Watercolor Dirtbag
It’s no secret that my favorite earth yellow is Daniel Smith’s Monte Amiata Natural Sienna (PBr7). But I also like a yellow ochre; for example, Holbein’s Yellow Ochre (PY42). They’re so similar that I wouldn’t want to have both in my palette at the same time, so which should I choose? Which is better in which situation?
Jane Blundell’s Ultimate Mixing Palette includes the highly granulating ochre Goethite Brown Oxide (PY43), with Monte Amiata Natural Sienna (PBr7) listed as an alternative. But what’s the difference between these two colors?
Monte Amiata Natural Sienna (initials MANS) from Daniel Smith is my favorite variation on Raw Sienna. Raw Sienna is traditionally a yellow-orange earth tone that’s more orange than Yellow Ochre but less orange than Burnt Sienna. Like Burnt Sienna, it traditionally uses the pigment PBr7. MANS uses PBr7, but looks a bit more like a yellow ochre.