Radiant Concentrated is a highly concentrated liquid dye. It requires shaking before use. Radiant has a pigmentation in it that makes it hazy on large areas of film (translucent). They are much brighter colors than Synchromatic and 12 fluorescent colors in the 56 color line.
The Synchromatic is completely transparent , does not require shaking before use. It is completely transparent on film and has been recommended by KODAK for photographic papers and film retouching and hand coloring. There are 38 colors in the line. Only three colors are fluorescent #24 & #28 and #37. Synchromatic is a step down in brilliance from Radiant Concentrated. Most colors in both lines can be intermixed.
2. Are Spectralite Liquid Acrylics or Hydrus Fine Art Watercolor an ink or a dye?
Spectralite and Hydrus are both made with Fine Art pigments. They are Lightfast Fine artist pigments. The same type of pigments used in tube watercolor and tube or paste acrylic. There is no dye in these products. Many artists mistake the word ink as a type of colorant. It is a generic term for a liquid color which can be either a dye or a pigment, (waterproof, water resistant, or water soluble).
3. Are Spectralite Liquid Acrylics or Hydrus Fine Art Watercolor Lightfast?
Yes , all of the colors in both lines are lighfast pigments.
4. What type of colorants are used in artist colors?
There are two basic types of colorants, Pigments and Dyes. However, there are many types of dyes and only a few type of pigments. Dyes can be classified as natural or synthetic. Within the class of synthetic dyes there are many types: i.e. acid, basic, mordant, fiber reactive, oil soluble, water soluble. In the Pigments there are the organic and inorganic , natural and synthetic. Do not mistake the word organic when applied to Pigments to mean "natural". It has a different meaning in chemistry.
6. How do I make a flesh color with Synchromatic Transparent?
Here are two formulas to make flesh
Pink tone: 4 oz. #4, 1 oz. #35, 1 oz. #33, 1 oz. 19, 1 oz. 27, add 30 oz. of water.
Brown tone: 4 oz. #4, 1 oz. #35, 1 oz. #33, 1 oz. #19, add 30 oz. of water
6. What qualifies as an ink?
When asking for ink specify the following choices :
a. Transparent or Opaque
b. Waterproof or Non-Waterproof
c. Pigment or Dye (particles in suspension or solution)
d. Lighfast or Non-Lightfast (fadeproof, or fading when exposed to light)
e. Colorfast or Non-Colorfast (washable, washfastness, on fabric)
f. Permanent ( can mean lightfast or colorfast or both)
g. Waterbased, or other solvent
h. Waterproofing agent: Acrylic, Shellac, Lacquor, etc.