Clay earth pigment

A range of pigments were mined by Aboriginals at this Ochre Pit in central Australia

Clay earth pigments are naturally occurring minerals, principally iron oxides, that have been used since prehistoric times as pigments. The primary types are

• ochre
• sienna
• umber

Earth pigments are known for their fast drying time in oil painting, relative inexpensiveness, and lightfastness. Cave paintings done in sienna still survive today.

External links

• http://www.iconofile.com/search_results.asp?subcatid=29 (Starting link; has multiple pages. This is a commercial site, but it has many excellent descriptions and pictures of these and other related materials.)