I previously explained how to mix your own version of mixed Daniel Smith colors, and now I’d like to do the same for Mission Gold! Recently I happened to be window-shopping their line and saw some good ones that gave me new ideas for cool mixes. That’s cool thing about exploring brands’ commercial mixes – even if you don’t buy the paint, it can inspire your own explorations at home, if you have the component colors.
As always, the caveat remains that I’ve made some judgement calls here (e.g. guessing which version of a single-pigment paint should be used when there are multiple), and I don’t know the proportions. Mission Gold also had some cases where they used a pigment in a mix that they didn’t offer singly, such as PV15 and (I suspect) some versions of the PBr7 earth tones.
I’m working off the Mission Gold Color Grid on Jackson’s Art. For the component colors, I’ll use the Mission Gold names for the single-pigment paints, but you could almost certainly substitute a different brands’ version.
The Mixes
Jaune Brilliant No. 1: Red Orange (PO73) + Permanent Yellow Deep (PY65) + Titanium White (PW6)
Jaune Brilliant No. 2: The same with the addition of PBr7 – some kind of earth tone. Van Dyke Brown is the only single-pigment PBr7 that Mission Gold offers, but I think that would be too dark. Traditionally raw sienna, burnt sienna, raw umber, and burnt umber are all made from PBr7 (though all of Mission Gold’s versions are mixes), but they may have used any of those hues in this paint. Experiment with any of your earth tones to reach the hue you like.
Aureolin: Lemon Yellow (PY3) + Red Brown (PBr25). This looks like it is far, far, far more PY3 than PBr25.
Naples Yellow: Permanent Yellow Light (PY154) + Permanent Yellow Deep (PY65) + Titanium White (PW6)
Gamboge: Permanent Yellow Light (PY154) + Red Orange (PO73) + PBr7 (see Jaune Brilliant No 2 for note about PBr7)
Vermilion: Permanent Red (PR112) + Red Orange (PO73)
Light Red: Red Brown (PBr25) + Permanent Red (PR112) + Green Gold (PY150)
Compose Opera: Permanent Rose (PV19) + Permanent Magenta (PR122) + Titanium White (PW6)
Shell Pink: Red Orange (PO73) + Titanium White (PW6)
Brilliant Pink: Cherry Red (PR209) + Titanium White (PW6)
Compose Rose: Permanent Magenta (PR122) + Titanium White (PW6)
Rubine: Permanent Red Deep (PR254) + Permanent Magenta (PR122)
Permanent Alizarin Crimson: Permanent Rose (PV19) + Perylene Maroon (PR179) + Permanent Magenta (PR122)
Red Violet: Permanent Magenta (PR122) + Ultramarine Light (PB29)
Ultramarine Violet: Ultramarine Violet (PV15) + Cerulean Blue (PB15:3) + Permanent Magenta (PR122). This is a confusing situation. This color is named Ultramarine Violet, and contains the PV15 pigment (typically called Ultramarine Violet), but also another blue and magenta to make it stronger since PV15 is a weak pigment. Mission Gold doesn’t offer a single-pigment PV15, so for this and other mixes requiring it, you would need another brand’s single-pigment PV15 (or use this one but live with the mixes being a bit different).
Lilac: Ultramarine Violet (PV15) + Permanent Magenta (PR122) + Titanium White (PW6). See note on Ultramarine Violet.
Violet Gray: The same as Lilac, but mixed with Crimson Lake (PR202).
Compose Violet & Compose Violet Deep: Cerulean Blue (PB15:3) + Permanent Magenta (PR122). Same mix, but I suspect the ‘deep’ version uses more blue.
Violet Lake: Cerulean Blue (PB15:3) + Anthraquinone Red (PR177). Note you must use another brand’s PR177 as Mission Gold doesn’t offer one; however, I actually think any middle red would work the same (or better), since PR177 isn’t lightfast anyway. I’d advise using Permanent Red or Permanent Red Deep here.
Bright Clear Violet: Methyl Violet (PV3:2) + Ultramarine Light (PB29) + Permanent Magenta (PR122). This is not really possible to mix on your own because neither Mission Gold, nor any other company I’m aware of, offers Methyl Violet. However, the resulting color is very similar to Dioxazine Violet.
Shadow Violet: Viridian Hue (PG7) + Permanent Magenta (PR122)
Blue Violet: Ultramarine Light (PB29) + Permanent Magenta (PR122)
Lavender: Ultramarine Violet (PB15) + Ultramarine Light (PB29) + Titanium White (PW6). See note under Ultramarine Violet above.
Ultramarine Deep: Ultramarine Light (PB29) + Ultramarine Violet (PV15). See note under Ultramarine Violet above.
Mijello Blue: Prussian Blue (PB27) + Crimson Lake (PR202)
Cobalt Blue No. 1: Cobalt Blue No. 2 (PB28) + Ultramarine Light (PB29). I find it very weird that the single pigment cobalt is no. 2 and the mix is no. 1, but whatever. The Mission Gold line does this a few times; Yellow Ochre is the same way.
Verditer Blue: Cobalt Blue No. 2 (PB28) + Titanium White (PW6)
Blue Grey: Cobalt Blue No. 2 (PB28) + Titanium White (PW6) + Cerulean Blue (PB15:3)
Marine Blue & Peacock Blue: Cerulean Blue (PB15:3) + Viridian Hue (PG7). It looks like Marine Blue has more blue and Peacock Blue has more green.
