Aaron Holland Fine Art

Question- ?- I have been discussing with a colleague about the differences in
color and their properties. The question is: What is the difference, the
"practical" difference, between Alizarin Cimson and Alizarin Permanent? Do
you advocate on over the other? Any insight into this question?

Also, what is the difference in titanium white from manufacturer to manufacturer? Is there a guideline for a standard, if so, what is it based on?

Thank you,

Aaron Holland

Dear Aaron,

Thank you for your questions.

Rose Madder and Alizarin Crimson are two examples of "lake" pigments. These
were created from organic-based dyes from the madder root. The dye was then
attached to an inert, colorless pigment. These colors have all proven to be
fugitive colors, but Alizarin's strong color and usefulness to painters has
kept it in common use until today.

Alizarin Crimson is the only color on the contemporary palette that is not
lightfast enough for permanent painting. Alizarin has served artists well
but no longer meets our standards for lightfastness.

Alizarin Crimson fades. For an excellent example of this, look at the early
portraits of Joshua Reynolds. The beautiful women are now deathly green
since the rosy tints have all faded. Because they faded in his lifetime,
Reynolds altered his palette and discontinued using Alizarin so that the
later portraits have survived in true color.

Our solution to this problem is Alizarin Permanent. Made from a mixture of
three lightfast colors: Quinacridone Red, Perylene Red, and Ultramarine
Blue. Alizarin Permanent has the same color properties of Alizarin, but will
not fade. In both mass tone and mixtures, you will find our Permanent
version nearly identical. The transparency, or glaze, is not as intense as
Alizarin. But in 25 to 100 years, depending upon the quantity of light that
falls on the painting, the transparency of Alizarin will fade dramatically,
and the Permanent will be unchanged.

In the two years since we first formulated Alizarin Permanent, our sales of
Alizarin Crimson are down 40%. We hope this shift continues to help painters
create more permanent art.

Perylene Red in its full transparency,that means, extended to a thin veil
with painting medium is a beautiful, lightfast replacement for Rose Madder.

As for the differences in Titanium White, or any color for that matter,
between manufactures, look for the following on every tube of oil color you
buy: "conforms to ASTM D4302." This is a standard for oil and alkyd colors
by the American Society for Testing and Materials. For oil colors, the
standard states that each tube of color must be labeled with the following
information, including: identification of pigment(s), identification of
vehicle (binder), and lightfastness rating (for which there is a separate
ASTM standard). Also keep in mind that different manufactures have
different ideas of how a certain color should looks and feel. For example,
different Titanium Whites between manufactures may be stiffer or softer than
others.


Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Thank you for choosing our materials.

Sincerely,

Scott Gellatly
Technical Support Representative
Gamblin Artists Colors Co