Home › Forums › The Learning Center › Color Theory and Mixing › R&F Pigment Sticks: Indigo or Prussian Blue?
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October 30, 2014 at 9:01 am #992369
Hello,
I started to «play» with R&F Pigment Sticks not long ago. They are much like oil paint which, indeed, I use along with them as accents.
I have a hard choice to make between Indigo and Prussian Blue primarily to darken my Cobalt Blue and use to make shadows.
Would you please tell me which one would be more appropriate given that I cannot afford buying both? Below is the link to the color chart:
http://www.rfpaints.com/ourcolors
Looking forward to hear from you!
October 30, 2014 at 9:09 am #1213368I will repeat my oil paint forum post here:
This is an easy decision. R&F Prussian Blue is a single pigment color.
R&F Indigo is composed of Prussian Blue, a dark earth, and Ultramarine.
If you already have ultramarine and a dark earth, buy the Prussian Blue and you will be able to mix your own Indigo.October 30, 2014 at 10:09 am #1213371Good day Karen,
I don’t have ultramarine. In fact, I HATE R&F ultramarine. I looked at the color chart again this morning and still can’t make a decision! If only I could get both…
My other colors are mostly earthy: Mars Red, Mars Yellow Deep… and I have some darks like Mars Violet and Manganese Violet, Mars Black..for example. My only green is Chromium Oxide Green.
I am just not sure I could use Prussian Blue to make shadows and I have a tiny doubt about the compatibility of Indigo with the Cobalt Blue for mixing.October 30, 2014 at 10:26 am #1213369Ah, I see! Do you do landscapes? Prussian blue is good for mixing greens.
There should be no problem mixing Indigo with Cobalt, although it would adulterate a beautiful, expensive color (cobalt). Mixing shadows is tricky business, as shadows vary in color and intensity all over the place.October 30, 2014 at 10:40 am #1213370Hello,
I started to «play» with R&F Pigment Sticks not long ago. They are much like oil paint which, indeed, I use along with them as accents.
I have a hard choice to make between Indigo and Prussian Blue primarily to darken my Cobalt Blue and use to make shadows.
Would you please tell me which one would be more appropriate given that I cannot afford buying both? Below is the link to the color chart:
[URL]http://www.rfpaints.com/ourcolors[/URL]
Looking forward to hear from you!
These sticks can’t be mixed easily like oils can, so I agree with Karen when she says you should go for Prussian Blue.
However, if you use these colors just as accents, and you want to use an indigo shade more extensively phthalo blue (either PB 15:3 or PB 15:1) with a little bit Ultramarine Blue (PB 29) and Ivory/Bone Black (PBk 9) or Bone Black (PBk 7). Single pigment indigo (either natural or synthetic) is notably fugitive, so that’s a nice tradeoff.
Just for comparison, here’s Winsor & Newton’s Indigo hue (PB 15 + PB 29 + PBk 7):
And here is Shmicke’s synthetic Indigo (PB 66):
Considering that synthetic Indigo is only slightly more chromatic and redder and that natural indigo is bluer anyway, I would consider the hue completely worth it.
October 30, 2014 at 5:36 pm #1213365Prussian Blue could be a general-purpose, main blue…it is beautiful and versatile…it mixes nice greens and wonderful darks. In masstone it is one of the darkest pigments there is. Prussian Blue could be a basis for shadow colors, but it might not be easy to use like that – it’ll often need a lot of dulling down and killing its slight green-ness first…mixing in a middle red would do the trick.
I’ve never used Indigo or Indigo hue…but I imagine it being a great low-chroma blue, but for most people, not chromatic enough as a main blue. Yes…it seems it would be a useful color for darkening blues, greens, purples in shadow…and even darkening browns.
Although how colors ‘should’ be darkened in shadow is contentious and depends on the particular situation, and on personal preference.
October 30, 2014 at 6:15 pm #1213366I have a hard choice to make between Indigo and Prussian Blue primarily to darken my Cobalt Blue and use to make shadows
To answer your question more directly: I think either could…depending on the shadow color you want, but I would imagine the Indigo (hue) would be able to do this more easily and directly.
October 31, 2014 at 8:59 am #1213372Thank you all for your sound advices!
Karen Yes, I do landscapes…mostly tonalist. You are right, Prussian Blue would mix nice greens but my primarily needs are to darken my Cobalt Blue (which was a gift) and make shadows.
Mythrill Thanks for having taken the time to find the swatches and for reminding me that the Pigment sticks do not mix as easily like oils. Therefore:
Patrick You nailed it! The easiest way to get what I need is to go with Indigo which will become my 2nd black.
Now time to put my order together! Thanks again!
October 31, 2014 at 11:28 am #1213367[B]Patrick [/B]You nailed it! The easiest way to get what I need is to go with Indigo which will become my 2nd black.
That’s how I would use it – as a blue-black. Would be a great blue to use with your earth colors. But…Prussian Blue (the real thing PB27) is a beautiful, deep & ‘rich’ color…quite different from Indigo. I hope you can try it out some time too.
edit: for the purpose of darkening blues, Indanthrone/Anthraquinone Blue PB60 might be the best of all. It’s like a ‘red shade’ Prussian Blue. But I don’t see it in the R&F chart.
October 31, 2014 at 12:51 pm #1213373Oh Well, Patrick…I am just in love with PB60! I have it in oil from Rembrandt.
You are right, R&F do not make it. I guess they rely on their Indigo\Prussian Blue since they are still quite small.
As per Prussian Blue, it is beautiful! Christmas is not that far…
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