My favourite colours on a palet

Cadmium Red:

One of the earliest red pigments was Cinnabar, produced from a hard red rock, varying from a liver colour to a scarlet, it was the only bright red of the ancient world

Alizarin Crimson:

Once extracted from the root of the Madder plant, Alizarin, now produced synthetically, has become one of the major reds, despite its very poor fastness to light.

Cadmium Yellow:

In ancient times a yellow pigment was produced from concentrated cows urine which was mixed with mud and sent to London for refining, the resulting pigment was valued for its hue and transparency.

Lemon Yellow:

A general term in use for a pale green yellow, rather than the name for a particular ingredient.

Ultramarine Blue:

Originally used and produced by the Egyptians from the semi-precious stone Lapis Lazuli, it was extremely expensive. Synthetically manufactured from 1830.

Cerulean Blue:

Covers well, low tinting strength. In use since the 1800's the name comes from the latin Cerulean meaning sky blue pigment.

Raw Sienna:

Several of the brown earth pigments in use today are little different from the colours used by the cave painter. Raw sienna and Raw Umber are essentially the same coloured earths that were once smeared onto cave walls.

Dioxine Violet:

The first unmixed violet was Tyrian purple, a clear reddish violet in use until the 10th century and produced from a certain species of whelk, it has probably been the most exclusive and expensive colouring matter in history. It took over 12,000 whelks to produce under 1 1/2 grams of dye.

Viridian:

The earliest bright green available was probably the mineral, Malachite, used by the early Egyptians, Chinese and Japanese it remained in use until the end of the 1700's.

Ivory Black:

The first paint ever used was almost certainly soot, wither rubbed directly onto a surface or mixed with a binder such as animal fat or blood. This basic material is still with us today. Most of the black pigments available today are still produced from carbon obtained by burning various materials.

 

Titanium White:

Oyster shells burnt and powdered, provided a white which was widely used throughout Japan and China. Chalk has been used since the cave painter, either in lump form or ground for use as a coarse paint.