Michael Harding Artists Watercolor - Italian Green Umber, 15 ml

Pigment Information

This color contains the following pigments:

PBr7-Raw Umber

PG23-Green Earth

Pigment Name

PBr7-Raw Umber

Pigment Type

earth

Chemical Name

hydrated iron oxide

Chemical Formula

α-FeO3+(OH) or Fe2O3 × MnO2

Properties

Raw Umber is a cool, transparent brown ranging from yellowish brown to greenish brown. It has surprisingly good tinting strength, a high level of opacity, mixes well with greens, and is quick drying in oil form. It has excellent color properties and can create a variety of subtle, clear tints when mixed with white. It grays when mixed with blue and white. Raw Umber can tend towards chalkiness in dark mixes in oil form.

Permanence

Raw Umber has excellent permanence.

History

This pigment gets its name from the Latin word umbra, meaning shadow or shade. Its full name is listed as terra di ombra, meaning earth of shadow/shade, due to its original extraction from the area of Umbria, Italy. It has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times. Currently, the finest umber comes from Cyprus.

Pigment Name

PG23-Green Earth

Pigment Type

earth

Chemical Name

hydrated iron, magnesium, aluminum and potassium silicates

Chemical Formula

K[(Al,FeIII),(FeII,Mg)](AlSi3,Si4)O10(OH)2

Properties

Green earth is a natural pigment that varies from yellow and olive to blue-green in its composition and hues. It is semi-transparent, has low hiding power and tinting strength, muddies and darkens in oil, and is particularly good for tempera and fresco painting.

Permanence

Green Earth has excellent permanence and lightfastness, although some varieties can be developed by light calcining. It is one of the most permanent pigments because Earths are not affected by sunlight or atmospheric conditions.

History

Terre verte is French for green earth. It was discovered in antiquity, and its use has been traced to the Ajanta caves in India and a variety of Roman sites, including Pompeii. Green Earth was very popular for underpainting flesh tones in medieval paintings because this green was the compliment to pink on the medieval color wheel. Its use declined after the Renaissance. The natural supplies of the pigment are mostly depleted, and manufacturers currently duplicate the hue using mineral bases like Viridian, iron oxide, or chromium oxide, or artificial ceramic colorants. Pigments sold under this name can also be the result of mixing Sienna and Phthalo Green.