Every major watercolor company has a version of Opera Pink, that fluorescent, neon, highlighter pink that pops so brightly! An unbelievably neon color, it’s great for pop colors, tropical florals, and gaudy sunsets. The downside? The fluorescence can fade quickly, making this a fugitive color.
The Stats
Pigments: Every Opera color I’ve seen uses pigment PR122, which is also known as Quinacridone Magenta, plus some sort of fluorescent dye (which they may or may not acknowledge). Some options:
| Color Index Code | Description | Example Paints |
|---|---|---|
| BR1 | Rhodamine 6G dye | Shinhan PWC – Opera; HO – Opera (gouache) |
| BR12 | Phloxine G | Shinhan PWC – Bright Rose |
| BV1 | Fluorescent Blue-Violet 1 | HO – Opera (gouache) |
| BV7 | Fluorescent Blue-Violet | MI – Bright Rose; MI – Bright Violet; HO – Brilliant Violet |
| BV10 | Rhodamine B dye | HO – Opera; MI – Brilliant Opera |
| BV11 | Rhodamine A dye | Turner – Opera Red; HO – Opera (gouache) |
| “red dyed polymer” | DV – Opus | |
| “fluor. pigment” | SH – Brilliant Opera Rose | |
| [no acknowledgement] | DS – Opera Pink; WN – Opera Rose |
As noted in the final row there, some companies, like Daniel Smith and Winsor & Newton, don’t acknowledge any other ingredient besides PR122 on their labeling. But it’s there. If the color looks neon, it’s got a fluorescent additive. Plain PR122 should look like a deep bold magenta, but not neon.
Experiment Results
Lightfastness
Mission Gold calls it “Fair”, which is their worst rating. DS comes out and calls their Opera Pink “Fugitive.” For the record, PR122 is lightfast. It is the fluorescent additive which is not lightfast. Exposed to enough light, the overall color may fade, as I found in my lightfastness test, or the fluorescence may disappear leaving behind a more typical PR122 magenta color, as seen in ThreeSixFiveArt’s fading test.
Gradient: Gets lusciously deep and bright in mass, fading to a pale pink. It’s really striking how bold that pink gets!
Opacity: Left a bit of residue on my line, despite being listed as Transparent.
Glazing: Both were significantly darker in glaze (another effect of transparency), though Mission Gold’s also seemed oranger and more fluorescent in glaze, whereas Daniel Smith’s looks more like any other pink.
Granulation: Mission Gold’s Bright Opera is non-granulating, but that’s not true of all Opera (Daniel Smith’s Opera Pink is extremely granulating.)
Transparency: Transparent.
Color Mixes:
- Quin Rose: A very similar color to Quin Rose alone, but with a slight fluorescent kick.
- Quin Coral: A feisty fluorescent strawberry color, like strawberry Bubble Yum.
- New Gamboge: Fluorescent peach/orange.
- Hansa Yellow Light: Fluorescent coral/orange (or yellow-orange, depending on how much yellow you put in).
- Phthalo Green Blue Shade: Sort of a dull fluorescent purple. I had better luck mixing the Mission Gold than the DS, which granulated out of the green.
- Phthalo Blue Green Shade: Purple to periwinkle, depending on amount of pink.
- French Ultramarine: Maybe the best purple, a lovely fluorescent mid-purple violet.
- Quin Purple: A pretty magenta, but not especially fluorescent. The Purple really tones it down. I think it would make more sense to use a non-fluorescent PR122 than this mix.
- Transparent Red Oxide: Sort of a fiery coral with rusty granulation over it.
- Quin Gold: Extremely vibrant, fluorescent orange.
If you are concerned about lightfastness, consider using non-fluorescent bright pinks/magentas such as PR122 Quin Magenta, PV19 Quin Rose, or PR209 Quin Coral. In context, these colors can also look extremely bright pink, especially if all the surrounding colors are more muted.
See also Kim Crick’s extensive explanation on fugitive pigments.
Toxicity: BV10, rhodamine dye B, is toxic.
The fluorescent dye Rhodamine B is toxic, and its use is banned in food, textiles, and cosmetics. It is harmful if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin.
Blick.com
BR1 is a judgement call.
Rhodamine 6G is toxic, however it can be biologically inactive and hence non-toxic in a lake pigment form.
Blick.com
I couldn’t find any information about the toxicity of the other additives I listed above.
Some Opera Pinks have Cautionary Labeling/Prop 65 warnings, and some don’t. Of those I’ve tried, Mission Gold has cautionary labeling, but Daniel Smith and Da Vinci don’t.
Comparison to Other Brands
Daniel Smith – Opera Pink
Daniel Smith’s version is highly granulating and quite a bit less pigmented.
DS does not disclose which fluorescent additive they use, but the paint is labelled AP (non-toxic).
Da Vinci – Opus
Opus is one of the least bright Opera Pinks. Although clearly brighter/more neon than the non-fluorescent pinks in the line, compared to other Operas, it almost seems like a normal bright pink.
I initially disliked it for this reason (if you’re going to use Opera at all, why not use the brightest one?), but actually I find it much easier to work into a painting because it’s not as different from the other colors. It adds a bright pop to florals without looking like it belongs in another painting altogether.
Opus has no cautionary labeling (presumed non-toxic.)
Lightfastness for DV Opus
As expected, Opus also shows significant fading/muting/loss of fluorescence. However, this one leaves behind a lot more pink pigment; it doesn’t simply fade to white.
Winsor & Newton – Opera Rose
Hue-wise, I think WN Opera Rose is very similar to DS’s Opera Pink, but it is less granulating. Like DS’s version, this is listed as only having PR122, but it clearly also has a fluorescent additive. It has a Prop 65 warning label (toxic).
See Also
Watch Dr. Oto Kano’s Colossal Color Showdown on Opera to see more brands in action!
My Overall Thoughts
This isn’t a palette staple; it’s more of a special effect paint, but as a hot pink aficionado, it’s a special effect that I love! There is nothing like this super fluorescent color, and for certain over-the-top Lisa Frank style pop art / cotton candy cloud / botanical effects. As a person who paints more for the excitement of the moment and/or the photographs, and who doesn’t tend to keep or sell originals, the lightfastness doesn’t usually concern me.
Favorite version: Initially drawn to Mission Gold for the extreme brightness, but I rarely actually used it. I replaced it with DV Opus at the other end of the brightness spectrum and find that it gets a lot more use in real life. It’s great for botanicals as long as you don’t care about lightfastness.
Alternatives: Contrast is your friend if you want to make non-fluorescent colors pop. Tone down the rest of the colors in your painting, and a pop of bold color can still have an uncannily bright appearance even if it’s not fluorescent. Quin Magenta (PR122), Quin Rose (PV19), Quin Coral (PR209) are my favorite pinks, or find others on my page for the pink/rose slot.
Love all of this info!!! Mission is definitely brighter than the DS, that’s so helpful to see swatched out!