Diarylide yellow, often marketed as Indian Yellow, is a warm orangey yellow similar to Hansa Yellow Deep (PY65) or Isoindolinone Yellow Deep (PY110), but a bit less orange/more yellow than either. Typically only found in student ranges these days, it seems to have fallen out of favor somewhat as it is night quite as lightfast as similar colors. It’s one of those colors that’s most stable in masstone and fugitive in tints, so it’s still a useful color in gouache.
The watercolor example shown is Indian Yellow from the Van Gogh brand (Royal Talens student grade line). I also have it in gouache as Holbein’s Marigold.
Note that the term “Indian Yellow” can refer to other warm yellows, including Dioxine Yellow (PY153) and various mixes.
PY83 is also found in some popular commercial mixes, such as:
- Sennelier’s Sennelier Yellow Deep (PY153 + PY83)
- Holbein’s Permanent Yellow Deep (PY74 + PY83)
- Da Vinci’s Gold Ochre (PY43 + PY83)
- Art Spectrum’s or Daniel Smith’s Australian Red Gold (PR101 + PV19 + PY83)
- Sennelier’s or Jackson’s Hooker’s Green (PG36 + PY83)
Pigment Stats for Pigment Yellow 83
Pigment Description: Disazo, or diarylide, benzidine condensation
Lightfastness: Very Good (II) per ArtisCreation
Toxicity: Nontoxic (A) per ArtisCreation
Opacity: Semi-transparent
Observations of VG Indian Yellow
Hue: Warm yellow, in hue somewhere between Brilliant Hansa Yellow (PY74) and Hansa Yellow Deep (PY65)
Gradient: Very smooth.
Conclusion
I like the hue but there are more lightfast warm yellows that work just as well.
In my palette? Van Gogh Indian Yellow is in my watercolor B-team for now, but I have a feeling I’ll bump it as soon as I need room. Holbein’s Marigold is in my gouache palette, however, and gets a fair amount of use.