Gamblin 1980 Oils - PB36-Cerulean Blue; PB15:2-Phthalo Blue

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 to using traditional raw materials and processes ensures that artists experience the luscious working properties they expect from their oil colours.

Cerulean Blue: Mixed metal oxide from the early 19th century is vital in the mineral palette because blues rarely shift to the cool, green side, like this one. It is muted in its tint, so it is most valuable as a pure hue.

It quickly dries and retains its colour in oil paint better than any other blue. It has limited hiding power, is semi-opaque, and is easy to control. However, its tinting capacity could be higher, so it can become lost when mixing.

PIGMENT COMPOSITION AND PERMANENCE

• Pigment Name: PB35-Cerulean Blue (Oxide of cobalt (II) stannate, chromium and aluminum)
• Pigment Type: inorganic

PROPERTIES

Cerulean Blue is the standard cool blue, considered the traditional counterpart to Ultramarine, and is often used for painting atmospheric shades. In oil paint, it quickly dries and retains its colour well, better than any other blue. However, it tends to granulate or become chalky in watercolours. It has limited hiding power, is semi-opaque, and is easy to control. However, its low tinting capacity can prevent it from becoming lost when mixing.

PERMANENCE

Cerulean Blue has excellent permanence. It is very stable and lightfast.

TOXICITY

Cerulean Blue is moderately toxic if inhaled or ingested and slightly toxic if it comes into contact with skin.

HISTORY

The name Cerulean Blue comes from the Latin word caelum, meaning sky. Andreas Hopfner discovered this pigment in 1805. Still, it was widely available in Messrs. G. Rowney Co. in England, introduced in 1860 under the name coeruleum for use in aquarelle and oil painting. It was produced by heat on cobalt oxide and other metallic bases.

PIGMENT COMPOSITION AND PERMANENCE

• Pigment Name: PB15:2-Phthalo Blue (Copper phthalocyanine)
• Pigment Type: Organic

PROPERTIES

Phthalo Blue PB15:2 is a structural variant of Phthalo Blue PB15 that produces more greenish tones.

PERMANENCE

Phthalo Blues are lightfast, stable, and permanent for all paint uses. Due to their stability, they are currently used in inks, coatings, and many plastics and are considered a standard pigment in printing ink and the packaging industry.

TOXICITY

Phthalo Blues have no significant hazards, although those made before 1982 contained some PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).

HISTORY

Developed by chemists using the trade name Monastral Blue, the organic blue dyestuff, now known as Phthalo Blue, was presented as a pigment in November 1935 in London. Its discovery was accidental.

The dark colour was observed in a kettle containing dye made from a British dyestuff plant. Commercial printers wanted a cyan to replace Prussian blue, so they demanded such a pigment.