PR102 is a natural iron oxide. In the pantheon of earth shades, it’s the natural equivalent to synthetic PR101 (which is used to make Transparent Red Oxide and Indian Red). Similar to Transparent Red Oxide or Burnt Sienna (PBr7), PR102 is a terra cotta or burnt orange shade.
Experiment Results
Gradient: Smooth gradient from intense earth orange-red through to a series of peach shades.
Granulating: No.
Opacity: Semi-opaque.
Quick Comparisons: Similar hue to Da Vinci’s Burnt Sienna Deep (PR101); I found it slightly more orangey and vibrant, but this could be because my BSD pan had blue in it from my using it to mix brown all the time. Similar hue to DS Quin Burnt Orange (PO48), but smooth and not granulating. I also found this color stronger. More orangey, less red, and more transparent than Indian Red (another PR101 variant).
Comparison to Other Brands
Holbein – Light Red (PR102)
Some brands, like Holbein, call this color Light Red, which is kind of funny because it’s closer to orange or brown IMO. Holbein’s version was a bit redder than DV’s, though, as well as weaker and less vibrant (more on the brownish side). It lacks the range of values for me to make it a really useful color.
Compared to Holbein’s Burnt Sienna, it’s much redder. However, I find Holbein’s Burnt Sienna a bit golder than many.
Winsor & Newton – Light Red
I really like this quite orange version, but it’s just a bit annoyingly weak (I had to do a few rounds to get this deep color in masstone; the lower bar is more representative.) Transparent and non-granulating.
Although I didn’t swatch it out, from color charts Cotman’s version (used by Ron Ranson) appears to be redder, closer to Venetian Red.
Greenleaf & Blueberry – Red Ochre
A gentle, earthy, semi-opaque version, between TRO and Indian Red in hue.
Color Mixes
Brilliant Hansa Yellow (PY74)
Nickel Azo Yellow (PY150)
Geranium Red (PR242)
Indanthrone Blue (PB60)
Indigo
Phthalo Blue
Phthalo Turquoise
Phthalo Green
My Review
I wasn’t impressed by the first PR102 I tried, Holbein Light Red, but I enjoyed DV’s much stronger version. It mixes in a similar way to my favorite Transparent Red Oxide, but it’s not granulating or color-separating, which means you lose some of the texture you might want (e.g. if painting sandstone), but gain some smoother and more homogenous mixes. For example, it’s pretty impossible to mix TRO with Phthalo Blue, because you just end up with specks, but Terra Cotta mixes with Phthalos very well.
There are a couple of drawbacks; I found in dry environments that it dried a bit unevenly, and it has a drying shift, losing vibrance when it dries, especially in tints and mixes.
Generally I think I’ll tend to stick with PR101, but I think PR102 has its place, especially if mixing with Phthalos.