R&F Pigment Stick - Mars Red, 38 ml

It is intensely red, yet it appears almost brown in a high-key painting. Surrounded by low-key colours, it can be strikingly saturated but never electric. Makes salmon pink tints. Similar to the nature ochres: English Red or Light Red

R&F Mars colours are a group of synthetic iron oxides, including Mars Yellow Light, Mars Yellow Deep, Mars Orange, Mars Red, Mars Violet, and Mars Black.

The name 'Mars' is derived from the god of war, whose metal is iron. The name ‘Mars Yellow’ and the colours that stem from this name emerged in the eighteenth century as a literal translation of the Latin crocus Martis. Martis refers to Mars and the ancient alchemical name for iron. These"synthetic ochres" are cleaner, more powerful, and opaquer than many earth pigments, such as our Siennas and Umbers, which have a wider variation in their top tone and undertone.

• Pigment Composition: PR101-Red Iron Oxide
• Dimension: 38 ml. stick measuring 5" x 3/4"diameter.
• Paint Lines: Encaustic, Pigment Stick
• Opacity: Opaque
• Pigment Stick Drying Rate: Fast
• Classification: Synthetic inorganic
• Chemical Composition: Synthesized iron oxide, calcined
• Safety Information: Conforms to ASTM D-4236

Pigment Name: PR101-Red Iron Oxide

Classification: Earth, synthetic

Chemical Composition: iron oxides (synthetic), iron oxide, silica, alumina, lime, and magnesia or hydrated iron oxide

Properties

Red iron oxide 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 mixed with all other permanent pigments and yields good flesh tints mixed with Zinc White. It is the synthetic version of PR102, a pigment made from earth reds or natural red iron oxides, and the names applied to PR101 and PR102 often overlap. Synthetic red iron oxides have mostly replaced natural red iron oxides and are brighter, more robust, refined, 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.

Permanence

Red iron oxide is very lightfast and has excellent permanence.

Toxicity

Red iron oxide has no significant hazards.

History

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