Some colours have a history. French Ultramarine has centuries of it. Once extracted from the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli at enormous expense, the synthetic version discovered by French chemist Jean-Baptiste Guimet in 1828 brought this rich, luminous blue within reach of every painter. It is warm, deep, slightly violet-leaning and semi-transparent in oil. It glazes beautifully, mixes exceptional purples with reds and rich neutrals with Burnt Sienna, and opens into clean sky tones with white. Art Spectrum Studio Blend Oil French Ultramarine puts this legendary pigment in a generous 150ml tube, triple-milled in linseed oil by one of Australia's most experienced paint makers.

What Makes This Colour Special

French Ultramarine is formulated from a single pigment, PB29. The warm, violet-biased undertone means it mixes toward purple when combined with reds, and toward softer, more naturalistic greens with yellows. For pure, vivid greens the cooler Phthalo Blue will outperform it. But for skies, shadow mixing and the full landscape palette, French Ultramarine is the more useful blue on the palette. It sits at the warm end of the blue spectrum and plays beautifully with earthy colours.

The semi-transparency rewards technique. Applied thinly over a warm yellow or orange underpainting, French Ultramarine produces rich, resonant optical colour. Layered in successive transparent glazes with linseed oil, it builds the kind of luminous depth that flat, opaque application cannot replicate. Applied thickly wet-into-wet, it blends with ease and holds soft transitions across skies and shadow areas.

Lightfastness is rated ASTM I, the highest available rating. PB29 is one of the most stable pigments in painting history, present in works that have survived centuries without fading. Use this colour in work you intend to sell or exhibit without concern.

Why Art Spectrum Studio Blend Oil Belongs on Your Palette

• Reliable studio-grade quality from a serious Australian maker. Art Spectrum has been manufacturing artists' materials in Melbourne since 1966. The Studio Blend range sits above student paint: proper lightfast pigments, proper linseed oil, no hidden shortcuts.
• Triple-milled in purest refined linseed oil. Proper pigment dispersion produces smooth, buttery consistency with excellent coverage and clean, predictable mixing across the palette.
• ASTM I lightfast pigments throughout. Every colour in the Studio Blend range is selected for lightfastness. French Ultramarine is rated ASTM I Excellent, the highest available.
• Made in Melbourne since 1966. Art Spectrum is based in Epping, Victoria. Six decades of Australian paint manufacturing is behind every tube.
• Non-toxic and compatible with all Art Spectrum mediums. Safe for studio use. Works with the full range of Art Spectrum oil mediums and varnishes without compatibility concerns.
• 150ml for sustained studio work. More paint per tube means less interruption across multiple sessions and canvases.

Getting the Most Out of This Tube

Oil paint's slow drying time is its greatest asset for blending. French Ultramarine applied wet-into-wet blends naturally on the canvas, making soft transitions in skies and gradual shadow shifts straightforward. Work a dry fan brush across wet paint to soften and feather edges before it sets.

For lean initial layers, thin with a small amount of odourless mineral spirits or turpentine. In upper layers, use linseed oil or an Art Spectrum painting medium rather than solvents alone to keep the film flexible and prevent long-term cracking. Fat over lean: leaner layers beneath, richer oilier layers on top.

For glazing, mix with Art Spectrum Linseed Oil or a dedicated glaze medium. Thin, successive layers of French Ultramarine over a warm dried underpainting produce optical depth that a single thick application simply cannot match.

About Art Spectrum Studio Blend Oil: Melbourne Made Since 1966

Art Spectrum has been manufacturing artists' materials in Epping, Victoria since 1966. The Studio Blend Oil range is the rebrand of the former Art Prism range, with fresh new packaging and artwork. The formula is unchanged. It is a studio-grade oil paint: above student quality, triple-milled, using lightfast pigments, and designed for working artists who want reliable colour at a practical price. The 26-colour palette covers the complete mixing spectrum and is fully compatible with all Art Spectrum oil mediums and varnishes.

Art Shed Online is an authorised Australian stockist of Art Spectrum products. All Art Spectrum Studio Blend Oil colours are sourced through official distribution channels. We ship Australia-wide.