Manganese Blue (Genuine). A bright icy cyan blue with both some heft and transparency. This extinct pigment is one of the highest chroma cyans out there. We first began to miss having a color in this range when working in gouache, as it is an opaque medium and phthalos don’t have their usual transparency in gouache. In more transparent media, phthalo blue can cover many use cases, however it doesn't perfectly emulate the missing manganese.
We began to track down Manganese Blue in oils and found this pigment to be quite enjoyable, though we do not recommend working with the pigment in dust form. While manganeses blue is not irreplaceable in oil, it is certainly lovely. There is a bit of yellowing that happens, but in general it is a great color.
It does seem to have toxicity due to manganese and barium, so while we have read conflicting information on this we always take the proper precautions. We have heard horror stories of people who had adverse effects from working with the dry pigment, so despite the conflicting information, we do not recommend making your own paint. That is true with other toxic pigments as well. The bound paint is less of a problem, however we are not toxicologists so please consult the relevant experts as well as the SDS. The Artist's Guide to Health and Safety has some information about the hazards associated with Barium and Manganese pigments. The author's most recent updated writing can be found through her site.
In general it is also a fast dryer.
