PGYS is a highly-staining, highly-transparent, classic grass or emerald green, more yellow than its brother Phthalo Green Blue Shade (PG7).
Pigment Stats for PG36
Per ArtIsCreation:
Chemical composition: Bromated and chlorinated Copper Phthalocyanine
Lightfastness: Excellent (I)
Toxicity: Nontoxic
Experiment Results
Hue: A bold middle to yellow green. Wide range of values from bright to light. The computer made the middle shades look blueish, but they are not in person – it’s evenly yellow-toned all the way down.
Gradient: Nice, even gradient.
Opacity: Very transparent.
Glazing: Extra-dark hunter green glaze.
Color Mixes: Mixes with reds are uninspiring, but Hansa Yellow Light turns into a vibrant spring green, and the blues make nice turquoises. (Phthalo Blue Green Shade + Phthalo Green Yellow Shade is how Daniel Smith makes Phthalo Turquoise!) A pretty, Victorian-looking muted dark green with Quin Purple, and earthy greens with the earth tones. I like the mossy mix with Quin Gold.
Comparison to Other Brands
Winsor & Newton – Winsor Green Yellow Shade
Looks pretty much the same!
Da Vinci – Phthalo Green Yellow Shade
Lightfastness
Extremely slight fading/muting/warming. Not really perceptible in the photo, almost imperceptible in real life.
Comparison with Phthalo Green Blue Shade
Phthalo Green Blue Shade is made from the pigment PG7; the color is cooler/more blue-toned (closer to Viridian, and sometimes Viridian Hue uses this), but similarly wide-ranging in its value range and also highly staining.
Here they are side-by-side:
Color Mixes
Pure Yellow (PY154)
Very vibrant yellow-greens
Nickel Azo Yellow (PY150)
With mostly green, quite a bright color similar to the Pure Yellow mixes; with more NAY, a green gold that reminds me of Rich Green Gold
Alizarin Crimson Quinacridone (PV19)
Not quite complements; dull purples and dark greens
Quin Rose (PV19)
This is quite complementary.
Phthalo Green YS (PG36)
Pretty much a complement, slightly on the cool side of gray.
Phthalo Blue GS (PB15:3)
Glowing teals.
Conclusion
I’m actively in flux on this one. The differences between PG36 and PG7 are extremely subtle, so it’s a totally inconsequential decision, which is what makes it so hard! Unmixed, it is not as much to my aesthetic taste as PG7; I just love a blue-green, and I’m not as big a fan of a Lucky Leprechaun / shamrock / emerald green.
But most of the time I am not using Phthalo Greens unmixed; I am mixing them! In most mixes they are similar, but there are some subtle differences. Compared to PG7, PG36 makes even higher-chroma yellow-greens, which are great for spring. The slightly greener/yellower cast it adds to teals is also interesting and welcome.
Lately, I have been using PG36 in place of PG7 in my palette, and I find it very handy. That said, it is more expensive, so the marginal difference might not be worth it. You certainly don’t need both of them.
Favorite version: They’re all good. Typically I go with either DS or DV, which make strong and reliable options.
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Daniel Smith – Phthalo Green Yellow Shade, 5 ml Tube: Blick | Utrecht
Da Vinci – Phthalo Green Yellow Shade, 15ml tube: Da Vinci Paints | Blick | Utrecht