YInMn Blue is drawing attention as the first synthetic inorganic pigment in almost 200 years. It was discovered fortuitously by a science team led by Professor Subramanian at Oregon State University while researching new raw materials for use in electrical systems.

The inspiration behind naming YInMn Blue comes from what some people may recall, the International Klein Blue, named by the French artist Yves Klein.

However, Klein blue is not technically a new blue, as it is said to be made based on synthetic ultramarine that was developed after the 19th century.

On the other hand, YInMn Blue is a color material developed when exploring the electronic properties of manganese oxide by heating high temperatures and was named by combining the contained elements which are Yttrium, Indium, and Manganese.

The most significant feature of this color is that it absorbs red and green light wavelengths and reflects blue light wavelengths.

Since it also has the characteristic of reflecting infrared rays significantly, it obtains such high vividness. At the same time, it is highly stable as a compound and has excellent durability and lightfastness.

Furthermore, this pigment is particularly resistant to water and oil, making it suitable for use in art production and as an industrial paint for exterior walls since it has passed the durability tests for industrial areas.

This compound pigment does not contain any toxic substances, and therefore, it meets the health and safety issues that are important in today's painting materials.

When applied to a surface, the color is similar to synthetic ultramarine blue and has a warm reddish tone that differs from the neutral blue represented by CMYK on printed materials.

PIGMENT TOKYO has been carrying YInMn Blue acrylic paint and pigment since 2018 and is available to purchase in-store and online shop.

And now, we are pleased to announce that we have started selling oil paint made with YInMn Blue as a limited edition product within Japan.

Since YInMn Blue is a pigment that has only been in distribution for a short time, it was necessary to conduct original recipe research to develop oil paint in a tube.

To pursue this project, we cooperated with Holbein Art Materials, an art materials manufacturing company that has its headquarters in Osaka, Japan.

After several sample paints were produced under the supervision of PIGMENT TOKYO's art material experts, we finally created the recipe that brings out the most beautiful blue color and has the highest opacity.

(However, due to the high pigment concentration, the pigment and oil may separate over time. Please wipe off the oil with a tissue while using the product. This oil paint is formulated for long-term storage with no serious problems if kept in an unopened paint tube.)

Moreover, since this product uses poppy oil as a medium, it does not yellow as much as linseed oil, so it allows you to create your artwork while taking full advantage of the color of YInMn Blue.

The following picture is a color sample of the YInMn Blue oil paint applied to the black and white backgrounds.

【Art Materials Used】

Substrate: Canvas

Left Base Coat: Gesso

Right Base Coat: AQYLA paint (Carbon Black)

Medium: Linseed Oil

The sample at the top is painted with the oil paint from a tube by adding linseed oil to adjust the viscosity.

I added more medium to the paint to make the underlying color show through for the middle one.

The bottom sample is the oil paint straight out of the tube, applied with a dry brush.

Since it has moderate opacity, the oil paint itself can create a flat surface with few brushstrokes.

As you can see, the color turned out to be darker on the black undercoat.

For this article, I created the painting below by using the YInMn Blue oil paint.

《Study for The “Image”》Akira Oya, 2021

It is also painted with AQYLA paints as a base coat as in the color swatch above.

These are the colors I used.

Oil paints take longer to dry than water-based paints.

Therefore, a mixing technique that combines both oil and water-based paints allows artists to create work at a faster pace.

Moreover, unlike ordinary paints made by water-based emulsion, AQYLA paints use alkyd resin as the binder, which means that there is not as much difference in color before and after the paint dries, and it is easy to control.

Its extremely matte finish is perfect for this kind of mixing technique because it makes it easier to adjust the glossiness when adding layers on top of it.

On top of the undercoat, I painted a thin layer of YinMn Blue. The darker part is painted with the color straight from the tube, and the lighter part is YInMn Blue with some Silver White.

YInMn Blue oil paint is available in limited quantities.

Therefore, it’s a perfect chance for you to visit and take a look at the "world's newest blue" created by the leading art material manufacturers in Japan and PIGMENT TOKYO.

Translated by Atsumi Okano,Nelson Hor Ee Herng

PIGMENT TOKYO Art Materials Expert