Gamblin 1980 Oils - Cadmium
Red Light PR108-Cadmium Red; PR188-Naphthol Red
Gamblin’s approach is different. 1980 colours contain pure
pigments, the finest refined linseed oil, and marble dust (calcium carbonate).
Since oil painting began, these three ingredients have made more affordable colours.
Painters experience true colours without homogenized texture
or muddy colour mixtures. Gamblin's approach of using both traditional raw
materials and processes ensures that artists experience the luscious working
properties that they expect from their oil colours.
Cadmium Red Light:
Orange/red was first synthesized in 1910. Because of its muted tints, it is an excellent
colour for natural light painting. It is strong and opaque, with good tinting
strength. Cadmium Red dries slowly. It grays down when mixed with white, mixes
well with blues to create a range of browns, and mixes well with Cadmium Yellow
to create an intense orange. It also works well in neutral mixes.
PIGMENT COMPOSITION AND
PERMANENCE
- Pigment Name: PR108-Cadmium
Red
- Pigment Type: inorganic,
cadmium
PROPERTIES
Cadmium Red is a bright,
warm red that ranges in the shade from orange-red to maroon and is available in
light, medium, and dark versions. It is strong and opaque, with good tinting
strength. Cadmium Red dries slowly.
It grays down when mixed
with white, mixes well with blues to create a range of browns, and mixes well
with Cadmium Yellow to create an intense orange. It also works well in neutral
mixes.
Cadmium pigments have been
partially replaced by azo pigments, which are similar in lightfastness to the
cadmium colours, cheaper, and non-toxic. Hues vary by brand. Cadmium Red is
usually available in either a pure grade or a cadmium-barium mix. The cadmium-barium
mix has the same permanence as pure Cadmium Red but has a lower tinting
strength.
PERMANENCE
Cadmium Red is lightfast and
permanent in most forms, but like many cadmium pigments, it will fade in fresco
or mural painting. Its improved lightfastness has helped it to replace
Vermilion on the artist’s palette.
TOXICITY
Cadmium Red is a known human
carcinogen. It is highly toxic if inhaled and slightly toxic if ingested.
HISTORY
Cadmiums get their names
from the Latin word cadmia, meaning zinc ore calamine, and the Greek word
kadmeia, meaning Cadmean earth, first found near Thebes, the city founded by
the Phoenician prince Cadmus. Metallic cadmium was discovered in 1817 by Friedrich
Strohmeyer, but Cadmium Red was not introduced until 1907 in Germany.
PIGMENT COMPOSITION AND
PERMANENCE
- Pigment Name: PR188-Naphthol
Red
- Pigment Type: monoazo
PROPERTIES
Naphthol PR188 is a
lightfast, semitransparent, moderately staining, moderately dark valued, and
intense orange-red pigment available worldwide from five pigment manufacturers.
The ASTM (1999) rates its lightfastness in watercolours as "very
good" (II), although my 2004 tests place it somewhat higher. (In
particular, its lightfastness is undoubtedly higher and more consistent than
the brands of PR170 I have tested.)
Like other naphthol
pigments, PR188 undergoes a slight drying shift, holding lightness and losing
about 15% saturation. It's a beautiful, deep scarlet verging on a light red,
the same hue as most cadmium scarlet watercolours (PR188 is an excellent cadmium
alternative if price or toxicity is a concern).
The average CIECAM J,a,b
values for naphthol scarlet (PR188) are 48, 81, and 45, with chroma of 92
(estimated hue purity of 77) and a hue angle of 29.
Naphthol This Red is a
bright, deep red with bluish undertones. It has an average drying time.
PERMANENCE
This Naphthol Red has fair
to good lightfastness, not because of its masstone, but because it fades in
tints. Not suitable for exterior use.
TOXICITY
Naphthol Reds are not
considered toxic but may cause eye, skin, or respiratory irritation.
Contact with dry pigment should be avoided.
HISTORY
Unknown.
