or Fe2O3

Properties

Mars Black is an opaque black with a strong and cool masstone, a slightly warm tint, and a warm brown undertone. It is not as black as Ivory Black, but it dries more quickly and has three times the tinting strength. Mars Black is normally the only black available in acrylic form and that is safe to over paint. It can be used in all media without reservation and is widely used as an alternative to Lamp Black and Ivory Black.

Permanence

Mars Black is very lightfast with excellent permanence.

Toxicity

Mars Black has no significant hazards and is the only major black pigment considered non-toxic.

History

The word Mars refers to the Roman god of iron and war. Mars Black was developed in the early 20th century from inorganic, synthetic iron oxide.

Pigment Name

PW15-Tin Oxide

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

tin(IV) oxide

Chemical Formula

SnO2

Properties

Tin Oxide is a very opaque white pigment with a subtle luster that makes it useful for creating or enhancing pearlescent effects in paints and glazes.

Permanence

Tin Oxide is lightfast and permanent.

Toxicity

Tin Oxide is not toxic, but it is a respiratory irritant. Avoid dust.

History

Tin Oxide is the source of luster in marble and granite. In this natural form, it has been used since ancient times. Today it is used as a pearlescent white pigment in some paints and ceramic glazes.

Pigment Name

PW20-Mica

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

aluminum silicate

Chemical Formula

H2KAl3(SiO4)3

Properties

An off-white pigment with complex reflective effects, mica is often used with transparent pigments to create mixed pigments with interference and pearlescent effects.

Permanence

Mica is permanent and lightfast.

Toxicity

Although it is completely non-toxic and not bioreactive, fine particles may be irritating. This is of concern primarily for those exposed occupationally to dry mica powder. Breathing mica particles may cause lung fibrosis and pneumoconiosis.

History

Mica has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times.

Pigment Name

PW6-Titanium White

Pigment Type

inorganic

Chemical Name

titanium dioxide

Chemical Formula

TiO2

Properties

Titanium White is the most brilliant of the white pigments. It is considered an all purpose oil color useful in all techniques and the best all around white. Its masstone is neither warm nor cool, placing it somewhere between Lead White and Zinc White. It is less prone to cracking and yellowing than Lead White, but it still yellows easily. Titanium White dries slowly in oil form, more slowly than Lead White but more quickly than Zinc White. It is opaque in oil and acrylic forms and semi-opaque in watercolor form. This pigment has good chemical stability, and its tinting strength is superior to both Lead White and Zinc White.

Permanence

Titanium White has excellent permanence and lightfastness.

Toxicity

Titanium dioxide is highly stable and is regarded as non-toxic.

History

Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the Earth's crust, however mineral deposits that are economical to mine are less common. Titanium dioxide was first discovered in 1821, although it could not be mass produced until 1919. Widespread use of the pigment began in the 1940s. Since that time, it has become the most commonly used white pigment. The name comes from the Latin word Titan, the name for the elder brother of Kronos and ancestor of the Titans, and from the Greek word tito, meaning day or sun.