The bulk of the basic figures were painted into the walls with yellow, red, and black paints derived from a wide range of natural hues, including iron compounds such as iron ochre, goethite, and hematite, as well as manganese pigments. Charcoal may have been used as well, but only sparingly. The color on the cave walls may have been applied as a pigment solution in either animal fat, cave groundwater, or clay, resulting in pigment that was slapped down or wiped on rather than brushed with a tool. The color was added in certain areas by blasting the colors via a pipe after blowing the solution through it.