A warm, opaque, natural earth pigment that sits somewhere between an earth orange and earth red.
Pigment Stats for PR102
PR102 is a natural iron oxide. In the pantheon of earth shades, it’s the natural equivalent to synthetic PR101 (which is used to make Transparent Red Oxide, Venetian Red, and Indian Red).
Lightfastness: Excellent (untested by me)
Toxicity: Non-toxic, though as ArtisCreation notes, natural pigments can contain trace heavy metals because they come from the dirt.
Observations of Da Vinci Terra Cotta
Gradient: Smooth gradient from intense earth orange-red through to a series of peach shades.
Granulating: The first tube I bought in 2023 did not appear granulating, but a tube I bought in 2025 did appear strongly granulating (see comparison below).
Opacity: I initially said semi-opaque but on retrying, I now would classify it as fully opaque. Not as unbelievably so as Indian Red, though.
Strength: Very strong. Easily overpowers mixes.
Brush Feel: Lovely. Easy to rewet. Nontacky.
Comparison to Other Colors
Burnt Sienna, Indian Red
Slightly higher chroma than burnt sienna; significantly more orange than Indian Red.
Comparison to Other Brands
Holbein – Light Red (PR102)
Some brands, like Holbein, call this color Light Red, which is kind of funny because it’s closer to orange or brown IMO. Holbein’s version was a bit redder than DV’s, though, as well as weaker and less vibrant (more on the brownish side). It lacks the range of values for me to make it a really useful color.
Compared to Holbein’s Burnt Sienna, it’s much redder. However, I find Holbein’s Burnt Sienna a bit golder than many.
Winsor & Newton – Light Red
I really like this quite orange version, but it’s just a bit annoyingly weak (I had to do a few rounds to get this deep color in masstone; the lower bar is more representative.) Transparent and non-granulating.
Cotman also has a colored called Light Red (favored by Ron Ranson), but it’s much closer to Venetian Red.
Greenleaf & Blueberry – Red Ochre
A gentle, earthy, semi-opaque version, between TRO and Indian Red in hue.
Color Mixes
Brilliant Hansa Yellow (PY74)
Nickel Azo Yellow (PY150)
Geranium Red (PR242)
Indanthrone Blue (PB60)
Cobalt Blue (PB28)
Indigo
Phthalo Blue Red Shade
Phthalo Turquoise
Phthalo Green
What Other Say
Its name suggests otherwise, but Light Red is quite a dull, earthy color. More of a red-brown, it is an opaque color. However, when mixed with blues, it creates some useful grays, which can be used in shadow areas.
David Webb, Painting in Watercolor: The Indispensable Guide (2016), p. 35
My Review
I wasn’t impressed by the first PR102 I tried, Holbein Light Red, but I enjoyed DV’s much stronger version. It mixes in a similar way to my favorite Transparent Red Oxide, but it is opaque, which limits its value range and makes for solid-looking mixes that can tend toward muddiness.
There are a couple of drawbacks; I found in dry environments that it dried a bit unevenly, and it has a drying shift, losing vibrance when it dries, especially in tints and mixes.
Favorite version: Da Vinci!
Wanna buy it? You can support the blog by shopping through my affiliate links.
Da Vinci Terra Cotta, 8ml tube: Da Vinci