Have you ever looked at a tube of artist’s paint and wondered what that jargon means? Or maybe you have never noticed the wealth of information written on the tubes.
There is more to painting than brand, colour, and price. Most artist-grade paint tubes provide all the information you need to choose the right paint for your work.
Here are some tips for reading the label on a tube of artist paint to help you decide what to buy.
My post on choosing the right paint will also give you more information.
I have also included a printable cheat sheet at the end of this post. You can print it off and keep it for reference the next time you buy paint.
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Paint Name
This is the common name of the paint colour, for example, “Ultramarine Blue.”
Different brands may use the same marking name but different pigments, giving you a slightly different shade or tone of colour. As explained below, the different pigments are usually listed on the tube.
Sometimes, the paint name contains the word “Hue.” This means the manufacturer has mixed several different pigments to match a single colour.
Mixing different pigments is done for various reasons. It may be because the original pigment contains something now considered toxic, or to make the colour more lightfast, or to offer a cheaper version of the original pigment.
One example is cadmium paints (Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, etc.). Since cadmium is slightly toxic, manufacturers are moving away from pure cadmium and instead are making cadmium hues that contain no actual cadmium.
Lightfastness
Lightfastness tells you how resistant a colour is to fading when exposed to light over time. This is especially important if you want your artwork to last for years.
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is the main standard for indicating lightfastness or permanence used by most major manufacturers.
The ASTM assigns ratings from I to V, with I being excellent, II very good, III fair, IV poor, and V very poor.
IV and V are not used in artist-quality paints, and III may not be permanent. Most artist-grade paint will list its lightfastness on either the front or the back of the tube.
Some brands may use stars instead.
Three stars usually indicate excellent permanence, while fewer stars indicate less durability.
As a general rule, choose colours with the highest lightfastness ratings whenever possible. A beautiful painting won’t stay beautiful if the colours fade after a few years.
Pigment
The pigment gives paint its colour and can be produced from either organic or synthetic material.
Each pigment has a unique set of letters and numbers, called the colour index name, usually found on the front of the tube, but some manufacturers list it on the back.
The two letters indicate the colour family. For example, PR = P for pigment and R for red, so PR would be in the red colour family. Similarly, PB would be blue, PY would be yellow, and so on.
The numbers indicate the chemical compound present in the paint.
Only one colour index number will be listed if the paint contains one pigment. If the paint is a mixture of pigments, more than one colour number will be listed.
Paint Binder
Some manufacturers list the binder in the paint. A binder is a substance that binds the pigments together to form the paint.
Common binders are oil, acrylic polymer, gum Arabic, among others. Of course, acrylic paint would be bound with an acrylic polymer emulsion.
Opacity
A paint colour is opaque if it hides the surface underneath. A colour is transparent if you can see what is beneath the paint.
The opacity of a colour is useful information for several reasons. If you are going to make a wash or a glaze, using a transparent or semi-transparent paint will work much better than an opaque paint. If you need to cover up a mistake or want solid coverage in an area, opaque colours work best.
Some manufacturers list the opacity of the paint using either a symbol or a swatch of paint over black bars. Paints are usually referred to as opaque, semi-transparent, or transparent.
ASTM Conformity
All paint will have a symbol or wording indicating that they conform to health and safety standards.
Depending on the laws of the countries where the paint is manufactured and sold, different countries may have different health and safety warnings.
Most brands contain an AP seal indicating they are not toxic or harmful.
Series
Manufacturers use numbers or letters to group paint into various price ranges. The higher the letter or number, the more expensive the paint.
An expensive pigment like cadmium would have a high number, such as 8 or 9. A cheaper pigment like umber would be listed as a series 1 or 2.
Student-grade paints, which have much more binder and filler relative to pigment, would be listed as series 1 or 2, never higher than 3.
Paint tubes also contain other information, such as the amount of paint in the tube, the manufacturer’s name and address, the country where the paint was made, and the manufacturer’s website address.
If you would like more information about a specific brand, you can visit its website. Most manufacturers have a wealth of information about their paint and tips on using their products.
Here are links to a few of the major manufacturers of acrylic paint.
I hope you find this information helpful and that it helps you better understand what is written on your paint tubes. It is valuable information when deciding whether you need an opaque colour, a cheaper pigment, or want your paint to be lightfast. Below is a printable cheat sheet you can print and keep for future reference.
There is so much more to paint than just colour. 😊
If you have questions, you can leave them in the comments below. You can also join our free Facebook group, Trembeling Art Creative Corner, where you can ask questions, post your work and get to know some fantastic artists from all genres and skill levels. 😊
Oh! I did have a question though — learning what “Hue” means was super helpful, but what does “Permanent” mean in a paint name?
Example: Cobalt Blue Hue vs. Light Blue Permanent
Hi John, I have done a lot of reading about the word “permanent” in relation to paint colors. You would think at first glance that permanent would mean that it is light fast. However, I have seen that a lot of manufacturers just use it as a name for the color and it doesn’t indicate the lightfastness of the paint itself so you still need to check either the tube or the manufacturer to make sure the paint is lightfast and won’t fade quickly. I hope this helps. 😊
Thank you, this was a really helpful post.
You are welcome John and thanks for reading. 😊
Thank you. This has been extremely helpful. I am 69 years young and just beginning painting. It’s never too late to learn something new.
Excellent Cathe love to read this. never too old to learn something new and relaxing
I can absolutely relate to this.
kind regards
Meisie from Swakopmund Namibia