Genuine Indigo

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This rich blue is in a category all its own—its depth and range exceeds any other color we can think of! Compared with Synthetic Indigo, our Genuine Indigo is a bit more textured and deeper in tone. Both are fantastic for layering, glazing, and color mixing (a little bit goes a long way!) and are wonderfully opaque at full saturation.

Genuine Indigo is derived from the Indigofera tinctoria plant through a fermentation process, and further refined to achieve greater saturation and intensity. Throughout history, this handmade single pigment has been a staple for textile dying, manuscript illumination, and mural painting, with the earliest known uses dating back to 4000 BC! Synthetic Indigo entered the scene around 1900, providing a smooth, consistent and readily available option for commercial use. We're thrilled to have both of these essential colors in our core collection!

This color is not lightfast, and may fade in direct sunlight. Fading can be reduced by coating finished pieces in a UV protective varnish and/or keeping them out of direct sunlight.

All of our watercolors are handmade in our shop using the highest quality earth and synthetic pigments, plus natural watercolor binding medium made from gum arabic (sap from acacia trees), honey, glycerine, distilled water, and a dash of clove oil for freshness!

Half Pans measure ~3/4" x 1/2" x 3/8" and contain ~2ml of paint.

Color Index number as provided by vendor: PB 66.73000. All of our watercolors conform to ASTM D-4236.