Natural pure pigment - Hand Mulled Oil Paint

Natural pure pigment - Hand Mulled Oil Paint

Discovering a Handmade Earth Red

When I began work on Matsya, the first painting in my Dashavatara series, I found myself searching for a particular quality in the skin tones. I wanted warmth, depth, and a sense of life beneath the surface. My initial attempts using commercial colors, including mixes based on vermilion hue, did not quite produce the effect I was looking for. That search led me in an unexpected direction.

I ordered a few natural earth pigments and began experimenting with hand-mulling my own oil paint. Among them was an earthy red pigment that immediately caught my attention. After mulling it into oil and testing it in my paintings, I discovered a quality I had been struggling to achieve with tube paints.

Hand mulled pure pigment paints, earth red and warm yellow. 

The color produces a remarkable warmth in skin tones. It seems to create the impression of blood glowing beneath the skin without requiring additional glazing. The effect is subtle, but it gives the skin a natural vitality and depth that I find especially appealing when painting Indian complexions.

As I continued experimenting, I discovered another combination that quickly became a favorite. Mixed with a touch of quinacridone deep pink and ultramarine blue, the earth red produced rich violet shadows unlike any I had previously achieved. These mixtures proved especially useful while rendering the aged skin, folds, and wrinkles of Shabari. The resulting shadows felt deep and colorful while still remaining natural and believable.

What began as a simple attempt to solve a painting problem ended up introducing a new staple into my palette.

One unexpected advantage of hand-mulled paint is its exceptionally high pigment load. Since I prepare it using only the pigment, linseed oil, and a single drop of solvent, without fillers or other additives, the resulting paint is remarkably concentrated. A very small amount covers a surprising area, and even a touch of it can strongly influence a color mixture. It has a presence on the palette that is immediately noticeable, making it enjoyable to paint with.

Today, this hand-mulled earth red has become one of my favorite colors. It occupies a place somewhere between burnt sienna and Indian red. Warmer than the former, earthier than the latter. It provides a foundation for skin tones that feels both vibrant and grounded, and I find myself returning to it again and again.

One of the joys of painting is that every challenge has the potential to lead to an unexpected discovery. In this case, a search for better skin tones led me not only to a new pigment, but also to a deeper appreciation of the materials themselves.

For now, this handmade earth red has earned a permanent place on my palette, and I suspect it will continue to appear throughout many future paintings.