Ocher is a pigment and a color name. It refers to a family of earth pigments made primarily from ferric oxide (iron oxide) combined with clay or sand, yielding colors that range from yellow to brown and reddish tones. The term is used both for the pigment itself and for the color derived from that pigment. Key points:
- As a pigment: Ocher variants are formed from iron oxide-hydroxide with varying amounts of impurities and binder materials, producing different hues within the yellow-to-brown spectrum. This is reflected in common classifications like yellow ochre, red ochre, and brown ochre.
- As a color: The color associated with ocher typically spans pale yellow to darker yellow-brown, often used in art, painting, and design to convey earthy, natural tones.
- Spelling: In American English, the pigment is often called “ocher,” while “ochre” is more common in British English. The two spellings refer to the same family of pigments.
If you’d like, I can provide examples of where ocher appears in art history, its chemical composition in detail, or color-mused equivalents in design palettes.
