Reviving the Past: How a Vintage Yellow Ochre Pigment Became a Stunning Watercolor Paint
Channel: Dirty Blue Tube
Date: 2023-07-23

This beautiful earth yellow is an essential for most artists. 

Ochre, coming from the Greek. Ôkhros, meaning (light) yellow. Which is confusing since this earth pigment can come in many hues. From yellow to reds and browns to blue-ish greys. 

Ochres are earth pigments, mostly iron oxide and sometimes named after their place of origin (for example Siennas and Umbers). The composition of the earth as well as the way it's treated, decides its color. Where an impure form of iron oxide, limonite, makes a yellow ochre, a red ochre is mostly hematite, a anhydrous iron oxide. Add manganese to it and, like an umber, you'll get something more greenish. But any form of ochre can be changed in colors by heating them. Know as burnt versions of these pigments. Making them orange to red and even brown hues, with the same pigment as it's base.

Ochre pigments are known to have been used as far as 250.000 years ago in cave paintings all around the globe. 

As one of the most stable pigments, yellow ochre can still be found everywhere if you look closely. This is why the artist Ingres called it; "a gift from the heavens".

This video shows Yellow Ochre JTCLES, PY43. The letters stand for, the quality, the processing of the earth and the kind of ochre;

J= yellow
C= lemon undertone
F= dark
R= red
ES= Top quality
L= sedimented
T= extra sedimented

This natural French yellow ochre can be found in my mixing palette and my Egyptian palette. After testing a lot of yellow ochres, I find this one to be the kind that gives me everything I'm looking for in a yellow ochre. It's earthy, still enough red bright yellow shines through, it's slightly granulating l, lifting and can be used quite transparent. 


If you want to make paint, check out these affiliate links where you'll help my channel with an tiny percentage of your purchase: 

Empty pans:
https://www.jacksonsart.com/en-us/studio/palettes/watercolor-boxes?___store=jacksonsart_us&acc=dd055f53a45702fe05e449c30ac80df9

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Pigment:
https://www.jacksonsart.com/en-us/jackson-s-artist-pigment?___store=jacksonsart_us&acc=dd055f53a45702fe05e449c30ac80df9

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Gum Arabic:
https://www.jacksonsart.com/en-us/sennelier-gum-arabic-100g-us?___store=jacksonsart_us&acc=dd055f53a45702fe05e449c30ac80df9

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Silicon carbide:
https://www.jacksonsart.com/en-us/jackson-s-carborundum-powder?___store=jacksonsart_us&acc=dd055f53a45702fe05e449c30ac80df9
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Mullers:
https://www.jacksonsart.com/studio/painting-tools/paint-making-tools?___store=jacksonsart_us&acc=dd055f53a45702fe05e449c30ac80df9

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Palette knifes: 
https://www.jacksonsart.com/en-us/studio/painting-tools/palette-knives?___store=jacksonsart_us&acc=dd055f53a45702fe05e449c30ac80df9

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