Watercolor Dirtbag
In choosing between these three scarlets, I decided to do a “what’s the difference” post! Hue: Pyrrol Scarlet and Scarlet Lake have almost the same hue. Quin Coral is a bit more blue-toned and looks pinker, less orangey. Opacity: Pyrrol Scarlet is semi-opaque, where Scarlet Lake is transparent. (This does not appear to be an … Read more
PY3 single-pigment yellow is usually called Hansa Yellow Light and sometimes called Lemon Yellow. It’s a semi-opaque, bold, bright light yellow with a cool/greenish cast. Similar to PY175 Lemon Yellows, but more opaque, and usually looks bolder as a result.
This highly granulating, semi-opaque brown makes textured, naturalistic brown blends. I fell in love with this color when searching for interesting new colors to use in the desert. This one wowed me for its capacity to mix complexly textured red sandstone and olive-drab foliage.
This single-pigment purple made from PV23 is sometimes called Dioxazine Violet.
An extremely staining blue-toned violet that gets very, very dark!
Technically, Perylene Green isn’t a green pigment, but a black one: “Pigment Black 31”. It has a distinctly greenish tone, however, and is often used as shadows in foliage.
A strikingly opaque, dull green that granulates in midtone.
Often called Vermilion (although it is not the traditional/historical Vermilion pigment), PR188 is a smooth, transparent, brilliant red-orange shade. Pigment Stats for PR188 Pigment Description: Naphthol Red Lightfastness: Very Good in most ranges, however Bruce MacEvoy and Kim Crick (my usual go-tos on lightfastness) have some reservations (see What Others Say below). Toxicity: Nontoxic. Cost: … Read more
A very strong and vibrant semi-opaque reddish orange, PO73 oranges such as Winsor Orange (Red Shade), pictured, can be substituted for a warm orange-red in color mixes.
Imidazolone Yellow (PY154) is often known by brand-specific names such as Winsor Yellow or Da Vinci Yellow. It is a bright, neutral, primary yellow: not warm/orangey, not cool/greenish, just good ol’ bright banana yellow.
