This lush, opaque color is beautifully rich and smooth. The pigment comes from parasitic Cochineal insects, which are harvested from prickly pear cacti and ground to produce a brilliant, deep red dye. The dye is then transformed from a water-soluble powder into an insoluble Lake pigment, by adding a base like clay or alum (potassium aluminum sulfate). It’s a fascinating process that allows us to make natural paint from not only standard earth and mineral substances, but plants and insects as well!

Cochineal was first used as a textile dye by ancient Mayan and Aztec peoples in Central and South America. It's still widely used as a fabric and yarn colorant today.

This color is not lightfast, and may fade in direct sunlight. Fading can be reduced by coating finished pieces in a UV protective varnish and/or keeping them out of direct sunlight.

All of our watercolors are handmade in our shop using the highest quality earth and synthetic pigments, plus natural watercolor binding medium made from gum arabic (sap from acacia trees), honey, glycerine, distilled water, and a dash of clove oil for freshness!

Color Index number as provided by vendor: NR 4:1.75470. All of our watercolors conform to ASTM D-4236.