Top Pigment
Pyrrole Red Rubine
PR264
Alternate Names
Pyrrole Red Deep
Pyrrole Crimson
Diketo-pyrrolo Pyrrole Rubine
Pigment Description
Often said to be a crimson with excellent lightfastness, but it may be worthwhile to do your own tests just in case. PR264 is sometimes recommended by some as an alternative to Alizarin Crimson, however it does not have some of the brown note in certain Alizarins, so PR264 may need just a touch of modification if you want it to emulate certain Alizarin varieties.
We were surprised to find that in watercolor, Bruce MacEvoy does not actually recommend this pigment, and suggests Cadmium Red and Perylene Maroon instead. Golden tested their QoR watercolors and their version of PR264 performed very well.
A jar of Kremer Pigments Ruby DPP TR, pigment PR264
Resources
PR264 pigment data from David G. Myers, The Color of Art Pigment Database, Artiscreation.com,
Spurgeon, Tad. Living Craft: A Painter's Process. Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, PA: Zoetrope, 2018. Newer version available here: https://www.thomaskitts.com/page/36804/tad-spurgeons-living-craft
Information about PR264 from Bruce MacEvoy, Handprint Guide to Watercolors, General information about this class of pigments from Handprint,
Stats
Lightfastness
Said to be Excellent, but refer to note on watercolor
Excellent marks for lightfastness (all 8’s on the BWS), but Artiscreation notes ASTM I-II. We also have not seen data on its use in various mixing whites. May be much less lightfast in watercolor. Some brands tested by Bruce MacEvoy did not perform as well when thinned. However, the pigment used in Golden’s watercolors seemed to have excellent performance, so if using watercolor, perhaps do your own lightfastness tests.
Transparency
Transparent, Semi-transparent
Most paints made with this pigment are Transparent.
Toxicity
Lower Concern
Treat all pigments and paints with studio safety protocols.
Particle Size
Very Fine
Chemical Name
Diketo-pyrrolo pyrrole
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