PIGMENTS IN USE TODAY

Database Index

This database is a collection of all available information from paint suppliers and manufacturers. I have requested the cooperation of the paint manufacturers to give me permission to add their names to the colors they supply for the database. Those suppliers are:
  • Art Spectrum
  • Classic Artists Oils by Triangle Coatings
  • Daler-Rowney
  • DaVinci Paints
  • Gamblin
  • Guerra
  • Holbein
  • Liquitex
  • Lukas
  • Maimeri
  • Schminke
  • Savior Faire
  • Turner
  • Winsor and Newton
In the interim, I will give you all of the pigment information about the others without specifying the source. My goal is to dispel all of the confusion surrounding artists' colors. The naming of colors is generally not specific enough to inform the artist as to what exactly is in the tube. I hope to create a useful source list from this data. Updates will occur as more information becomes available.
COLUMN 1: Manufacterer Name
COLUMN 2: Code numbers are assigned so I know which manufacturer listed the color. 
COLUMN 3: Type of paint.
  Aa Artists' Grade acrylic Color   Gs Student Grade Gouache
  As Student Grade Acrylic Color   Oa Artists' Grade Oil
  AG Acrylic-based Gouache   Os Student Grade Oil
  ALK Alkyd   Owa Water Soluble Oil-Artists' Grade
  AW Acrylic-based Watercolor   Ows Water Soluble Oil-Student Grade
  C Casein   Wa Artists' Grade Watercolor
  D Dry Pigment   WS Student Grade Watercolor
  D* Pigment Dispersion   WO Opaque Watercolor
  E Egg Tempera   V Vinyl-based Color
  Ga Artists' Grade Gouache
COLUMN 4: Color name as given by the manufacturer 
COLUMN 5: Chemical Composition 
COLUMN 6: Color Index Name- The Society of Dyers and Colorists and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists have assigned universally identifiable index names and number in order to classify pigments.
COLUMN 7: Color Index Number-Additional information about the Color Index Name.
COLUMN 8: Permanence/ Lightfastness- This column refers to the color's permanence or fade resistance when exposed to light under. Different manufacturers use different symbols to denote permanence.
  *****       Best Light Resistance
AA **** I 1   Great Permanence
A *** II 2   Reliable Permanence
B ** III 3   Durable
      0   Poor
C * IV F o Fugitive
      NR NP Unpublished, Not Rated
COLUMN 9: Opacity-This column refers to the opacity of the color. Again, different manufacturers use different coding symbols.
OS Opaque, Strong
O,o Opaque
OG Opaque Granulating
SO Semi-Opaque
SC Semi-Covering
S/O, S Somewhat Opaque, Semi-Opaque
VT Very Transparent
T, t, TP, TR Transparent
TG Transparent Granulating
S/T, s, ST, S Somewhat Transparent, Semi-Transparent, Transparent/ Staining
TVS Transparent Very Strong
TL Translucent
STA Staining
SED Sedentary
NT Not Tested
1 to 8 Most Opaque to Most Transparent
COLUMN 10: Pigment Class

Database Index