Rublev Colours Pigment Madder Root Powder - 4 oz

Pigments and dyes are not identical, although there are cases in which the same colouring matter that yields a dye or stain may give rise to a pigment. A pigment is, in fact, a substance that is insoluble in the vehicle with which it is mixed to make a paint, while a dye is soluble.

A lake pigment is a natural organic pigment prepared when a dye has been precipitated on a powdered, colourless, inorganic substrate. The term derives from the Latin word lacca, used in the Middle Ages to denote both lake pigments and the Lac dye. Because of its transparency, aluminum hydroxide is the most commonly used substrate or carrier. Barites, such as barium sulfate, provide an opaque lake pigment.

Often, a mordant, such as tannic acid, lactic acid, or sodium phosphate, is used to fix the dye to the substrate. Madder lake and rose madder, used as artists’ pigments, are prepared from madder extract by adding alum and precipitating with an alkali.

WARNING: this pigment is not considered toxic, but care should be used in handling the dry powder pigment to avoid inhaling the dust.