Inorganic, Natural Earth – Green Earth, a complex of ferrous silicates in aluminium and magnesium clays, is one of the few naturally occurring inorganic pigments still offered by colourmen. It has a soft texture with very low tint power and is beloved by portraitists who use it as a glaze over Alizarin Crimson hues. Some makers add other pigments in order to give it a spuriously enhanced tint power, which depletes these qualities; I don’t. A popular trick is to use a little Terre Verte under the portrait subject’s nose to get red-colored cheeks to play up as a complementary color!

Color Index: PG23

Drying: Average

Transparency: Semi-Transparent

Lightfastness: Excellent

Oil Content: Medium

Tint Power: Very Low

Toxicity: Non-Toxic

ASTM D-4236

Vegan: Yes