Here are some colors I’ve tried recently! Coincidentally, they’re all Daniel Smith.
Daniel Smith – Aureolin
This is one of those pigments, like Alizarin Crimson, that is generally only used today by people who have been painting for decades or their students. It might have been hot shit in 1975 but nowadays there are stronger, more lightfast yellows. A friend was kind enough to give me a dot so I didn’t have to buy it. If you want to know more, I made a Color Spotlight: Aureolin (PY40).
Daniel Smith – India Yellow
A convenience mix of two yellows that I already have, PY97 and PY150, this is the definition of unnecessary, but I do have to acknowledge there is something best-of-both-worldsy about it. It has the boldness of PY97 and the dispersion and mixing excellence of PY150. Definitely more up my alley than Aureolin.
Daniel Smith – Green Gold
Green Gold is the name that most brands give to PY129, but Daniel Smith calls that pigment “Rich Green Gold.” They use the name “Green Gold” for this convenience mix of PY150, PY3, and PG36. Essentially, it’s Nickel Azo Yellow and Phthalo Green with a touch of Hansa Yellow Light for brightness. I think this is a good example of a three-color mix that is higher chroma than the equivalent single pigment color.
I guess I’m on a kick of convenience colors with PY150. I just don’t really like the way PY150 looks in the palette, or the way it looks unmixed, but it has unparalleled mixes, especially with greens. In fact, it always ends up becoming greenish on my palette because I mix it with blues and greens so often, so why not replace it with a premixed green?
I may try using this more in the next few weeks as it seems a good color for sunlit leaves and mixing greens. If there’s one thing you can say for summer, it’s green!
I’ve dropped this as a comparison color on my Color Spotlight: Rich Green Gold (PY129). I could see doing a more in-depth comparison of the two green golds which have similar names and a similar use case.
Daniel Smith – Quinacridone Fuchsia
I quite like DS Quin Magenta (PR202), but I’d never tried Quin Fuchsia made from the same pigment. It’s quite a bit redder and does appear to be basically the “dark magenta” color I have always dreamed about. But it’s slightly opaque and doesn’t get as dark in masstone as the Quin Magenta does. Still, I think this will be an interesting color for mixing dark reds – maybe good for fall!