Colors of Nature - Professional Quality Earth-Friendly Artists' Paint: October 2013

Friday 4 October 2013

Cruelty Free Artists' Paints Standards

Colors of Nature does not use any animals or animal parts in any form to produce their artists’ paints and supplies.

All paints and supplies developed by Colors of Nature are tested on canvas, wood and paper and on willing human participants (i.e. for potential adverse reactions to skin), and animals are never used at any stage of research, development or production.

All products manufactured by Colors of Nature are vegetarian, i.e. free from any ingredient derived from whole animals or animal parts. Our definition of animals include all forms of living creatures that are part of the animal kingdom, such as insects, bacteria, algae, etc. For instance, ingredients such as carmine are not acceptable ingredients for use in our products as they require the destruction of these living organisms in order to fulfill an aesthetic function.

Our products are made strictly from plants and minerals, and do not require the death, suffering or dismemberment of any animal, neither to test nor produce our products.

Our parent company, The Organic Make-up Co. Inc., won the 2007 PETA Award for ‘Best Cruelty-Free Cosmetics’.

By Lori Stryker
President and Founder

Information on Pigments used in Paints

Each pigment that Colors of Nature uses has been carefully researched for its safety and ecological impact. Here is a summary of the information available. Sources include manufacturers’ descriptions and MSDS data:

Pigment Type	Source	Processing	Ecological Information
Ochres	- Clay earth pigment - Iron oxide from geothite	Washed by water and dried by the sun	- Non-toxic - Not listed as a carcinogen by the NTP, IARC, or OSHA; no adverse long-term effects are known “There is no evidence to suggest that this substance will create any significant ecological properties if released into the environment. Inorganic pigments are insoluble and should not exhibit any bioaccumulation or biodegradation properties.” (MSDS)
Umbers	- Clay earth pigment - Iron oxide from geothite	Raw or burnt (heat applied)	Not listed as a carcinogen by the NTP, IARC, or OSHA; no adverse long-term effects are known. “Inorganic pigments are insoluble and should not exhibit any bioaccumulation or biodegradation properties”. (MSDS)
Oxides	- Naturally occurring iron oxides from hematite or magnetite	Heat applied	Not listed as a carcinogen by the NTP, IARC, or OSHA; no adverse long-term effects are known “Inorganic pigments are insoluble and should not exhibit any bioaccumulation or biodegradation properties.” (MSDS)
Siennas	- Clay earth pigment - Iron oxide from goethite or hematite	Raw or burnt (heat applied)	Not listed as a carcinogen by the NTP, IARC, or OSHA; no adverse long-term effects are known “Inorganic pigments are insoluble and should not exhibit any bioaccumulation or biodegradation properties”. (MSDS)
Chromium Oxide	- Chromite ore - Chromium oxide	Two chemical steps: roasting (ore is treated with hot air) and leaching (converts metal to a soluble salt in a water medium)	FDA approved. Not classified as a hazardous material (MSDS)
Ultramarine	- Pigment Blue 29:77007 - Sulfurized silicilic acid, aluminium sodium salt from zeolite, lazurite	Manufactured from clay (contains silica, alumina), sodium sulfate, sulfur and charcoal. Heat applied, then washed	Food and cosmetic grade No evidence of carcinogenic effects according to ACGIH or IARC (MSDS)
Titanium dioxide	- Ilmenite ore - Titanium dioxide	Iron oxide is removed to leave synthetic rutile, which is reduced with carbon and oxidized with chlorine. Compound is re-oxidized with oxygen to regenerate the chlorine	Food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic grade Environmental Effects: No known significant effects or critical hazards (MSDS) For more information please visitThe Organic Make-up Company
Vehicles for pigment	Plant: gums, oils, waxes; simple sugar alcohol, water, natural preservative	Variety of methods	Food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical grades Biodegradable No evidence of carcinogenic effects according to ACGIH or IARC (MSDS)

13 Earth Tone Paints Enough?

Why does Colors of Nature have only 13 colors whereas other companies have many more?

Colors of Nature has stringent standards for its pigment selection. Not all pigments meet the criteria for being earth-friendly, and only those that meet the criteria are used in our paints. Colors of Nature paints are ‘base colors’ which means that these are the colors found in nature, and they vibrantly contribute to beautiful and natural works of art. Artists can mix endless colors of their own using our base colors, using their color mixing skills to create any variety of colors desired.

Earth-Friendly Paint?

In what ways is Colors of Nature paints ‘earth-friendly’?

The term ‘earth-friendly’ means that a product meets these criteria:

Raw materials were obtained using methods that are not toxic or perpetually damaging to the

environment
Raw materials come from plant life or existing earth materials.
Raw materials come from recycled or re-purposed consumer products.
When chemistry is necessary, methods used are minimal or operate on the principle of reducing harm to the environment.
Manufacturing processes do not pollute the environment, either by contributing excessively to landfills or exhausting toxins into water systems or the air.
Packaging can be re-used, recycled or re-purposed.
Animals and their by-products are not used at any point in the process of manufacturing or of testing the product.

