Red Ochre is one of the oldest pigments used by man. Originally made from natural iron oxides found in the earth, it is an opaque brownish red pigment. It was often used in Michelangelo's drawings.
Venetian Red is an opaque deep red colour. An earth pigment, it was called Venetian Red after the quarry near Venice where the painter Titian sourced his earth reds.
Indigo is a deep blue pigment that can range from dark black to pale blue. Originally extracted from plants similar to blue woad used by the ancient Britons, it was synthesised in 1878 in Germany. It...
Ultramarine is a rich deep transparent blue. It was created by French chemist Guimet in 1828 as a synthetic but chemically identical alternative to the expensive pigment derived from Lapis Lazuli.
Sepia is a black brown colour. Originally made in the 18th from the ink sacks of cuttlefish, it is now made from a mixture of carbon and umber. It is a highly permanent colour.
