Woad

Description

Woad 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.

Woad is a soft, plant-based blue pigment made from the leaves of Isatis tinctoria, a flowering plant historically cultivated across Europe for its unique blue dye. Long before indigo became widely available, woad was the primary source of blue in medieval manuscript illumination, textiles, and early European painting. Our Woad is carefully crafted from hand-extracted woad pigment, lake-precipitated and bound with walnut oil to preserve its delicate botanical quality. It produces a gentle, grey-blue with a slightly muted, smoky undertone—perfect for historical palettes, botanical studies, skies, and soft layering. Woad has a subtle, earthy elegance that connects artists to ancient craft and natural color.

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 lake pigment (botanical)

Source: Woad plant (Isatis tinctoria) leaves, fermented and precipitated

Origin: China

Lightfastness: Moderate (recommended for protected works such as sketchbooks, reproduction art, or archival framing)

Opacity: Transparent to semi-transparent with a soft, dusty texture

Other Names: Pastel (French), German Indigo, European Indigo

Color Index Code: NB1 (same as natural indigo, chemically similar dye molecule)

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.