which by their use was bright and sparkling, will, in a few months, lose its freshness -
this cadmium will not do. Cadmium is also to be preferred to chrome, because it is of a
much finer tonality.
Greens and yellows made by the admixture of chrome are apt to be crude as compared
with those in which cadmium was used.
Strontian Yellow is a permanent and most useful light yellow, much to be preferred to
all other citron except the pale cadmium, and can be used in place of that if necessary.
They are both expensive colors of about the same cost.
Naples Yellow was a very prominent pigment with the older painters. It is still very
much used, but in the simplification of your palette you may as well leave it out, as you
can get the same qualities with cadmium and white. It is durable and safe, but adds
another tube to your palette which you can well dispense with.
The ochres are among the oldest and safest of pigments. You can use them with any
colors which are themselves permanent. There are several of them, a yellow ochre,
Roman ochre, transparent gold ochre, and others. They are all native earths, and
though they contain iron, they are sufficiently inert to be thoroughly sound colors.
The siennas, burnt and raw, are like the ochres, native earths, very old and permanent
colors, and may be used anywhere.
The umbers are in the same class with the siennas and ochres. They should all rank
among the yellows. The browns of umber and sienna will make greens with blues.
Indian yellow and yellow lake should both be avoided as fugitive.
Aureolin is a rich, warm golden yellow of the greatest permanence, and should be used
when Indian Yellow and yellow lake would be used if they were permanent.
Reds. - The vermilions are permanent when well made. They are of great body and
power, as well as delicacy. They are of two kinds, - Chinese, which is bluish in tone, and
scarlet and orange vermilion, which have the yellow quality. Both kinds are useful to the
palette because of the practical necessities of mixing.
Light red is a deep, warm red earth, made by calcining ochre, and has the same
permanence as the other ochres. It is a fine color, of especial value in painting flesh, and
mixes with everything safely.
The madders-rose, pink, purple, and madder carmine - are the only transparent reds
which are permanent. Whatever the name given them, they should not be confounded
with the lakes, which are absolutely untrustworthy. By reference to the plates you will
see that the madders are practically the same as the lakes in color when first used. But
the lake fade and the madders do not. The madders cost about twice as much as the
lakes; but you must pay the difference, for the lakes cannot be made to stand, and you
must have the color.
There is nothing for it but to pay twice as much and buy the madders.
The lakes - scarlet, geranium, crimson, and purple - are all bad. The madders and
lakes are all slow dryers; but unless carelessly used with other colors which are not yet
dry they need not have a bad effect on the picture from cracking.
Distinguish the so-called madder lakes and the lakes; and between carmine, which is
a lake, and madder carmine, which is a madder.