Geranium Lake Oil Paint

Description

Geranium Lake is our exquisitely hand-crafted oil paint made with an extremely concentrated, high-quality single source pigment. Every tube is meticulously hand mulled, filled, and labeled using only pure cold-pressed walnut oil (linseed oil available upon request) and the maximum amount of hand-ground and richly textured pigment.

Geranium Lake is a handmade lake pigment prepared from a brilliant red dye precipitated onto a mineral substrate. It produces a vivid, floral pink-red from geranium petals, bright and warm. In light washes it reads as a glowing rose or hot pink; in masstone it deepens into a saturated, almost neon scarlet-rose. Compared to mineral reds and earths, Geranium Lake is far more luminous and transparent; compared to modern quinacridones, it feels softer, more “old-fashioned,” and a touch less blue-clean, with a characteristic cosmetic warmth.

In use, Geranium Lake gives a brilliant, transparent to semi-transparent red ideal for florals, textiles, decorative motifs, illustration, sketchbooks, and historical color studies where its vintage character is desired. It has moderate tinting strength and builds beautifully in layers, shifting from delicate pink veils to strong, candy-like reds. It mixes beautifully with yellows for coral and watermelon tones, with earths for elegant rose-browns and skin tints, and with blues and violets for lively mauves and fashion-inspired purples. As a dye-based lake, however, it is not highly lightfast and is best used in work kept out of direct sunlight, stored closed in manuscripts, or digitized for long-term preservation rather than displayed permanently.

Key Features

Single Source Pigment: Each product features one pure pigment, chosen for its exceptional quality.

Handmade Artisanal Process: Crafted in small batches, our oil paints are hand mulled on a marble slab and hand filled in aluminum tubes to preserve the integrity of the pigment.

Maximum Pigment Load: Designed to provide maximum color saturation, our formula contains no artificial additives or fillers

Recommended Use: Best used with oil mediums to achieve optimal fluidity.

Pigment Information

Pigment Type: Natural (Organic) Eosin Y dye-based lake pigment on mineral substrate

Source: Synthetic red dye precipitated onto an inorganic base

Suitable Mediums: Oil, Watercolor, Gouache, Ink, Egg Tempera, Casein

Lightfastness: Poor

Opacity: Transparent

Other Names: Geranium Lake, Geranium Red Lake, Synthetic Rose Lake

Color Index Code: PR90:1

Image: 'Irises by Vincent van Gogh from The Getty

Production Process

Our oil paints are created with passion and precision. The pigment is carefully hand mulled and then mixed with pure cold-pressed walnut oil, ensuring an exceptionally concentrated and vibrant product. The entire process is carried out by hand—from mixing and mulling to filling and labeling—so you can be confident in the artisanal quality of every tube.

Usage & Care

Please store in a secure area away from children and pets, and dispose of any waste in an environmentally friendly manner in accordance with all local, state, and national regulations.

If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to contact us.