Watercolor Dirtbag
A granulating gray-purple made from a mix of Viridian (PG18), Ultramarine (PB29), and Anthraquinoid Red (PR177). This is one of those colors that super appeals to people who like granulation. It is not a straightforward, boring gray; it’s interesting. It settles and blooms in odd ways, with the green and blue sometimes granulating away from … Read more
Darker and more muted than Indanthrone, Prussian, or any other single pigment blue, this deep moody blue is useful for shadows, night skies, and other dark blue use cases.
Indigo pigment (PB66) is fugitive and not usually used anymore (though MaimeriBlu, a single pigment line, still uses it, and Schmincke has it in the mix). Most indigos, like this Holbein, are mixes chiefly of phthalo blue and black.
A combination of blue and brown that results in a granulating cool green with flecks of gold-brown and teal blue.
Like most commercial Lavender mixes, Daniel Smith’s Lavender is a mix of Titanium White (PW6), Ultramarine Violet (PV15), and Ultramarine Blue (PB29). This is a convenience mix; you can mix it yourself if you have the components, although my personal mix didn’t granulate as much as DS’s premixed one.
Lavender can be used as a sky color on its own or as a component in a bright/light sky blue (for example, with Phthalo Blue or Phthalo Turquoise). I can also imagine it being a convenient mix for hazy, distant mountains, flowers, snow, and shadows.
I wasn’t hugely impressed by Sap Green, the slightly muted, yellow-green mix. But maybe it wasn’t muted enough?! Do I want an even more muted, olive green on my palette? Let’s find out!
This question has been asked to me multiple times, so I decided it’s time for a post!
I previously rounded up multiple versions of muted mixed greens, so now let’s look at a few bright mixed greens!
Hooker’s Green is named for the English botanical illustrator William Hooker (1779-1832), who originally created the green as a leaf mix from Prussian Blue and Gamboge.
Every brand has their own formula for this green, but generally modern versions mix Phthalo Green with yellow-orange.
Australian Red Gold (or Aussie Red Gold in DS parlance) is a warm, glowing, orange mix originally created by the Australian brand Art Spectrum. This is a brand that’s hard to get ahold of in the US so I’m bringing you the Daniel Smith version.
Sap Green isn’t one pigment, but is an informal name for any number of muted green mixes that are meant to make natural-looking foliage greens. As opposed to Hooker’s Green, which is more of a middle green, Sap Green tends to be a bit more on the yellow side. Some formulations are yellow-green, and others are muted ochre-green. Sap Greens can therefore vary a lot from brand to brand. I’ll start by reviewing the Daniel Smith one and then compare to some other brands.