I classify this opaque buttery yellow an orange-yellow because it is too high-chroma to be an earth yellow, but it’s on the subdued side compared to in-your-face colors like Hansa Yellow Deep.
Pigment Stats for PY216
Also known as: Solaplex Yellow
Chemical composition: Rutile tin zinc
Lightfastness: Not rated by ASTM, generally considered Excellent (I) by manufacturers
Toxicity: Nontoxic (A per ArtIsCreation)
History
Turner’s Yellow is often associated with JMW Turner, a 19th century English oil and watercolor painter known for his glowing yellow skies. However, it s in fact is named after James Turner, a chemist who invented the original Turner’s Yellow in 1781. James Turner’s lead-based yellow was fugitive and toxic, but the modern synthetic version, which is also known as Solaplex Yellow, promises lightfastness and nontoxicity.
My Observations of Schmincke Turner’s Yellow
Hue: Slightly lower-chroma than a typical middle yellow or orange-yellow, but much higher chroma than an earth yellow, including Naples Yellow Deep, shown below. A slightly milky, slightly golden, opaque yellow reminscent of melted butter.
Transparency: Opaque
Granulation: Non-granulating
Lifting/Staining: Manufacturer listed as staining, but I found it fairly lifting
Mixes:
- Lends a pale glow to other yellows
- Slightly dulled coral mixes with pinks and red. Can have a bricky look.
- Dulled, chalky, non-granulating green mixes that all look like Lava Soap.
I’ve not found particular joy in most of these mixes. My favorite is with PR101, suggesting it may mix best with earths.
Comparison to Other Brands
Winsor & Newton – Turner’s Yellow
Very similar to Schmincke’s version. I found this to have a bit of odd texture – not quite granulation.
Comparison to Other Colors
Turner’s Yellow (PY216), bottom left, is warmer and oranger, and slighlty more muted compared to a primary yellow. It is not as warm or as orangey or as muted as Naples Yellow Deep (bottom right).
What Others Say
I find it to be excellent as a diluted foundation tint for flesh mixtures, especially in portraits; in masstone applications it can appear chalky and dense.
Bruce MacEvoy, handprint.com, 2014
It’s a wonderful primary yellow. It’s different in masstone and when it is washed out, because it is actually warmer in masstone and then it becomes slightly cooler when you wash it out. It’s like Nickel Azo Yellow [that way]… It’s so powerful in masstone. It’s like an explosion of sunrise. I love it! I love it.
Watercolor & Co with Elisabetta, Turner’s Yellow watercolor review: PY216 for glowing skies , 2024
Conclusion
Although it’s not named for JMW Turner, this color does strike me as very good for imitating his style.
JMW Turner is said to have painted with a lot of the original Indian Yellow, as well as opaque yellows like Chrome Yellow, and even the highly deadly King’s Yellow (orpiment), which is made from arsenic. Turner used these yellows to document the dramatic sunsets and ashy haze of 1816’s ‘year without a summer’ following the a globally devastating volcanic eruption. I think of him whenever I document the bizarre light in wildfire plumes or other evidence of climate change.
The best use case for this pigment is the same way I currently use Naples Yellow Deep: as a specialist for sky glow. Is it better than NYD? I don’t know; it’s closer to a primary yellow, which is a downside, since I find that primary yellow can look at little chintzy and obvious in a sunset. But it’s less versatile and mixable than a primary yellow, so either way I would still keep another earth yellow (e.g. MANS) in my palette for mixing and granulation.
A unique thing I like about Turner’s Yellow is that the opacity of it actually creates a kind of glow where it seems to jump off the page, especially “natural” or toned paper, since it appear even lighter than the paper. That said, a typical yellow mixed with white, or a yellow gouache might do something similar. The fact that this pigment is derived partly from zinc may not be surprising as zinc is famously light-colored and opaque and typically used to make white.