Deep brown, light brown, black brown, chocolate brown, red brown, chestnut, sable, and near black--which one would you like? PBr7 covers a wide range of brownish colors and is one of the largest single-pigment paint categories in artists' oils. Brown Earth or more technically Brown Iron Oxide is available in many different color variants.

Classic names such as Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Burnt Umber, and Raw Umber are at home under this pigment code. Certain countries and locations became famous for their natural brown earth colors and place names such as Sienna and Umber became associated with the colors they produced locally. Over time these names took on a life of their own and the place names no longer dictate the origin of the pigment. However there are certain expectations for the general color associated with them.

In addition to the most famous names for PBr7 (Umbers and Siennas) there are a handful of other PBr7 names which have become part of the unofficial cannon. Expect to find Violet Hematites, Burnt Yellow Ochres (which turn reddish), Cassel Earths, Van Dyke Browns, Turkey Umbers, and more.

We must briefly caution that burnt umber as well as other umbers may cause problems in oil painting. That goes beyond the scope of this entry so consult conservation experts for more.

Finally, there is a disturbing trend wherein paint companies are making convenience blends of multiple colors to emulate earth tones instead of using earth tones. Bear in mind that depending on the pigments used, the blends used to emulate the earths will often not have the same stability.