D037 D737 Cream Yellow/Jaune Créme - PY1 Hansa yellow G (organic, monoazo), PW6 Titanium White (inorganic, titanium dioxide)

Series: A

Lightfast: **

Pigment 1: PY1 Hansa Yellow G

Hansa Yellows were first made in Germany just before World War I from a series of synthetic dyestuffs called Pigment Yellow. Hansa Yellow G, introduced in 1910, was the first of these products to be commercialized. Hansa Yellow G was the standard yellow for printing inks until late in the 20th century, when stronger diarylide yellows began to replace it. It is still used a great deal in packaging and for air-drying paints.

Pigment name: PY1 Hansa Yellow G

Pigment Type: organic, monoazo

Chemical Name: n/a

Properties: This Hansa yellow is transparent. It has excellent brightness and tinting strength, and its drying time ranges from average to slow. Hansa Yellow makes more intense tints and cleaner secondaries than Cadmium Yellows, especially when mixed with other organic or modern colours like Phthalo Blue and Green. Because they are more transparent, they have great value as glazing colours.

Permanence: Hansa Yellow G has good permanence and lightfastness, particularly in the lighter shades.

Toxicity: Hansa Yellow pigments have no significant acute hazards, though chronic risks have not been well studied.

Alternate Names: Light Fast Yellow G, Pigment Yellow G, Arylide, Arylide Yellow, Azo Yellow, Brilliant Yellow, Monoazo Yellow, Monolite Yellow, Permanent Yellow.

Pigment 2: Titanium White PW6

Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the Earth's crust; however, mineral deposits that are economical to mine are less common. Titanium dioxide was first discovered in 1821, although it could not be mass-produced until 1919. Widespread use of the pigment began in the 1940s. Since that time, it has become the most commonly used white pigment. The name comes from the Latin word Titan, the name for the elder brother of Kronos and ancestor of the Titans, and the Greek word tito, meaning day or sun.

Pigment Name: Titanium White PW6

Pigment Type: Inorganic

Chemical Name: Titanium dioxide

Properties: Titanium White is the most brilliant of the white pigments. It is considered an all-purpose oil colour useful in all techniques and the best all-around white. Its masstone is neither warm nor cool, placing it somewhere between Lead White and Zinc White. It is less prone to cracking and yellowing than Lead White, but it still yellows easily. Titanium White dries slowly in oil form, more slowly than Lead White but more quickly than Zinc White. It is opaque in oil and acrylic forms and semi-opaque in watercolour. This pigment has good chemical stability, and its tinting strength is superior to both Lead White and Zinc White.

Permanence: Titanium White has excellent permanence and lightfastness.

Toxicity: Titanium dioxide is highly stable and is regarded as completely non-toxic. Animal studies do not indicate that it is absorbed biologically, even after long periods of exposure. The primary safety concern is with inhalation of fine pigment dust particles. If inhaled in large amounts over the course of several years, Titanium White may cause a benign pneumoconiosis that is visible on x-rays. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) considers fine titanium dioxide particles, if inhaled, to be a human carcinogen. The primary concern for artists is to avoid exposure to fine particulate dust from raw pigments.

Alternate Names: None.