The pigment was accidentally discovered a decade ago by Professor M.A. Subramanian in Oregon. Composed of yttrium, indium, and manganese, it yields a blue pigment that is chemically stable, fade-proof, opaque and non-toxic.
Because some of the ingredients are fairly rare, the patented pigment is still mostly inaccessible as an artist's color, but Gamblin has made a 164-tube limited run of the color for oil painters at a cost of $75 per tube.
Professor Subramanian has experimented with other variations of the basic recipe, substituting some less expensive ingredients, and the result has been some additional colors, which also look promising.
Gamblin also provides a "recipe" for approximating Yin MIn Blue: 20% Ultramarine Blue mixed with 80% Cobalt Blue.
ReplyDeleteYep
DeleteExcept cobalt is toxic
DeleteAs soon as I got the emaile from Gamblin I went to check it out- sold out! Probably sold out about 4 seconds after going on the market 😂 Did anyone get a tube?
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting item to post. I remember being warned about flake white and anything cadmium, still trying to break the habit of not
ReplyDeleteUsing saliva to form brushes after washing a zillion years ago in art school.
Thanks for posting.
Golden Custom Labs also offered YlnMn Blue as a QoR watercolor. It had to be special ordered, so I'm not sure if it's still available. It was too expensive, but you can't really see what a color is like unless you see it in real life, so I had to buy a tube. I'm glad I did, but I doubt it will be a color I use often.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't they name it something you could pronounce? But wow, it's gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI found the book - Color: A natural history of the palette, by Victoria Finlay which tells the story of how colors for paints were developed,fascinating.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great blue to try. I don't really need it since I already have more paint in my cabinet than I will use in my lifetime. But its almost like collecting. I would love to see if this blue could become a staple on my palette.
ReplyDelete