Current index · revised July
Sixteen pigments. We are not trying to sell you a spectrum.
Eleven earths off our own face, four blacks we burn ourselves, and one blue we have no business making and make anyway. Prices are per 250g of dry pigment and per 40ml tube of oil colour, ex works. Trade is 30% off at ten kilos.
The index
What is in the racks this month
PY 43
Wigpool YellowRaw ochre, unroasted. 40–200 mesh. The house colour.
£9 · £14.50
PY 43d
Wigpool Yellow, deepSame seam, one metre lower. Greener, slower drying.
£9 · £14.50
PR 102
Wigpool RedRoasted four hours at 480°C. Warm, opaque, the one everyone reorders.
£11 · £16
PR 102L
Wigpool Red, long roastNine hours. Cooler, nearer a mars violet. Made twice a year.
£13 · £18.50
PBr 7
Dean Umber, rawFrom the clay band under the ochre. Transparent in oil, superb in glazes.
£10 · £15
PBr 7b
Dean Umber, burntKiln to 520°C. Dries fast enough to be useful and slow enough to move.
£10 · £15
PBk 8
Vine BlackBurnt from prunings off the orchard at Aston. Cool, weak, beautiful.
£12 · £17
PBk 9
Bone BlackCalcined and washed three times. Brown-black, the traditional shadow.
£12 · £17
PB 27
Prussian BlueBought in, not made here, and we say so on the label. Ground and mulled by us.
£16 · £21
PW 18
Chalk, levigatedFor gesso and for bulking your own. Sold by the 5kg sack as well.
£6 · n/a
Prices per 250g dry · per 40ml tube. Six more earths and two greens run seasonally — ask, or read the batch list.
Beyond the racks
Three things we do to order
On matching
We will tell you when the answer is a pigment we do not sell.
About one match in five turns out to be a lead-tin yellow, a genuine vermilion or something else off our list. We say so, name three people who make it properly, and charge you for the drawdowns only.
Lead times
When you would actually get it
| Order | In stock | Made to order | Carriage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry pigment, under 2kg | 2 days | 10 days | £7.50 |
| Dry pigment, 2–25kg | 4 days | 15 days | £18 |
| Oil colour, under 12 tubes | 3 days | 12 days | £7.50 |
| Oil colour, full batch | — | 20 days | £24 |
| Boxed set | — | 25 days | Included |
Asked often enough
Before you write
Is it lightfast?
The earths are ASTM I — they are iron oxide, they were lightfast before anyone
thought to test it. The vine black is I, the Prussian blue is II and will shift
slightly in a thin tint over decades. That is on the label, not in the small print.
Why is your yellow different from the last lot?
Because it is a hillside, not a formula. Within a batch it is consistent to the
eye; between batches a year apart you may see a shift. If you need identical,
take a standing batch and we will hold the face and the roast.
Can I visit the mine?
No. It is a working face under a licence with conditions about who goes in and
in what boots. The mill on Thursdays, yes, gladly.
Do you sell to hobby painters, or only trade?
Anyone. There is no minimum order and no trade-only nonsense. The 30% break at
ten kilos is arithmetic, not a members' club.
Will you make my recipe?
Often. Send the recipe and the reason. We have made a chalk-heavy distemper base
for a National Trust job and refused an oil ground with a driers package we
thought would crack in ten years.
Order, or ask something awkward.
Either is welcome. We answer email within two working days and Nell answers the awkward ones the same afternoon.