Triadvent Day 17: Naples Yellow Deep, Perylene Violet, Lavender

About Triadvent

Today I drew:

• Winsor & Newton – Naples Yellow Deep (PBr7)
• Da Vinci – Perylene Violet (PV29)
• Holbein – Lavender (PW6, PV15, PB29)

Reference photo: Mostly inspired by a reference by Gia Oris on Unsplash.

Also by the big giant moon on December 6.

This is another interesting triad, somehow with two purples! (I judged Perylene Violet to be closer to red and Lavender to be closer to blue.) Certainly they mix to make interesting purples in between them. I was surprised by how much I liked the browns from NYD and Perylene Violet, or the silvery gray and khaki colors from NYD and Lavender. The main trouble with this triad is that its darks are limited; both Lavender and NYD are opaque and light-colored, so you really can’t get any darker than unmixed Perylene Violet. Although this is a fairly dark color, it really excels at mixing super-dark with other transparent colors, which is not showcased in this triad.

Triadvent Update – One Week Left!!!

As of today, I’m officially out of blues!

I still have four more reds that never got used in a triad:

• DS Perylene Red (PR178)
• DV Quin Red (PR209) – a known favorite of mine
• DV Terra Cotta (PR102) – more of an orange
• DS Transparent Pyrrol Orange (PO71) – definitely an orange

And two more yellows:

• DS Hansa Yellow Deep (PY65) – similar to PY110
• DS Green Gold (PY150, PG7) – more of a green

I’m feeling pretty uninspired by the idea of trying to force another orange or green to be a primary, so I think I’ll just blank slate across the board. It’s not that these aren’t good colors, but as I mused in Sketching Palettes vs Triad Palettes, there are different qualities that make a color convenient for sketching vs. a good pillar of a limited triad.

There’s just a week left until the traditional end of advent on December 24, so to make the last week fun, I will refill my grab bags with a best-of: my top 7 colors from each category, based on the ones I’ve enjoyed most in this project so far (as well as some of the colors I never got to).

A new rule will be that if I draw two colors that have previously been paired together, I can redraw one of them for more variety. Luckily, it won’t be possible to get an exact matching triad given the colors I have chosen.

Best of yellows

• DS Hansa Yellow Deep [never used]
• DS Monte Amiata Natural Sienna [day 1]
• DV Raw Sienna [day 5]
• DS Quin Gold [day 8]
• WN Gold Ochre [day 10]
• Holbein Isoindolinone Yellow Deep [day 14]
• WN Naples Yellow Deep [day 17 – today!]

I skipped two of my actual favorite yellows, Azo Yellow and Arylide Yellow, as they’re basic flexible yellows that almost seem “too easy.” I also skipped the annoying-in-triads greens, though Rich Green Gold and Green Gold (mix) are both favorites of mine for mixing greens. This leaves me with lots of warm and earthy yellows – my surprise favorites in triads!

Best of reds

• DS Perylene Red [never used]
• DV Quin Red [never used]
• Holbein Perylene Maroon [day 1]
• Holbein Pyrrole Rubin [day 4]
• DV Quin Fuchsia [day 10]
• DV Magenta Rose [day 12]
• DV Perylene Violet [day 17 – today!]

I surprised myself by skipping Red Rose Deep/Quin Red (PV19), one of my actual favorite styles of red. For this project, I’m finding myself drawn to those reds that offer rich darks and wide value range. I also skipped earth oranges, though I normally enjoy mixing with them very much, because they aren’t as satisfying and fun to me in triads as magentas or true reds.

Best of blues

• WN Phthalo Turquoise [day 2]
• WN Prussian Blue [day 3]
• Holbein Phthalo Blue Red Shade [day 4]
• DV Cobalt Blue [day 7]
• SH Cobalt Turquoise [day 9]
• DS Indanthrone Blue [day 11]
• Holbein Indigo [day 14]

Again one of my favorites, Phthalo Blue GS, is skipped on the basis on being too easy/similar to other chosen colors. Lavender and Cerulean annoyed me for being too light-valued, though I included light-valued Cobalt Turquoise because it’s just plain interesting. I skipped Phthalo Green and Payne’s Gray though they’re also colors that are great in the right situation; they are simply not blues.

I’m looking forward to a refreshed new week! This week ought to be easier, though it remains to be seen if lowering the difficulty level will make it more fun.