{"title":"Optimist Mixable Color","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"federal-color-optimist-mixable-color-cmyk-set-of-6","title":"Federal Color Optimist Mixable Color CMYK+ Set of 6","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eWe are excited to be one of the first exclusive partners with our good friends at Federal Color in St Louis, MO! \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eOptimist CMYK+ Set of 6\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCMYK+ is Federal Color's complete mixing system, with a color range and intensity that go way beyond standard mixing sets from other brands. Unlike classic red-yellow-blue color mixing, CMYK allows for brighter secondary colors (especially purple and green) and an overall wider range of hues. Our Primary Cyan, Primary Magenta, Primary Yellow, and Black are designed to work perfectly together, with matching pigment loads and handling characteristics that enable clearer, cleaner mixed colors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhat's the \"plus\" in CMYK+? That would be the White and Colorless Shellac Medium, both included in this box. The white is incredibly opaque, thanks to its extremely high pigmentation, and allows you to make lovely pastel shades from each mixed color you create. The colorless medium allows perfect dilutions of each mixed color, increasing transparency and gloss while increasing the chroma of darker colors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe CMYK+ Set of 6 includes Federal's 50 mL Precision Bottles in Primary Cyan, Primary Magenta, Primary Yellow, White, Black, and Colorless Shellac Medium, all in a slide-out box with foil stamping. It's a great gift for any artist and an excellent starting point for anyone interested in working with inks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAbout Optimist: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIntroducing Optimist Mixable Color, Federal Color's original ink for art and design. Optimist is made with natural shellac, a beautiful organic resin that binds pigment to paper, resists UV radiation, and dries totally waterproof. Unlike many drawing inks, Optimist includes only lightfast pigments, so the colors mix perfectly, and your work can be displayed for many years without fading.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eUse \u0026amp; Care Tips\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eUsing Optimist Mixable Color is simple: grab a dip pen or brush and get some ink on it. You can use Optimist straight from the bottle; it's highly fluid and moves smoothly across paper. You can also dilute it with Optimist Colorless Medium, the purest form of our water-based shellac. (Dilution with water is possible, and produces some nice textures and effects, but please note that adding water will change the characteristics of the ink and make it less waterproof.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOptimist dries quickly (within a few minutes for a normal application), so you can layer more inks or watercolors over it with no blending or bleeding. It's also an ideal choice for adding opaque highlights and shadows to your watercolor pieces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eShake well before using. Keep brushes wet during use and wash promptly for best results. To clean up, try a bottle of Optimist Ink Solvent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOptimist Story\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOur good friends at St. Louis Art Supply opened their art supply business in 2015, and one of the first things they learned was how to make india ink. Their original formula was hand-mixed and much less consistent than Optimist, but their customers loved it because traditional shellac-based ink is just special, and it's not that easy to find anymore. Most manufacturers have replaced shellac with acrylic polymer, which has its advantages but is simply not as beautiful as shellac resin.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThey stopped selling that early ink recipe a couple years later, but ever since, they've been researching and refining—not to mention, they added a powerful three-roll mill to disperse their pigments with total consistency. Finally, they're experiencing the magic of shellac ink again (we think it smells really nice, even if you remember that it's made by bugs). But now, St. Louis Art Supply's brand new color house, Federal Color, also has the technology and experience to make it a consistent option for serious artists. We are sure this elemental material will improve your flow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMore Info\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEach color in this set is packaged in a 50 mL Precision Bottle, which is squeezable and can dispense a drop or a full stream.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eConforms to ASTM D-4236. Made in the United States.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e We are proudly an approved Federal Color retailer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Federal Color","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44646185074917,"sku":"20010","price":59.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1989\/7529\/files\/optimistcmykplussetext_1of1_2dfcf4f8-d071-488c-ad38-e7f1b597557a_2400x_jpg.webp?v=1708546538"},{"product_id":"federal-color-optimist-colorless-shellac-medium","title":"Federal Color Optimist Colorless Shellac Medium","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eWe are excited to be one of the first exclusive partners with our good friends at Federal Color in St Louis, MO! \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe heart of Optimist Mixable Color is shellac medium. This magical amber liquid is the perfect binder for all kinds of pigments because it's strong, flexible, UV-resistant, and waterproof. Unlike acrylic mediums, our Colorless Shellac makes gorgeous transparent glazes when used in high proportions with color.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAdd Colorless Shellac Medium to Optimist inks to make them lighter, more transparent and glossier. Using shellac-thinned Optimist colors, you can make complex, multi-layered paintings. Paper and pigment textures are more noticeable, and the ink moves more freely. With high proportions of medium, you'll create thin, shiny layers that look almost like stained glass. With smaller proportions, you can achieve bright, high-chroma colors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat is Shellac?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShellac is made by insects, much like beeswax or silk. It is a reddish, resinous substance that is deposited on tree branches by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003ekerria lacca,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003einformally known as a lac bug. These tiny insects are native to South Asia, which is why shellac-based inks are often called \"India ink,\" even when they are made nowhere near India.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShellac is a natural thermoplastic, predating all synthetic plastics and offering a much better environmental profile—since there are no fossil fuels involved in shellac's synthesis. The cultivation process is much lower-carbon than other forms of agriculture, because lac farmers use existing trees to host their colonies. Lac is an economic reason to protect the forests, rather than cut them down to cultivate other crops.