The Art of Minerals

Have you ever wondered where some of the weird names on crayons and paints come from — Burnt Sienna, Umber, Cobalt Blue, Red Ochre, Coal Black and Titanium White? e names sound cool, but they’re not just for fun. ese names have a connection to how they’re made — they come from the minerals used to make the pigments that give color to the paint and crayons.

While we have nicely packaged, brightly-colored paints and crayons today, people have been creating art for thousands of years without store-bought items. It all started with rocks and dirt. People crushed rocks into powder, mixed the powder with water and started creating art on the walls of the caves they called home.