| November 18, 2025 | 15 min read
Learn traditional water gilding with bole: prepare bole, lay loose gold leaf, and burnish for durable, high-sheen gilded surfaces in contemporary studios.
George O'Hanlon
George O’Hanlon is the technical director of Natural Pigments, and executive director of Iconofile, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting understanding of sacred art. George received his fine arts education and apprenticeship in Mexico. Upon return to the United States, he worked as creative director for advertising agencies in Silicon Valley, working on such major accounts as Sony, Hewlett-Packard, and Ricoh. He founded an agency later acquired by the chemical giant, Shin-Etsu. There he served as vice-president of U.S. marketing. In 1992, he studied traditional art techniques abroad. Then in 2001, co-founded Iconofile and in 2003 Natural Pigments to promote an understanding of these practices. Since that time he has formulated hundreds of artists’ paints and materials, including Ceracolors, a waterborne wax paint.
| November 11, 2025 | 9 min read 1
Discover five Armenian earth oil paints made from natural travertine, barite, umber and volcanic rocks. These natural, eco‑friendly colors offer rich, earthy hues for artists.
| October 31, 2025 | 10 min read
This article explains a repeatable way to measure watercolor granulation. We analyze the L* (lightness) variation inside a representative 1-inch tile of the wash, remove the paper’s own texture, and scale by mean lightness to get a Granulation Index (GI). The GI is then labeled None, Slight, Moderate, Strong, Very Strong, or Extreme so you can compare colors and papers with confidence.
| October 30, 2025 | 8 min read
Watercolor artists often describe paints as staining or non-staining—but what does that really mean? In this in-depth guide, Natural Pigments explains how watercolor staining is measured scientifically using a repeatable method based on the Residual-Color Index. Learn how to prepare filter-paper swatches, test lifting behavior, and understand what the labels “Non-staining,” “Low,” “Medium,” and “High” actually tell you about pigment behavior.
| October 27, 2025 | 8 min read
Learn how barite (baryte, blanc fixe) affects oil paint’s body, gloss, and permanence. Discover safe, effective uses of barium sulfate for artists.
| October 09, 2025 | 9 min read
Objective, tint-first hue labels for watercolors—based on CIE Lab* data. Clear warm/cool rules and a reliable way to classify tricky browns and blacks so your mixes behave on paper.
| October 01, 2025 | 17 min read 1
An artist-focused review of how layered optics, refractive index, PVC, and binder choice shape oil painting skin tones—plus practical tempera-under-oil steps and a Rublev Colours swatch protocol.
| August 26, 2025 | 6 min read
From Spencer to Millet, see how artists picture the dignity of work—and what their palettes, values, and edges can teach your studio practice.
| July 13, 2025 | 15 min read
Discover solvent-free oil medium options—silica gels, mineral pastes, and plant esters—for cleaner, safer painting without alkyds or wax.
| July 12, 2025 | 7 min read
Learn how solvent-free alkyd mediums speed drying without toxic fumes. Compare brands, read SDS data, and apply safer oil-painting practices.
