Ultramarine Pink Professional Watercolour – 15ml Glass Jar

Description

Ultramarine Pink Professional Watercolour is prepared using the synthetic mineral pigment based on the three-dimensional aluminosilicate lattice with a sodalite structure containing entrapped sodium ions and ionic sulphur groups (from “Pigment Compendium”, page 381). The pigment has been selected for its purity, light fastness and intense pale reddish violet hue, making it ideal for use in A J Ludlow’s Professional watercolour range.

Chemically similar to the blue pigment (C.I. PB29), the colour of the red aluminosilicate-sodalite pigment (C.I. PR259), is due to the elemental constituents being in different ratios and hence their effect on the crystal lattice shape; for example, compositional analysis by Reckitt (Colours) Ltd gave the compositions (from “Artists’ Pigments”, page 57) as:

Blue Na_6.88Al_5.63Si_6.35O₂₄S_2.4
Red Na_5.88Al_5.76Si_6.21O₂₄S_2.52

The red pigment can be made from the blue, by treating with hydrogen chloride (dry hydrochloric acid gas) at high temperatures; sodium is stripped from the lattice as sodium chloride. Unlike the blue pigment, the C.I. pigment red 259 has poor tinting strength and so its colour is less intense. The pigment’s hue is quite unique and because of its relatively low colour strength offers the Artist a bright rosy pink, which can never be to dark. It can also be used in colour mixing, although it’s hue can easily be overpowered and so more subtle and delicate colour changes are available. Similar to Ultramarine Blue, Ultramarine Pink naturally granulates, creating interesting texture in the painting.

Eastaugh N, Chaplin T, Siddall R, Walsh V, “Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary and Optical Microscopy of Historic Pigments”, Routledge, Abingdon 2013

Plesters J in “Artists’ Pigments, A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics”, Volume 2, Ashok R (Ed), Archetype Publications, London 1993

Pigment Details: Sulphur containing Sodium Aluminosilicate / Colour Index Pigment Red 259 (C.I. PR259)