March Madness Week 2 Update!

On Discord we’re doing a bracket where we choose the ultimate favorite pigment. Last week, we blasted through the first 15 polls. This week we finished up round 1: between last week and this week, we’ve now voted on all 50 paints that I entered into the bracket and narrowed it down to 25.

Round 1, Week 2 Results

I was busier this week so I did not do new illustrations for these contests! You’ll have to make do with recycled art.

Imidazolone Lemon and Azo Yellow tied

Voters were split on the very cool Imidazolone Lemon (PY175) more medium Azo Yellow (PY151), so after a coin flip I chose to advance Azo Yellow.

Hansa Yellow Medium won hands-down against Benzimidazolone Yellow

Battle of the even more medium yellows: Hansa or Arylide Yellow Medium (PY97) beat Benzimidazolone Yellow (PY154), a battle which for some came down to smell.

Transparent Pyrrol Orange trampled Cadmium Orange

Many voters had glowing reports of Transparent Pyrrol Orange (PO71, PO107, or DPP), while Cadmium Orange (PO20) tended to be derided for its opacity.

Pyrrol Red prevailed over Cadmium Red

The Discord continued to lack Cadmium fans as Cadmium Red (PR108), any shade, lost to icommon nontoxic replacement Pyrrol Red (PR254).

Quinacridone Coral cornered Pyrrol Crimson

The Discord chose the glowing pinky coral of Quin Coral (PR209) over the deep velvety red of Pyrrol Crimson/Rubin (PR264). I regretted allowing the first round to put these two head-to-head, since I like both of them, but they’re both somewhat oddball reds without direct peers (or else, their peers have even more direct peers). Ultimately I love PR209 so much that I can’t vote against it, but PR264 has really been growing on me of late.

Indanthrone Blue defeated Dioxazine Violet

While the strong bold purple of Dioxazine Violet (PV23) had its supporters, Indanthrone Blue (PB60), like Quin Coral, is a darling of this particular group of painters!

Ultramarine Blue clobbered Cobalt Blue

While many voters liked the pretty hue and nice purple mixes of Cobalt Blue (PB28), many described Ultramarine Blue (PB29) as more versatile, especially since it gets darker.

Phthalo Turquoise crushed Prussian Blue

Classic Prussian Blue (PB27) had few supporters as Phthalo Turquoise (PB16) was celebrates for its hue and lightfastness.

Raw/Natural Sienna beat Yellow Ochre

In the earth yellow slot, the line between a raw sienna and a yellow ochre can be fuzzy, especially since so many of them use the same pigments (natural yellow iron oxide PY43 or synthetic yellow iron oxide PY42). In general, Raw Siennas are more transparent, a feature that voters tended to prefer. Monte Amiata Natural Sienna (PBr7) got a particular shout out as a great example of a Natural Sienna.

Indian Red beat Caput Mortuum & Venetian Red

I created a confusing situation for myself by not only splitting opaque PR101 into several distinct but overlapping color categories, but also making a 3-way poll that the bracket software doesn’t support, after which I had to do a recount of the top two. Never again. Anyway, Indian Red can safely be said to have beat both the more scarlet Venetian Red and the more violet Caput Mortuum Violet (aka Violet Iron Oxide), though which name goes with which exact shade of dark red can vary between brands.

Perylene Green beat Perylene Violet

In an oddball vote, because I had no better comparison points for them, I made folks choose between two unrelated Perylenes. Voters generally found the dark green hue of Perylene Green (PBk31) to be useful for foliage and to have fewer distinct uses for Perylene Violet (PV29).

End of Round 1 Results

Between this week and last week, we’ve narrowed down the original list of 50 to this 25-color “palette”:

1. Copper Azo Green (PY129) [but it was a tie with PY150]
2. Azo Yellow (PY151) [but it was a tie with PY175]
3. Hansa Yellow Medium (PY97)
4. Naples Yellow Deep (PBr24)
5. Isoindolinone Yellow Deep (PY110)
6. Transparent Pyrrol Orange (PO71)
7. Pyrrol Scarlet (PR255)
8. Pyrrol Red (PR254)
9. Perylene Red (PR178)
10. Quinacridone Coral (PR209)
11. Quinacridone Rose (PV19)
12. Manganese Violet (PV16)
13. Ultramarine Violet (PV15)
14. Indanthrone Blue (PB60)
15. Ultramarine Blue (PB29)
16. Cobalt Turquoise (PG50 or PB28)
17. Phthalo Blue Green Shade (PB15:3)
18. Phthalo Turquoise (PB16)
19. Chromium Oxide Green (PG17)
20. Raw/Natural Sienna
21. Transparent Red Oxide (PR101)
22. Raw Umber (PBr7) [but it was a tie with Burnt Umber]
23. Indian Red (PR101)
24. Perylene Green (PBk31)
25. Titanium White (PW6)

We’ve begun voting on pairings of champions! Follow along on Scoreleader.