Ochre has been used since prehistoric times, but the product has really been used industrially thanks to the process invented by Jean-Etienne Astier, a native of Roussillon, in the late eighteenth century. He discovered the true characteristics of ochre and its unalterable colour. Once extracted, the ochre sand would be crushed and washed with water jets. The heavier sand would sink down and the pure ochre would be carried by the water to settling ponds to be dried. Then the ochre would be cut into pigments briquettes, crushed into powder, sorted by colours, baked to give it a more intense colour, sifted, then bagged. The pigment found its way into paints, pencils, cosmetics, food, rubber manufacturing, decorated porcelain, textiles.

Mix into Gum Arabic, waxes, gel medium, textile medium, gouache, clay, melted wax, nail varnish.

Add to fabrics, paper, Lutradur, Tyvek, glass, wood, ceramic.

Watercolour
Mix the pigments in a little water. Paint on watercolour paper. Seal with a fixative spray for best results. Add Gum Arabic to the pigment and water.

Acrylic
Mix the pigment with very little water and incorporate into any acrylic base.

Oil
Mix the pigments with turpentine.

A Tempera
Mix pigment with egg yolk

Patina
Mix linseed oil, turps and pigment. Coat with a brush. Buff with a soft cloth.