PBr7 Pigment Spotlight - Making Your Own Paint

The Largest Single-Pigment Category in Oil Paints

Here's an ode to the simultaneously most accessible and hardest to navigate pigment code. PBr7, the topic of our recent pigment spotlight, encompasses colors from Raw Sienna-- a light peanut butter color, to Raw Umber, which is a brown so deep it may almost look black.

As far as pigments go, it tends to be one of the less toxic ones, but always wear a particle mask and gloves when working with dry pigments. We're not experts in safety so be sure to consult the proper authorities when developing your studio practice. One thing we've heard to watch out for is that some versions of PBr7 may also contain undisclosed manganese, so take great care never to breath the dust as manganese is toxic.

However, the pigment is one of the easiest to turn into paint. Along with the other oxides such as Yellow Oxides, PY43 and PY42, and the Red Oxides, PR101 and PR102, many representatives of the PBr7 group are a joy to mull by hand.

Learn more about the fascinating variety of PBr7 pigments out there in our latest article.

Happy Painting!