Paint Pigment
Formulas For Painters
by Robert Massey
Ratios of dry pigment to oil
The table below specifies the amount of dry pigment you need for each unit of oil. The left- hand column names the pigment. The middle column lists in volume measurements the ratio of pigment to oil: for one volume of oil, use the following volume of pigment. The right- hand column lists in weight measurements the ratio of pigment to oil: for one weight of oil, use the following weight unit of pigment.
| Dry Pigment | Pigment Volume | Pigment Weight |
| Alizarin Crimson | 2.3 | 0.66 |
| Burnt Sienna | 2.2 | 1.66 |
| Burnt Umber | 1.9 | 1.33 |
| Cadmium orange | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Cadmium red | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Cadmium yellow | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Cerulean blue | 2.0 | 2.5 |
| Chromium oxide green | 2.0 | 3.4 |
| Cobalt blue | 1.0 | 1.66 |
| Green earth | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| Indian red | 4.0 | 3.66 |
| Ivory black | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Mars yellow | 3.4 | 1.6 |
| Naples yellow | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| Phthalocyanine blue | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Phthalocyanine green | 0.9 | 0.64 |
| Prussian blue | 2.8 | 1.14 |
| Raw sienna | 2.0 | 1.77 |
| Raw umber | 1.8 | 1.28 |
| Titanium dioxide | 1.8 | 1.28 |
| Ultramarine blue | 3.5 | 2.3 |
| Venetian red | 2.2 | 1.78 |
| Viridian | 1.8 | 1.11 |
| White lead( flake white) | 5.0 | 7.5 |
| Yellow ochre | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Zinc oxide | 5.4 | 5.0 |
Lime- Proof Pigments
| White | Lime putty Barium sulphate | Blue | Cerulean Cobalt Ultramarine |
| Black | Ivory black Vine black Charcoal black | Violet | Mars violet Ultramarine red |
| Yellow | Cadmiums Ochres Mars colors Naples | Red | Cadmiums Earth or Oxide(Venetian, Indian, English,etc.) |
| Brown | Umbers Siennas | Green | Viridian Chromium oxide Green earth Cobalt |
Drying Characteristics of Pigments
To achieve rapid drying glaze layers, choose pigments rated below as fast, as well as rapid drying oils and resins. By carefully matching pigments and resins one can control to a large degree the drying rates of mediums, glazes, and paints.
| Fast | Medium | Slow | Very slow |
| Umbers Burnt sienna Flake white Aureolin Prussian blue | Cobalts Oxides Raw sienna Leads Zincs Viridian | Green earth Alizarin Ultramarine blue Cerulean Yellow ochre | Ivory black Cadmiums Vermilion. |
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