Sepia, sepia brown, or sepia brown is a weakly saturated, dark orange-red color that can be found in old photographs, on furniture, and on any other object. It is corresponding to the coloration of the resulting pigment ink of sepia or cuttlefish, a marine cephalopod like squid.
Summary
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- 1 Etymology
- 2 Obtaining
- 3 Uses
- 4 Substitute pigments
- 5 References
Etymology
From Latin sepĭa (although with more remote origin in the Greek language) from Greek σηπία sēpía.
Obtaining
Historically, the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), which was fished in the Adriatic Sea and whose ink has been used at least since Roman antiquity, has been preferred to obtain the sepia pigment. Cuttlefish ‘ink’ is a blackish-brown secretion that the animal retains in a special bag-shaped organ, expelling it in case of threat, in order to darken the water and confuse its predators. It contains a pure eumelanin; it is very slightly soluble in water but soluble in alcohol, and it smells strongly of fish.
Applications
For pictorial use Cuttlefish ink pigment is fairly lightfast and is used in watercolors, glazes, and as ink. As a drawing ink, it was particularly popular from the Renaissance on, 3 and from the late 18th or early 19th century, it partly displaced bistre and Chinese ink as a medium for gouache work.
For culinary use Cuttlefish ink is also used – without any pre-cooking treatment – in Mediterranean cuisine, either as a sauce or to color pasta.
Substitute pigments
Currently, sepia color for artistic painting is typically made from various mixtures of organic and inorganic pigments that mimic the coloration of the sepia ink pigment. Paints marketed as “sepia” are red to orange-red, blackish to semi-dark, and semi-saturated. to weak. Below is the appearance of some pure white lightened pictorial sepia colorations. The “sepia brown” is used especially for watercolor painting.
In general, sepia is used in watercolor, ink, chalk and lead for drawing and gouache.