These are general criteria for earth-friendly products. Colors of Nature paints fulfills all of these criteria. Our paints are made from simple plant derivatives and mineral pigments which have had minimal chemistry applied to remove toxins like lead and arsenic or to isolate the substance from its original state. Our packaging and labels use waterless printing imprinted with vegetable dyes. We do not produce any garbage when we manufacture our paints, so nothing from Colors of Nature goes into the landfill, and any small amounts of residual paint that is washed from our machinery is not hazardous to the water supply according to MSDS indicators. Unlike conventional artists’ paints, which are made of petroleum-derived plastics and other synthetics that pollute the environment, our paints are made from natural materials that fully biodegrade or can be filtered out easily when washed down the sink. Our watercolor packaging can be washed out and re-used and our oil paint packaging is recyclable. Our products are 100% vegan.

Natural Mineral Pigments - Dangerous, Real, Safe?

Is there such a thing as a natural mineral pigment?

Yes, but they are too toxic for human use, often being high in arsenic and heavy metals. Colors of Nature only selects pigments that meet our stringent standards and deemed as ‘acceptable synthetics’, which are pigments that have had minimal chemistry applied to the raw mineral to remove naturally occurring toxins and/or to intensify their color. Fully synthetic pigments are not acceptable for Colors of Nature paints, as these have no base in nature and are usually derived from petroleum. For more information, please visit our parent company, The Organic Make-up Company, and read more about this topic in the article entitled Natural vs Synthetic.

Lightfastness & Paints

What is lightfastness and how is it rated?

The term ‘lightfastness’ refers to a pigment’s ability to maintain its color after prolonged exposure to light. The lightfastness of a paint depends on the pigment, pigment concentration and the vehicle it is mixed with. The degree of color fading in the pigment is measured and rated according to how well the pigment maintains its original color once exposed to light over time.

Pigments are rated by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Only pigments rated as class one and two are acceptable for artists’ materials. The pigments that Colors of Nature uses are of class one or two, and denoted by the words ‘excellent’ or ‘permanent’ which reflect our pigment manufacturers’ lightfast ratings.

Other artists’ paint companies produce colors with pigments that are vegetable based, and although these paints are great for temporary use, they will fade with time. Colors of Nature pigments will not fade, and so you can be assured that your efforts producing your artwork will last forever.

Source: Smith, Ray. New Artist’s Handbook, DK Publishing; New York: 2003 print

Earth-Friendly Paint or Conventional Paint?

Why should I use an earth-friendly paint instead of conventional paint? Does it really matter which paint I use?

There are many reasons to switch over to Colors of Nature earth-friendly paint. Our paint is made with ingredients that have minimal impact to the earth, both in its manufacture and disposal. We have very strict standards for our paint formulation. Our watercolor paints have to meet these criteria:

real colors that reflect the true colors of nature
high ratio of pigment to vehicle, giving rich colors that can be mixed to create unlimited

numbers of innovative and traditional colors
made completely from natural ingredients
animal free, cruelty free, solvent free and petroleum free
professional quality performance
maintains its integrity in the long term when painted on watercolor paper
permanent or excellent lightfastness
affordable price and long lasting
made in Canada

Conventional paints are primarily composed of petroleum-derived ingredients that don’t biodegrade and pollute the earth in ways that our ingredients do not. For instance, plastic-based ingredients don’t biodegrade when released into the water supply whereas our plant ingredients do. Another consideration is the quality of the colors. Colors of Nature pigments are rich and reflect the real colors found in nature, unlike the synthetic colors found in conventional paint. Once you experience the difference in the quality of Colors of Nature, you won’t likely go back to conventional paints!

Who we are and why it matters to have natural paint

Why choose natural watercolors over conventional paint?

real colors that reflect the true colors of nature
made completely from natural ingredients
animal free, cruelty free, solvent free and petroleum free
professional quality performance
permanent or excellent lightfastness
affordable price and long lasting
members of ACMI
made in Canada

As visual artists, we breathe, touch and surround ourselves with the media of paint, so using natural paints made with plants and minerals is clearly a healthy choice. Our paints and supplies perform as well as our non-natural counterparts without any compromise in quality or selection.

Our earth-friendly paints meet these criteria:

Colors of Nature uses pigments that are:

From natural, raw sources
Safe for humans and the environment
Processed using minimal chemistry to remove toxic elements.

Colors of Nature’s paints are:

Composed of all natural, plant-based ingredients and naturally-occurring mineral pigments
Petroleum-free
100% vegan

Colors of Nature products provide artists who are looking towards an environmentally sustainable future with high-quality, prepared paints that they can use with confidence to create beautiful and lasting works of art.