Pigment: Ultramarine blue
Lightfastness: ****
Opacity: Semi-transparent
Description: Ultramarine has been extracted in the middle age from the semiprecious stone Lapislazuli. Artifi cial production of equal standardsince 1830. Also used as basic colour for violet tones.

Colour Index: PB29

To achieve the outstanding characteristics, like reusable paint when dried on a palette and the high control of paint flow even on soft water-colour papers Schmincke only use the best raw materials. In its colouristic appearance the total assortment is particularly harmonious, balanced and complete.

One main ingredient of the water-colour binding medium is Kordofan Gum Arabic from the southern Sahara region. Like most natural products this traditional water-colour binding medium differs from year to year. Therefore Schmincke is testing Gum Arabic every time before purchase and selects only the best crop of the respective year. This adds small but significant quality advantages. Other formula ingredients are selected equally carefully and of course are integrated in each formula in an individual optimised way to obtain a harmonious assortment, that can be easily picked up by the brush.

Another traditional quality criterion is the re-usability of the Horadam Aquarell water-colours while using the same formulation for tubes and pans. Both properties, the reusability and the control of the paint flow can only be achieved by pouring water-colours into pans in a liquid state, which is really unique.