Next to lead white, raw umber is my most-used color. Because it’s fast drying, it’s ideal for every use case, whether I’m making a quick sketch or preparing the underpainting on a large painting. Additionally, its high transparency means it can produce the widest range of tones.
Raw umber has always been on my palette, and when I was young, I appreciated that this most versatile color was also the cheapest at the art supply dealer.
I am not the only raw umber appreciator. Given its good qualities, it isn’t surprising to learn that artists used it from the earliest times. It’s ubiquitous, for example, in the paintings of the Dutch Golden Age artists, who are probably the greatest craftsmen of all time.
I keep several fat tubes of raw umber in my kit, and I got several more tubes for this post. For those surprised to see I bought a tube of Old Holland, this does mean I’ve lifted my boycott of this brand. Old Holland’s raw umber is not much more expensive than the other brands. Like I said, raw umber is cheap.
There are a few things to consider when you buy raw umber. First, ensure the tube consists of a single pigment, PBr 7 natural iron oxide. All the tubes in this photo are single-pigmented except for the cheaper Rembrandt brand. Second, the hue can vary from cool greenish to warm yellowish, depending on the brand. This is a matter of taste, of course. The Williamsburg, Old Holland and Rembrandt brands are warm-hued, while the Harding and Winsor Newton brands are cooler. Williamsburg also makes a cool-hued variety called Italian raw umber. Old Holland produces a wonderfully rich, yellow-hued raw umber to give the devil his due. The Harding and Williamsburg paints are excellent, and as usual, the Winsor Newton paint holds its own with its more expensive competitors. I prefer the cool-hued types.
I used raw umber for the underpainting in this unfinished painting that I’m calling Grand Opening. I used the warm version of the color in a few places, such as the area behind the woman looking at the viewer and the cool version in most other areas.