Emerald Green: Lemon Yellow (PY3) + Viridian Hue (PG7) + Titanium White (PW6)
Cobalt Green Hue: Viridian Hue (PG7) + Titanium White (PW6)
Cobalt Turquoise: Cobalt Blue No. 2 (PB28) + Lemon Yellow (PY3) + Titanium White (PW6)
Manganese Blue: Cerulean Blue (PB15:3) + Titanium White (PW6)
Compose Blue: Bamboo Green (PG36) + Cerulean Blue (PB15:3) + Titanium White (PW6)
Turquoise Blue: Viridian Hue (PG7) + Cerulean Blue (PB15:3) + Titanium White (PW6)
Greenish Blue: Cerulean Blue (PB15:3) + Bamboo Green (PG36)
Indigo: Ultramarine Light (PB29) + Prussian Blue (PB27) + Ivory Black (PBk7)
Prussian Green: Prussian Blue (PB27) + Viridian Hue (PG7)
Green Grey: Bamboo Green (PG36) + PBr7 + Titanium White (PW6). See note under Jaune Brilliant No. 1 about PBr7.
Shadow Green: Viridian Hue (PG7) + Ivory Black (PBk7)
Vandyke Green: Viridian Hue (PG7) + Red Brown (PBr25)
Chromium Oxide Green: Yellow Ochre No. 2 (PY42) + Bamboo Green (PG36). Note this is a hue – the typical single pigment color under this name is PG17.
Hooker’s Green: Bamboo Green (PG36) + Red Brown (PBr25) + Green Gold (PY150)
Sap Green: Bamboo Green (PG36) + Green Gold (PY150)
Olive Green: Bamboo Green (PG36) + Green Gold (PY150) + Permanent Red (PR112)
Permanent Green No. 1: Lemon Yellow (PY3) + Viridian Hue (PG7)
Permanent Green No. 2: Lemon Yellow (PY3) + Permanent Yellow Deep (PY65) + Viridian Hue (PG7)
Yellow Green & Leaf Green: Bamboo Green (PG36) + Lemon Yellow (PY3). It looks like Leaf Green has more yellow.
Greenish Yellow: Green Gold (PY150) + Bamboo Green (PG36) + Permanent Yellow Deep (PY65)
Melon Green: Viridian Hue (PG7) + Lemon Yellow (PY3) + Titanium White (PW6)
Yellow Ochre No. 1: Yellow Ochre No. 2 (PY42) + Green Gold (PY150)
Gold Brown: Red Brown (PBr25) + Permanent Yellow Deep (PY65)
Raw Sienna: Yellow Ochre No. 2 (PY42) + Permanent Yellow Deep (PY65) + Red Brown (PBr25)
Raw Sienna No. 2: Yellow Ochre No. 2 (PY42) + Red Brown (PBr25) + PBr7. See note under Jaune Brilliant No. 1 about PBr7.
Burnt Sienna: Red Brown (PBr25) + Permanent Red (PR112) + Green Gold (PY150)
Burnt Umber: PBr7 + Red Brown (PBr25) + Green Gold (PY150). See note under Jaune Brilliant No. 1 about PBr7.
Raw Umber: PBr7 + Permanent Yellow Deep (PY65). See note under Jaune Brilliant No. 1 about PBr7.
Sepia: PBr7 + Ivory Black (PBk7). I could believe this PBr7 is Vandyke Brown.
Payne’s Gray: Cerulean Blue (PB15:3) + Permanent Rose (PV19) + Ivory Black (PBk7)
Neutral Tint: Prussian Blue (PB27) + Ivory Black (PBk7) + Permanent Magenta (PR122)
Davy’s Grey: Lemon Yellow (PY3) + Ivory Black (PBk7) + Titanium White (PW6) + Prussian Blue (PB27)
Grey of Grey: Ivory Black (PBk7) + Titanium White (PW6) + Indanthrone Blue (PB60)
Yellow Grey: Permanent Yellow Light (PY154) + Ivory Black (PBk7) + Titanium White (PW6) + PBr7. See note under Jaune Brilliant No. 1 about PBr7.
Top Mixing Pigments
Going by the amount they are used in Mission Gold commercial mixes, here are the top mixing pigments you need to mix up colors similar to the Mission Gold line. (I left off colors that are used in under 3 mixes, and I didn’t include the single pigment versions in the count.)
- Titanium White (PW6) – 23 [this could also be Zinc White, which is another single pigment PW6]
- Permanent Magenta (PR122) – 14
- Cerulean Blue (PB15:3) – 12 [aka Phthalo Blue Green Shade]
- Viridian (PG7) – 12 [aka Phthalo Green Blue Shade]
- Bamboo Green (PG36) – 10 [aka Phthalo Green Yellow Shade]
- Lemon Yellow (PY3) – 9
- Permanent Yellow Deep (PY65) – 9
- Red Brown (PBr25) – 9
- Unknown PBr7 – 9
- Green Gold (PY150) – 8
- Ivory Black (PBk7) – 8
- Ultramarine Light (PB29) – 6
- Red Orange (PO73) – 5
- Prussian Blue (PB27) – 5
- Permanent Red (PR112) – 4 [this could also be Scarlet Lake, which is a single pigment PR112]
- Ultramarine Violet (PV15) – 4 [another brand’s]
- Cobalt Blue No. 2 (PB28) – 4
- Yellow Ochre No. 2 (PY42) – 4
- Permanent Yellow Light (PY154) – 3
- Permanent Rose (PV19) – 3
Conclusion
Mission Gold makes a lot of pastels with white, and mixes more earth colors than you’d expect. Permanent Magenta is an amazing mixer, as well as the Phthalos (you probably wouldn’t notice much difference between PG7 and PG36 in your mixes, btw, so you could get a lot of mileage out of just one of them). Another surprisingly high performer is Red Brown (PBr25), a color I haven’t seen a lot elsewhere. I was intrigued by the use of Red Brown to mute down green mixes, such as in Vandyke Green, which is just PG7 + PBr25. I’ve started mixing this one at home!