An opaque mid red made from genuine, chemically pure cadmium. It is more opaque than synthetic organic red pigments, which are often used to imitate cadmium red. Cadmium red is an artificial mineral pigment, introduced in the 1920’s as a lightfast alternative to vermilion. When used as a tint and in blends cadmium reds create less clean, more “natural”, hues than synthetic organic alternatives. This quality makes cadmiums particularly useful when blending colours to create realistic skin tones. Since there are not many lightfast red pigments suitable for artists use, and since we are capable of seeing so many nuances of colour in this area of the spectrum, cadmium has remained an important artists pigment. While it has excellent lightfastness (better than naphthol reds), it is not weatherfast, and is not recommended for outdoor murals. For guidelines on safe usage see health and safety information for cadmiums