Knowra Sienna Sienna Sienna is a natural earth pigment colored mainly by iron oxides and hydrated iron oxides. Heating it produces burnt sienna, a deeper reddish-brown pigment.
Iron oxide : A chemical compound composed of iron and oxygen, several forms of which give minerals and pigments red, brown, or yellow colors. Iron oxides supply sienna’s characteristic earthy color.
Burnt sienna : A reddish-brown pigment made by heating natural sienna to alter its iron compounds. It is the heat-treated form whose color contrasts with raw sienna.
Siena : A historic city in Tuscany, Italy, whose name is associated with the earth pigment sienna. The pigment’s name is traditionally connected to this Tuscan city and its surrounding earth.
Oil painting : A painting medium in which pigments are suspended in a drying oil binder. Sienna is used in oil painting for warm earth tones and underpainting.
Raw umber : A natural brown earth pigment containing iron and manganese compounds, typically darker and cooler than raw sienna. Its darker, cooler hue distinguishes it from raw sienna.
Goethite : An iron oxyhydroxide mineral with a yellow-brown color and a common component of ochre deposits. Its hydrated iron compounds help make raw sienna yellowish brown.
Raw sienna : A yellowish-brown earth pigment used without the heating that produces burnt sienna. It is the unheated form of the pigment named on this page.
Ochre : A natural earth pigment colored by iron oxides, ranging from yellow through red to brown. Sienna is an iron-rich earth color within the broader family of ochres.
Watercolor painting : A painting technique using water-soluble pigment, usually applied in transparent washes. Sienna can produce transparent washes and muted natural colors in watercolor.
Burnt umber : A dark brown pigment made by heating raw umber, which deepens its color. It is a heat-treated earth pigment, but usually darker and less reddish than burnt sienna.
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