The Beauty of a Red Palette
Red, a colour that exudes drama and intensity, associated with courage, danger, passion, love and joy. In our exquisite collection of Loxley paints, we proudly present a stunning array of nine distinct shades of red. These include the vibrant Cadmium Red Light, the rich Cadmium Red Medium, the captivating Red Madder, the delicate Rose Madder, the striking Carmine Red, the earthy English Red, the evocative Indian Red, the fiery Flame Red, and the radiant Bright Red. However, our assortment of Red Paints has been broadened with the addition of new brands, including Old Holland & Michael Harding.
Cadmium Red
Colour Description: Bright Orange Red - Deep Maroon
Transparency/Opacity: Opaque
Cadmium Red was first made available to artist in the 1830s. It was expensive during this period of time, but was valued for its opacity, permanence and mixing capabilities. These reds will add strength, boldness, brightness and passion to a piece of art. It is a very dominant and dramatic colour, so it is important to use Cadmium Red carefully so the artwork or viewer is not overwhelmed by the amount of red.
Rose Madder
Colour Description: Between a muted red and a bright rose
Transparency/Opacity: Transparent
Rose Madder goes back as far as 1500 BC, as it was first used as a dye for fabrics. It is distinctive rose coloured which is a modern, lightfast formulation of the traditional rose colour, allowing artists to experience similar properties. Rose Madder is an excellent watercolour pigment, and glazing. It is perfect for painting portraits, as it has a slight hint of brown in the pigment, making it less vivid then any of the pink Quinacridones.
Indian Red
Colour Description: A deeper and cooler blue red shade with purplish undertones.
Transparency/Opacity: Opaque
Indian Red is stems from one of the oldest pigments and was found in cave paintings going back as far as 40,000 years. It is a warm red, which can be used for landscapes and portraits making it an essential colour in the artist palette. The pigments opacity allows artists to paint a smooth, flat surface with little brushstrokes. It is known to be a standard colour on an artists’ palette.
Alizarin Crimson
Transparency/Opacity: Transparent
Scarlet Lake
Transparency/Opacity: Transparent
Scarlet lake, a vivid red pigment, is classified as a lake pigment. Lake pigments are organic pigments sourced from plants or the Mexican cochineal, a tiny insect with scales. The cochineal yields a remarkably intense red colour with strong tinting properties. However, due to its sensitivity to light, this colour has been historically regarded as fugitive. While red lakes were highly esteemed for their brilliance, they were also a source of frustration as they lacked lightfastness.
In the past, during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, red lakes were frequently employed as glazes to enhance the opulence of fabrics and tapestries in paintings. Despite their tendency to fade, lake pigments were commonly utilized by Dutch artists in the 17th century. These artists typically incorporated lakes as glazes and combined them with various other hues.
