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Creating your own paint is a great way to reduce costs, while at the same time giving you more control over the tones and effects you want. Dry pigment powder can be combined with a binder to make various painting media from oil to acrylic resin, and you usually only need a small amount of pigment. (Keep in mind that the amount of binder will vary, depending on the pigments used.) However, like paint, powders have a wide range of qualities and are suitable for projects ranging from crafts to fine arts. No matter which powder you prefer, you should always handle these particles carefully and protect yourself from accidental inhalation. Check out our selection of the best powder pigments to find the pigment that suits your needs.
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ARTnews recommends Sennelier Dry Pigments Sennelier only to provide top pigments formulated according to a rigorous research tradition that has been maintained since the late 1800s, when the company made oils for its post-impressionist customers. Artists can purchase nearly 100 colors, reflecting a mixture of natural clay, inorganic and synthetic pigments, many of which are hard to find. A typical example: Sennelier's ultramarine blue light, which is produced by a complicated process and can reproduce the luminous intensity of lapis lazuli. Sennelier also provides the most comprehensive paint manual. Each color is accompanied by instructions on its characteristics, compatibility with adhesives, and even tips on how to maintain its vividness. These pigments are suitable for serious artists who understand the properties of different binders and want to spend time to learn more about their materials. Please note that several pigments are toxic, such as Verona green, chrome yellow, and flake white. Sennelier still uses ancient methods to prepare these pigments. Purchase: Sennelier Dry Pigments $11.91–$96.97
We also like Schmincke Premium Artists' Pigments. If Sennelier's pigments are too picky for you, please consider buying your colors from Schmincke. This German company provides a series of pure traditional artist pigments as well as modern formulations. A catalog of 72 colors—48 classic pigments and 24 unusual pigments, including real cadmium and cobalt—is not as extensive as Sennelier's, but the pigments are easier to use. They are finely sieved to make their consistency more uniform, so they are suitable for the production of various media, such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache and paint for linen printing. These pigments exhibit excellent color strength, brightness and light resistance. Schmincke provides an easy-to-read chart for those interested in traditional mural painting techniques, describing the characteristics of each color, from its opacity to its resistance to lime. Purchase: Schmincke Premium Artists' Pigments $19.13–$56.60
Students' choice Jacquard Pearl Ex powder pigments Looking for products that are more suitable for children? Jacquard's bright and non-toxic paint kits are versatile and ideal for student homework, classroom use or afternoon handicrafts. Made from purely ground mica (a stone mineral with natural luster), it is a highly stable pigment that can blend well into any viscous medium. Mix them with oil, wax painting, acrylic or epoxy; use them for stamping; sprinkle them on polymer clay-the possibilities are almost limitless. The ultra-fine powder adds bright colors and subtle pearls, which can add lovely depth to the artwork. This 0.5-ounce jar comes in eight colors, including scarlet, emerald and dark brown. Purchase: Jacquard Peal Ex powdered pigment $31.93
Top product Kremer Pigments Like Sennelier, this family-owned company attaches great importance to pigment research and has re-developed a series of impressive historical pigments. Although its existence may not be as long as the Paris business, Kremer does provide the world's largest variety of pigments. You can choose from more than 1,500 types, 250 of which are produced in its color paste factory in Eichstetten, Germany, where the raw materials are manually processed and filtered into powder pigments. The brand of choice of professional restorers, this is a one-stop shop for real paints that you can hardly find, such as malt, vermilion, madder and bone black. Kremer also publishes an applicability list, so you can easily find out which paints can be used in art, whether you are working in acrylic, ceramic, watercolor, resin, painted or even cement. Purchase: Kremer Pigments as low as $7.80
You can also consider Old Holland pigments. Old Holland focuses on classic pigments and continues to prepare its products according to the recipes used by the old Dutch masters. For example, the process involves the use of manually operated stone rollers to grind paint. However, you will pay for this handmade quality; these may be the most expensive pigments on the market (for example, 40 grams of Ruby Lake will cost more than $200). These 98 pigments, including vermilion, sky blue and Neapolitan yellow, provide unparalleled opacity, incredible light fastness, and amazing color intensity and brightness. However, Old Holland did not provide much information about individual pigments, whether it was a specific lightfastness level or compatibility with the medium, which was especially frustrating considering the astronomical price. Purchase: Old Holland Pigments $21.00–$270.00
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