Natural Pigments OLD

I started with one tube of Rublev's lead white and Lead-Tin Yellow. I also took the "Painting Best Practices" class. They are extremely knowledgable and offer full disclosure of what is, and what is not in their products. Gracious, generous and top notch all around. My studio is now filled with and I'm using; their paints, pigments, mediums, varnishes, solvents.... Thank you George and Tatiana for a company that offers such knowledge, and produces materials that provide artists with exceptional products!

Your products are very good, but I had a very unpleasant surprise when I had to pay more than 150 dollars custom fees on top of a more than 50 USD shipping costs?!?! Perhaps it is best to warn people from outside the USA about the custom fee to be expected. For me it came as a complete surprise. I suppose it is my fault that I am ignorant, but still I don't feel good about this. The European site has far less products than the American one so that is why I decided to order from the US for ones, but I will never do that again for sure.

Been using their pigments for a while and always top quality at good price

I had a technique in mind and didn't know what product would achieve my idea. A consultation brought some advice, and my product arrive a few short days later. I am happily experimenting now. Thanks, NP!

Lead tin yellow is a very useful pigment for halftones. If you add white to a midtone, it can go too cold and the value will be chalky. If instead you add lead tin yellow, you can lighten without that problem. You could also use Naples Yellow but that will give you an opaque. If you want to lay down a semi-transparent veil, lead tin yellow is the pigment to use. The formulation sold by Natural Pigments is the real thing, which is rare, not some yellow mixed with zinc (which could lead to cracking). Natural Pigments sells a few versions, from a cold yellow to a hot yellow, and which you use depends on whether your lights are warm or cold. Being formulated from lead and not, say, a lake pigment, the paint is not fugitive. To me, it's a very useful, basic, and archival color that should be in every portrait painter's palette.