Sennelier Watercolour S1 Burnt Umber (202)

Burnt Umber is a more intense reddish brown pigment that results from heating the clay pigment Raw Umber. It has medium to excellent tinting strength and high opacity, and it is quick-drying in oil form. Burnt Umber is somewhat more transparent than Raw Umber. It has excellent colour properties and can create a variety of subtle, clear tints when mixed with white. It can tend towards chalkiness in dark mixes in oil form, but overall, it mixes well with other colours.

To create a black colour in oil, mix Burnt Umber with Phthalo Blue or Ultramarine. To achieve a similar colour in watercolour, mix it with Ultramarine or Payne's Gray.

Chemical Name: iron oxides with manganese silicates or dioxide

Permanence: Burnt Umber has good permanence.

Toxicity: Burnt Umber itself is considered non-toxic. If contaminated by manganese compounds, it may be highly toxic if inhaled and moderately toxic if ingested.

History: This pigment comes from the Latin word umbra, meaning shadow or shade. Its full name is terra di ombra, meaning earth of shadow/shade, due to its original extraction from Umbria, Italy. It has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times. Currently, the finest umber comes from Cyprus.

Alternate Names: Chestnut Brown, Euchrome, Jacaranda Brown, Mars Brown, Mineral Brown, Raw Brown, Spanish Brown, Van Dyke Umber. Cyprus Umber, Turkey Brown, and Turkey Umber are the best quality umbers.