Listed below is a breakdown of the many constituents of the various inks in use today.

White – Titanium dioxide, Zinc oxide

Yellow – Cadmium sulfide (cadmium yellow), Ochre

Violet – Manganese violet

Green – Malachite green, Lead chromate, Ferro-ferric cyanide, Curcumin green, Chrome oxide (Casalis green),

Hydrated chromium sesquioxide (Guignet’s green) & Phthalocyamine dyes (copper salts with yellow coal tar dyes)

Red – Mercury sulfide (cinnabar), Cadmium selenide (cadmium red) & Sienna (ochre-ferric hydrate and ferric sulfate)

Blue – Cobaltic aluminate (azure blue)

Black – Carbon, Iron oxide & Logwood (extract from logwood tree)

Flesh – Iron oxides (a variant of color)