There are five main minerals used as pigments, they are azurite and malachite (copper minerals of blue and green), orpiment (brilliant yellow), cinnabar (bright red), and lapis lazuli (clear blue). Other colors can also be made using simple chemistry.

Copper is an important element in making pigments. It produces the colors that the earth pigments cannot.

Verdigris - This was an early artificial lime-blue pigment made by sandwiching layers of copper and grapeskin crushings, apple cider, or acetic acid together. It is not a very reliable pigment.

Viridian - This pigment is made from chromium hydroxide and is bright emerald green in color.

Prussian Blue - This is a greenish-blue pigment made from iron salt, potash, and blood.

Chromes - There are a variety of chrome pigments ranging from yellow to orange to green. All of these pigments are slightly toxic.

Manganese dioxide is the base for several pigments, specifically manganese blue, manganese violet, and manganese black.

Cadmium is a slightly toxic pigment that can be found in zinc mines. It has a wide range of colors in the red-yellow spectrums. The colors usually seen are cadmium red, red-purple, deep yellow, yellow-lemon, and yellow-orange.

Lead - Flake white or lead white is made using the stack method. This consisted of using clay pots containing vinegar and stacking with horse manure, tanners bark or grapeskins to provide carbon dioxide and warmth. This process would corrode lead, forming lead carbonate. The lead carbonate is then washed, dried, and ground. White lead dust is poisonous.

Alizarin - This is a synthetic pigment derived from coal tar. The colors it produces range from scarlet (Alizarin Crimson) to maroon (Alizarin Madder Light).

Asphaltum (black) is made from asphalt.

Cobalt - This is an element whose name means "goblin of the mines." Cobalt is blue and is used in the manufacture of blue glass and ceramic pigments. Cobalt violet can be made from the combination of cobalt and arsenic (highly toxic) or cobalt phosphate (non-toxic).

Zinc White - This non-toxic, semiopaque pigment is made by burning zinc vapors. It is cold white.

Cerulean Blue - This pigment is made from heating cobalt sulfate with tin salts and silica. It is slightly cooler than Cobalt Blue having a greenish tinge.