The power of natural pigments

Colour begins with pigment. At Edward Bulmer Natural Paint, our palette is created from just a handful of carefully selected earth and mineral pigments, drawing on a tradition of colour making that has shaped art and interiors for centuries. But what are pigments, and why does the way a paint is coloured matter?

Pigments make the colour; the better the pigment, the better the colour!

What are natural pigments?

Pigment is the source of colour in paint. Unlike a dye, pigment consists of finely ground particles which are dispersed through a binder to create the finished paint.

For centuries, artists and decorators worked with a relatively small palette of pigments derived from the earth, minerals and other naturally occurring materials. Ochres provided reds and yellows, while precious minerals such as lapis lazuli were ground to create brilliant blues. As pigment-making developed, mineral colours such as Prussian Blue, Viridian and Ultramarine expanded the palette available to artists and decorators.

At Edward Bulmer Natural Paint, we continue to create colour from a deliberately limited palette of carefully selected earth and mineral pigments. From these pigments, we create our entire collection of colours.

Why does pigment matter in paint?

Pigment does far more than determine whether a paint is blue, green or yellow. The pigments used, and the proportions in which they are combined, influence the undertone, depth and overall character of a colour.

Edward developed our palette through his work as an interior designer and his understanding of historic decoration, where a relatively small number of pigments were traditionally used across both the decorative and applied arts.

Working from a restricted pigment palette also creates relationships between colours. The same Yellow Ochre might appear in a green, a neutral or a pink; a trace of Prussian Blue can shift another colour entirely. This shared pigment base is one reason our colours sit so naturally alongside one another.

It also means that colour is rarely quite as simple as it first appears. A green may contain yellow and blue, but those same pigments can also play a part in creating greys, browns and neutrals.

Here are five of the pigments behind our palette and the colours they help to create.

Viridian: a vivid mineral green

For centuries, creating a dependable and brilliant green presented a challenge for artists and pigment makers. Viridian emerged in the 19th century as an intense green pigment and takes its name from the Latin viridis, meaning green.

Its strength means that only a small amount is needed to make an impact. In our palette, Viridian brings freshness and intensity to greens including Invisible Green, Pea Green and Sea Green.

But pigments are rarely confined to the colour family you might expect. Viridian can also be found within more complex shades, where a small addition helps adjust the balance of the finished colour.

Prussian Blue: depth and warmth

The discovery of Prussian Blue in the early 18th century transformed the colours available to artists. It offered an intense and comparatively affordable alternative to precious blue pigments such as natural ultramarine, traditionally made from lapis lazuli.

Prussian Blue remains an important part of our palette today.

As Edward explains:

“Using earth pigment alongside mineral blues helps to warm them up. Once mixed with Yellow Ochre it will give beautiful deep aqua shades, but cooled off with white and black you get an entirely different blue.”

You will find Prussian Blue in colours including Ethereal Blue, French Blue, Indigo, Navy Blue, Sea Green and Aquatic. It also appears in less obvious places, helping to create colours such as Lavender and a number of our greens and greys.

This is a good example of why the pigment recipe behind a colour matters as much as its name. Blue pigment does not simply make blue paint; its relationship with the other pigments around it determines the finished hue.

Chrome Yellow: brightness and energy

Bright, stable yellows were historically difficult to produce. Earth pigments such as Yellow Ochre had been used for centuries, but the development of new mineral pigments in the 19th century gave artists access to much brighter yellows.

Chrome Yellow brings that clarity and intensity to our palette. We use it sparingly, both because of its strength and because a small addition can significantly alter a colour.

It helps create some of our clearest yellows, including Brimstone, Naples Yellow, Persian and Patent Yellow, but its role extends much further. Chrome Yellow also contributes to colours including Duck Egg, Invisible Green, Pea Green, Jonquil and Aquatic.

This is where working with individual pigments becomes particularly interesting: the same vivid yellow that gives energy to Brimstone can, in a different combination and proportion, become part of a soft pink neutral such as Jonquil.

Violet Carmine: red with a cooler cast

The word carmine has long been associated with deep purplish reds. Historically, carmine colourants were produced from organic sources including plants and cochineal insects.

The Violet Carmine used in our palette is instead a mineral spinel pigment. Its cooler, violet-red character makes it useful where warmer pigments such as Red Ochre or Vermillion alone would not create the required balance.

It helps bring depth to colours including Rose, Pompadour and Lavender, while a touch within Navy Blue shifts the colour towards a redder blue.

Again, its value lies not simply in creating purple or red paint, but in the subtle adjustment it can make to a much wider range of colours.

Ultramarine: from lapis lazuli to French Ultramarine

Few pigments have a history as celebrated as Ultramarine. Its name derives from the Latin ultramarinus, or “beyond the sea”, reflecting the historic journey of lapis lazuli from mines in Afghanistan to Europe.

For centuries, natural ultramarine was among the most precious pigments available to artists. In the 19th century, the search for a more accessible alternative led to the development of synthetic Ultramarine, sometimes known as French Ultramarine.

Its distinctive blue has a slight violet cast, making it particularly useful where a clearer, more direct blue is needed.

Within our palette, Ultramarine contributes to Garter Blue, French Blue, Duck Egg and Fine Grey, among others. In Fine Grey, its blue cast helps maintain the cool character of the colour, while in stronger blues it brings clarity and depth.

A palette built from pigment

These five pigments tell only part of the story. Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Red Ochre, Vermillion, Lamp Black and the other pigments in our palette all play their own part in creating the colours we use today.

What matters is not simply the individual pigment, but how these ingredients work together.

By building our collection from a restricted palette, the same pigments reappear in different combinations throughout the range. This creates a natural relationship between colours and makes it easier to build schemes with tonal harmony, whether you are combining soft neutrals, stronger architectural colours or several shades throughout a whole house.

It is an approach rooted in the history of colour, but one that remains just as relevant to the way we decorate today.

See natural pigments in your own home

The best way to understand a colour is to see it in the space where it will be used. Natural and artificial light, orientation and the colours and materials around it can all change how a paint appears throughout the day.

Explore our natural paint colours and order A5 colour swatches or sample pots to see how they respond to your own interior. If you need help bringing colours together, our Colour Consultancy team can create a considered palette for your home.