Technical Paint Info
Composition and Permanence
The color index name is established and published by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists and The Society of Dyers and Colourists. The color index name is a generic category and does not refer to a specific pigment. While it enables the artist to form a general idea of opacity, transparency and lightfastness, for a pigment in a certain color space, it does not provide definitive information. Many grades of pigment are available from a number of manufactures with a very wide range of physical attributes.
Chemical Name
The chemical name is a brief, commonly used generic type designation of the pigment types composition. in conjunction with the color index name, the chemical name can be used to broaden the artists understanding of the source and nature of the pigment used.
Permanence
The permanence of a color is a measure of the lightfastness of the pigment when dispersed in a vehicle and subjected to conditions which emulate the exposure normally given a fine arts object. Such ratings are generally considered vehicle or media dependent and can vary between media – thus pigment which is suitably lightfast for oil color, might not be lightfast in watercolor. Our ratings utilize a combination of historical data, accelerated testing and data from pigment manufacturers to establish one of the toughest standards among artists colormakers today.
Transparency and Opacity
Each of our colors has been provided a designation indicating relative degrees of transparency to opacity. Please consider these as a guideline because any thin film application, while not necessarily transparent, can be interpreted by the view as such.
Health and Safety
Our colors have been evaluated by a board-certified toxicologist in a manner consistent with current legislation and Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines. Where needed, labels carry specific instructions on safe use and handling as well as information required by the State of California to comply with Proposition 65.
Artists’ colors are preparations of a variety of materials and when handled correctly should not represent a serious hazard to health based on our current knowledge. We do recommend artists use normal safe-handling care and practice when working with our or any manufacturers’ color, including not applying color to the skin, taking care not to ingest the product, not smoking/drinking or eating while working and carefully reading all labels for specific warnings. For more information, please refer to our Safety Data Sheets or write to us at
M. Graham
PO Box 404
Hubbard, OR 97032
ASTM D4236
ASTM is a standard practice for labeling art materials for chronic health hazards. A statement of conformity to this standard appears on each of our labels to assure the artist that our formulations have been independently reviewed by a certified toxicologist and that required cautions and warnings are in place for the artists’ guidance.
Children
Our colors are professional products not intended for use by children under thirteen.
Why Honey
Artists’ use of honey in watercolors can be traced back centuries. Today, modern watercolorists are rediscovering the many advantages of honey-based paints. Thanks to honey’s natural properties, we can avoid artificial humectants and preservatives in our paints, instead infusing more color. Honey’s viscosity offers artists a smooth, easy application. And, because of honey, our watercolors dilute easily—even after months of disuse—and resist hardening on the palette or in the tube.
Compare Our Color
Graham colors are worthy of Da Vinci—but made for you.
Every choice we make—from using the purest, traditional ingredients to taking the time to custom mill each pigment—is in service to one goal: creating rich, vibrant colors to excite and enhance your work. Because of our choices, no other paint offers you the same level of pigment as ours.
