Color Comparison

What’s the difference between Burnt Sienna (PBr7) and Terra Cotta (PR102)?

by
From left: DV Burnt Sienna; DV Terra Cotta; DV Indian Red

Burnt Sienna (PBr7) and Terra Cotta (PR102) are two lovely earth oranges that I will compare from Da Vinci. I pictured them above with Indian Red (PR101) to demonstrate how they are much more similar to each other than to an earth red, and prove to myself that Terra Cotta is really an earth orange. Because its pigment number is similar to Indian Red’s and because other brands call PR102 “Light Red”, I keep wanting to lump it in as an earth red, but it’s really very orange. It therefore vies for the same palette slot as Burnt Sienna. So which of these two earth oranges do I want in my dream palette?

Read more

Another Earth Yellow showdown!

by

My last Earth Yellow showdown is not, it turns out, the last word on earth yellows! I love earth yellow and I collect them. I’ve added a few more to the comparison. Here’s every color in the map above. I tried to put these in roughly cool-to-warm order (greenest undertone to orangest undertone). Top row: … Read more

What’s the difference between Perylene Scarlet (PR149) and Perylene Red (PR178)?

by

Today I’m comparing two colors that are both named Perylene Red, but use different pigments.

DV Perylene Red (PR149) vs. DS Perylene Red (PR178)

Read more

What’s the difference between Imidazolone Lemon and Imidazolone Yellow?

by

In this Color Comparison, I’ll compare two similar yellows that I love: Imidazolone Lemon (PY175) and Imidazolone Yellow (PY154). Both are very bold, lightfast yellows that can be used as a primary yellow in a palette. Either one of them, if you showed it to me, I would be like “yup that’s the platonic ideal of yellow,” but next to each other I can see how they are actually kind of different.

Read more

Color Comparison: Phthalo Green (PG7) vs Cobalt Turquoise (PG50) for Mixing Spring Greens

by

I’ve always found Phthalo Green Blue Shade (PG7) to be the most useful mixer for bold, bright, new, spring shoots. Compared to blues, even the very bright and greenish Phthalo Blue Green Shade (PB15:3), Phthalo Green consistently makes cleaner, brighter greens. In my post Mixing Watercolor Greens for the Foliage of the Northeast, Season by Season, I recommended PG7 and Lemon Yellow (PY175 or PY3) for the best spring green mixes. After doing a tutorial with Paul George, I began mixing up spring greens with another color: Cobalt Turquoise (PG50). So how do these colors really compare?

Read more

Earth Yellow Showdown: Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna Deep, MANS, and Raw Sienna

by

Previously, I’ve asked What’s the difference between MANS and Yellow Ochre? Today, I’m adding a couple more earth yellows for a big showdown between Da Vinci Yellow Ochre, Da Vinci Raw Sienna Deep, Daniel Smith Monte Amiata Natural Sienna (MANS), and Da Vinci Raw Sienna. Which of these belongs in the earth yellow slot in my palette?

Color comparison of Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna Deep, MANS, and Raw Sienna

Read more

Indanthrone Blue vs. Indanthrene Blue

by

Most watercolor brands offer a PB60 paint, often called Indanthrone or Indathrene Blue. As far as I know, there is no official distinction between the words Indanthrone (with an “o”) and Indanthrene (with an “e”) – I think they are synonyms. But I own two PB60 paints, one called Indanthrone and one called Indanthrene, and … Read more