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce the farmers scrape the raw \"sticklac\" from the tree bark, they heat it over a fire to liquefy it, allowing them to filter out the bark and other impurities. Some shellac (like the premium material that we use) also undergoes dewaxing, in which the 10% wax content of raw shellac is removed. This leaves a nearly pure resin that can be turned into a food additive, a protective coating, an adhesive... or, a bottle of ink.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e We are proudly an approved Federal Color retailer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Federal Color","offers":[{"title":"50 mL Precision Bottle","offer_id":49887894339813,"sku":"20006","price":8.05,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200 mL Precision Bottle","offer_id":45215964299493,"sku":"20012","price":16.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1989\/7529\/files\/2025-optimist-medium-both.webp?v=1782252640"},{"product_id":"federal-color-optimist-ink-solvent","title":"Federal Color Optimist Ink Solvent","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e(The image with the black cap reflects newer packaging) Optimist Mixable Color is waterproof, so it can be tricky to remove from surfaces and brushes if it dries. That's why we created Optimist Ink Solvent, a gentle solvent that breaks the chemical bonds in wet or dry shellac.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSqueeze Optimist Ink Solvent onto your palette and brushes after a painting session, and our shellac-based ink will quickly start to break up and peel away. Rinse brushes after using Ink Solvent for best results.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOptimist Ink Solvent is packaged in a 200 mL Precision Bottle. Squeeze the bottle to dispense a controlled flow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e We are proudly an approved Federal Color retailer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Federal Color","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45215973441765,"sku":"20017","price":6.76,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1989\/7529\/files\/new200mloptimistsolventv3.png?v=1728420102"},{"product_id":"federal-color-optimist-mixable-color-sletching-set-of-6","title":"Federal Color Optimist Mixable Color Sketching Set of 6","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eWe are excited to be one of the first exclusive partners with our good friends at Federal Color in St Louis, MO! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eOptimist Sketching Set of 6\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOptimist Mixable Color is an intensely-pigmented, quick-drying, waterproof ink—perfect for sketching and mixed media art. This box contains six intense colors, ready to use right from the bottle. Feel free to drip Optimist straight from the Precision Bottle onto the page—or get a bit more specific by applying Optimist colors with your favorite brushes and dip pens.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Optimist Sketching Set includes six bold colors that aren't found in the standard \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/mcartsupplies.sbs\/products\/federal-color-optimist-mixable-color-cmyk-set-of-6?_pos=1\u0026amp;_psq=federal-color\u0026amp;_ss=e\u0026amp;_v=1.0\" rel=\"noopener\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/mcartsupplies.sbs\/products\/federal-color-optimist-mixable-color-cmyk-set-of-6?_pos=1\u0026amp;_psq=federal-color\u0026amp;_ss=e\u0026amp;_v=1.0\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCMYK+ Mixing Set\u003c\/a\u003e. Slide open the box to find six 50 mL Precision Bottles filled with Prussian Blue, Red Violet, Mediterranean, Basil, Federal Red, and Tangerine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAbout Optimist: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIntroducing Optimist Mixable Color, Federal Color's original ink for art and design. Optimist is made with natural shellac, a beautiful organic resin that binds pigment to paper, resists UV radiation, and dries totally waterproof. Unlike many drawing inks, Optimist includes only lightfast pigments, so the colors mix perfectly, and your work can be displayed for many years without fading.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eUse \u0026amp; Care Tips\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eUsing Optimist Mixable Color is simple: grab a dip pen or brush and get some ink on it. You can use Optimist straight from the bottle; it's highly fluid and moves smoothly across paper. You can also dilute it with Optimist Colorless Medium, the purest form of our water-based shellac. (Dilution with water is possible, and produces some nice textures and effects, but please note that adding water will change the characteristics of the ink and make it less waterproof.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOptimist dries quickly (within a few minutes for a normal application), so you can layer more inks or watercolors over it with no blending or bleeding. It's also an ideal choice for adding opaque highlights and shadows to your watercolor pieces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eShake well before using. Keep brushes wet during use and wash promptly for best results. To clean up, try a bottle of Optimist Ink Solvent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOptimist Story\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOur good friends at St. Louis Art Supply opened their art supply business in 2015, and one of the first things they learned was how to make india ink. Their original formula was hand-mixed and much less consistent than Optimist, but their customers loved it because traditional shellac-based ink is just special, and it's not that easy to find anymore. Most manufacturers have replaced shellac with acrylic polymer, which has its advantages but is simply not as beautiful as shellac resin.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThey stopped selling that early ink recipe a couple years later, but ever since, they've been researching and refining—not to mention, they added a powerful three-roll mill to disperse their pigments with total consistency. Finally, they're experiencing the magic of shellac ink again (we think it smells really nice, even if you remember that it's made by bugs). But now, St. Louis Art Supply's brand new color house, Federal Color, also has the technology and experience to make it a consistent option for serious artists. We are sure this elemental material will improve your flow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMore Info\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEach color in this set is packaged in a 50 mL Precision Bottle, which is squeezable and can dispense a drop or a full stream.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eConforms to ASTM D-4236. Made in the United States.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Federal Color","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46106661617893,"sku":"20042","price":59.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1989\/7529\/files\/2024ItoyaofAmerica-U.S.RetailPriceList-v.2.0.webp?v=1725984210"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1989\/7529\/collections\/optimist_cmykplus_beauty_1_of_1_-2.jpg?v=1732309737","url":"https:\/\/mcartsupplies.sbs\/es\/collections\/optimist-mixable-color.oembed","provider":"MC Art Supplies","version":"1.0","type":"link"}