Description
From Michael Wilcox “As any reader of my books will know, I suggest a limited palette of light fast colours which will give the maximum possible range of mixes. I do not base any of my suggestions on romantic ideas from the past but solely on the qualities of the pigment used. We now have at our disposal the finest colourants of all time. Unfortunately, there are also many inferior or poorly labelled substances on the market.
As many artists have experienced difficulty in identifying suitable colours, which are also lightfast, I have introduced our own paints. They are intended only for those with a clear understanding of the thinking that is behind them. In other words, they are for use within the School by the discerning colourist requiring the best available materials.
I wanted a limited range of high quality, light fast colours which would be compatible with each other and give the widest possible range of mixes. The paints are specially produced for the School in small, controlled batches. They are made to my specification and contain only high quality, light fast, genuine pigments. Readers of my book Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green will have found that six colours are enough for a vast range of mixes. To these six – two reds, two yellows and two blues – I have added Phthalocyanine Green as a clear mid-green; Burnt Sienna to give a neutral transparent orange; Yellow Ochre as a neutral orange-yellow; Phthalocyanine Blue to provide a transparent green-blue; Raw Sienna for a semi-transparent neutral orange-yellow; and White.
I also wanted the same, carefully selected pigments to be used in each media. The same pure Cadmium Red (for example) to be used in the watercolours, oils, acrylics and artists gouache. Never before done.
The more we know about our colours the more versatile they become. I have examined and tested virtually every modern paint in the world as part of my research and genuinely feel that we offer the finest possible range of colours There are only twelve colours in total. As these twelve can be mixed to give several million other hues, I feel they are more than enough.”
The Six Principal Mixing Colours
As demonstrated in the book ‘Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green’. These six colours will give a vast range of controlled mixes.
Set contains one 16ml tube each of:
-Cerulean Blue
-Cadmium Red Light
-Cadmium Yellow Light
-Hansa Yellow Light
-Quinacridone Violet
-Ultramarine Blue