Our Craft
FROM OUR FACTORY TO YOUR STUDIO, DISCOVER WHAT MAKES UTRECHT ARTISTS' COLORS SPECIAL.
HANDCRAFTED QUALITY
Professional, high-quality paint meets superior value. Made with pure, finely ground pigments, Utrecht paints are concentrated and milled to provide rich, consistent color comparable to other top brands. Discover the people behind our handcrafted paint and why it’s the ideal choice for artists of all levels.
GROUNDWORK
For over 70 years our Chemists continue to formulate and test mixtures of specially sourced pigments and other ingredients in order to establish the highest-quality performance standards for each unique color space.
Our artists’ color pigments are evaluated by a Colorist whose keen eye for attention to the finest of details ensures each pigment selected will promote optimal brilliance and permanence. These select pigments will be masterfully ground in refined linseed oil, the integrity of Utrecht Artists’ Oil Colors rest in large on these unchanged protocols since our beginning.
TESTING & EVALUATING
Next, we test each formulation for its stability, lightfastness, consistency, color brilliance, and tint strength. Once all parameters are met, we move to independent lab testing by our Toxicologist. While most of our color lines are non-toxic, select pigments require specific safety information.
Final formulations are then tested in the lab on smaller equipment. They are eventually taken to the millhouse to run test pilot batches to ensure each formulation meets the highest quality of standards.
MIXING QUALITY COLORS
Material Handlers gather and weigh each ingredient according to the formula. Ingredients are then loaded into mixing vats in a specific order that is precisely controlled by the Chemist to obtain optimal homogeneous mixtures. The duration of mixing time is determined by each pigment’s distinct oil absorption rates, and ensures that pigment particles are thoroughly coated before they reach the milling process.
FINELY MILLED FOR PERFORMANCE
Millers load color onto three large rollers, each running at different speeds. The loading/mixing roller and middle roller apply some pressure and reduce the paint paste further in particle size. Once engaged, the third roller can apply pressure at thousands of pounds per square inch. Some colors repeat this process anywhere from two to five passes.
Throughout the process a QC Technician evaluates the fineness of particle size in the color batch using a special grind gauge — the goal is to achieve 7.5 micrometers. The fineness of grind aids in the consistency and the long-term performance of the artists’ colors.
TRUE COLORS ON EVERY LABEL
Empty tubes are inspected and prepared for the Labeler to apply the adhesive label by machine. Each label carries the color identity, size, pigment, and toxicology information.
Batch Fillers then load color into the tube filler hopper and run a test fill, checking the first many tube fills against the standard fill weights. If everything is correct, color is then filled in the tube from the bottom side and crimped on the machine.
Filled tubes are transported to the final station, where hand-painted color swatch bars are individually applied to the top of every tube, showing the tube’s true color.
