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Sepia
#704214 · click to copy
Earth
HEX
#704214
RGB
112, 66, 20
CMYK
0%, 41%, 82%, 56%
Pigment
NBr9
Lightfastness
Poor to Moderate (III) — natural sepia fades in UV; modern substitutes are more stable
Moods & Keywords
brown
dark
warm
nostalgic
aged
vintage
ancient
Pigment & Material
NBr9
Natural
Melanin from cuttlefish ink sacs. The same brown-black pigment that gives squids their defensive ink.
Origin & History
Sepia has been used as a drawing medium since ancient Greece and Rome. Cephalopod ink was one of the few naturally brown-black drawing fluids available before the development of iron gall ink. Renaissance masters used it extensively for figure studies and compositional drawings. The word "sepia" entered cultural usage as a general term for aged, warm brown after the development of sepia-toned photography.
Also Known As
Seppia
Encre de Séche
Cuttle Brown
Indian Ink Brown
Psychology
Nostalgic, aged, and intimate. Sepia is the colour of memory — specifically of photographic memory, the warm brown of old photographs that transforms lived experience into historical document. It suggests the past made tangible, the irreversible quality of time. Associated with ancestor photographs, old letters, and the particular warmth of things that cannot be recovered.
In Culture
The "sepia tone" of early photographs gave the colour its strongest modern cultural association. The decision to tone photographs in sepia was originally practical (toning improved permanence) but became aesthetic — sepia now universally signals "the past." Digital photo filters labelled "sepia" reproduce this effect, demonstrating how thoroughly the colour has become synonymous with historical time.
Natural Sources
Ink sac of cephalopods — primarily the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis, giving the colour its name), also octopus and squid. The ink contains melanin pigment (eumelanin) dissolved in a mucous medium. Ancient Egyptians and Romans used cephalopod ink as a writing fluid. It was used as a drawing ink and watercolour wash from antiquity.
Making It Yourself
Genuine sepia from cuttlefish:
1. Obtain fresh or frozen cuttlefish (from fishmongers)
2. Carefully cut open the ink sac (avoid rupturing — it stains everything)
3. Collect the dark brown-black ink
4. Dilute with water for use as watercolour wash
5. Add gum arabic for body
Note: genuinely variable in colour — fresh ink is nearly black; diluted produces warm brown.
For richer sepia: reduce the ink solution by gentle heating.
1. Obtain fresh or frozen cuttlefish (from fishmongers)
2. Carefully cut open the ink sac (avoid rupturing — it stains everything)
3. Collect the dark brown-black ink
4. Dilute with water for use as watercolour wash
5. Add gum arabic for body
Note: genuinely variable in colour — fresh ink is nearly black; diluted produces warm brown.
For richer sepia: reduce the ink solution by gentle heating.
Art Movements
Ancient Greek and Roman Drawing
Renaissance Drawing
Victorian Photography (as aesthetic)
Famous Works
Leonardo da Vinci
drawings in sepia ink
Rembrandt
pen and wash drawings
Raphael
figure studies
Old photographs
the warm brown of early daguerreotypes and albumen prints is called "sepia" by association
Available As
Winsor & Newton — Sepia (NBr9 + PBk9)
Daniel Smith — Sepia (NBr9 + PBk9)
M. Graham — Sepia
Note: modern sepia paints often include additional pigments for improved lightfastness
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Colour data compiled with AI. Spot an error or have more to add? Leave a Note — ekphra reviews and updates.
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