Holbein Watercolour Mars Violet 15ml Tube

Mars Violet (W313) Violet de Mars

Red iron oxide (earth, synthetic) varies in hue and transparency, depending on hydration and slight impurities. Indian Red is a slightly duller, deep brick hue with a bluish undertone. It is very dense and opaque, with excellent tinting strength and covering power. It is dependable when mixing with all other permanent pigments and yields good flesh tints when mixed with Zinc White. It is the synthetic version of PR102, which is a pigment made from earth reds, or natural red iron oxides, and the names applied to PR101 and PR102 often overlap. The synthetic red iron oxides have mostly replaced natural red iron oxides and are brighter, stronger, finer, and more permanent. Indian Red is the highest grade bluish shade. Light Red, English Red, and Venetian Red are yellowish shades. Mars Violet is a dull and subdued bluish or purplish oxide.

Historically, Natural red iron oxide comes from the mineral ore hematite, called bloodstone by the ancient Greeks from the word hema, meaning blood. It is one of the oldest pigments, has been used by every major civilization, and was an important mineral for medieval alchemists. It was not widely used in artists' materials until the 17^th century and was not produced in large quantities until the 18^th century.

Dioxazine Violet (organic) is transparent and has very high tinting strength. It is a staining pigment, very dark valued when it is used at full strength. Concentrated, it paints out nearly black, but it mixes with Titanium White to form bright, opaque tints of purple. PV23 produces slightly redder shades than PV37. Because the hue can vary with the conditions of preparation and grinding, it may be offered in red shade, blue shade, and so forth.

Historically, two molecular variants of Dioxazine Violet, PV23 and PV37, are available. They have similar properties, but mix slightly differently.

Burnt Sienna (earth) is a warm, mid-brown colour formed by burning the yellow-brown limonite clay called Raw Sienna. It ranges from semi-opaque to semi-transparent due to the combination of its opaque, red-brown mass tone and its transparent, orangey undertone. It is an excellent mixing complement for blues and greens and creates salmon or peach colored tints when mixed with white. It can be useful for subduing bright colours and does not get chalky in dark mixtures.

Historically, Burnt Sienna has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times, but its current name came about during the Renaissance. It comes from the city of Siena, in Italy, and is short for terra di Siena, meaning earth of Siena. Sienna was famous for the mining and production of earth pigments from the Renaissance until World War II. Due to the depletion of clay deposits in Tuscany, Italian siennas now come from other areas, including Sicily and Sardinia.

• Pigments: Red Iron Oxide (iron oxides (synthetic), iron oxide, silica, alumina, lime, and magnesia or hydrated iron oxide) PR101, Dioxazine Violet (carbazole dioxazine) PV23, Burnt Sienna (iron oxides) PBr7
• Code BNX
• Permanence: ** Moderately Durable Colour. Red iron oxide is very lightfast with excellent permanence.
• Dioxazine Violet has good lightfastness. There may be some concern about it fading or shifting in color in tints and washes. Some artists have reported that PV37, a molecular variant, is more lightfast than PV23.
• Burnt Sienna has good permanence and is considered one of the most versatile of the permanent pigments.
• Quality: Exceptional
• Price Series: B
• Toxicity: Red iron oxide has no significant hazards. Dioxazine Violet (carbazole dioxazine) n/a. Burnt Sienna has no significant hazards.