Moving through the color spectrum of DANIEL SMITH ExtraFinetm Watercolors, we'll look at the different chroma changes and the positions of color ranges from pure hue to gray, and explore the characteristics of individual pigments.
We'll begin our journey through the color map with green to yellow, then yellow to red, red to blue,
and blue to green to complete the circle. I've divided each section into distinctive chroma groups, beginning with the bright shades (the outer edge of the map), and moving inward to less saturated colors.
Within this group there are three distinctive chroma groups. The first contains Amazonite Genuine (01), Phthalo Green-BS (02), Phthalo Green-YS (03), Permanent Green (04), Permanent Green Light (05), Phthalo Yellow Green (06), Hansa Yellow Light (07), Lemon Yellow (08), Bismuth Vanadate Yellow (09) and Green Gold (10).
Amazonite Genuine, a DANIEL SMITH exclusive, is a member of the PrimaTek® Series of artists' colors. PrimaTek® paints are created from authentic mineral pigments and were developed by DANIEL SMITH's resident chemist to offer new options in hue and paint properties to artists. PrimaTek® pigments each have a unique signature with effects that range from extreme granulation to smooth and transparent washes. Amazonite Genuine, a non-staining color, offers the artist a transparent teal hue that has become a favorite of watercolorists seeking the clarity of Phthalo pigments without the staining quality. This shade of feldspar microcline, a precious mineral, shares the name of the Amazon basin where it is found.
Phthalo greens are clean, clear pure hue colors that wash from deep, rich, almost black green to transparent bottle green. Phthalo Green-BS (blue shade) - called Winsor Green, Monestial Green, Thalo Green and Armor Green by other manufacturers - and Phthalo-YS (yellow shade) are both powerful, transparent, staining pigments.
Staining transparents have a tendency to overpower other colors when mixing. Always start with the weaker color, and add very small amounts of these staining pigments until you reach the desired mix.
Permanent Green, Permanent Green Light and brilliant lime-green Phthalo Yellow Green are mixtures of Phthalo Green-BS.
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There are three clean, vivid yellows; cool, lemony Hansa Yellow Light (arylide yellow) has a very slight green undertone. Lemon Yellow, a highly lightfast yellow, has less dense pigment particles because it is an organic pigment. These two yellows are clean, bright semi-transparent colors that yield beautiful, vibrant color mixtures. Bismuth Vanadate Yellow, the third yellow in this range, has very dense and heavy pigment resulting in an extremely opaque and brilliant hue. Note, on the color map, how bright the color chroma is for these colors.
Green Gold, another hue with an extremely bright color chroma, differs from the brighter mixing yellows in that it possesses a dark green mass tone. This blend of Nickel Azo, Hansa Yellow Light and Phthalo Green replicates the obsolete pigment PY10 and is a remarkable bright yellow in washes, giving it this placement on the color map.
The second level of colors, mid-range greens and yellows are less concentrated - colors that have less green and yellow and contain more of their color complements, red and blue. Viridian (11), Cobalt Green (12), Hooker's Green (13), Sap Green (14), Aureolin/Cobalt Yellow (15) and Cadmium Yellow Light (16) are mid-range.
Viridian, an excellent glazing pigment, dates back to 1838. Ours is pure pigment, unenhanced with the phthalo green found in many of today's viridians. Cobalt Green, used as an artist's pigment since 1835, is a midrange green-yellow that disperses very evenly for glazing. Our Hooker's Green is a blended color with significantly better lightfastness than most competitors. Moving towards yellow is Sap Green. Ours has great color and rates extremely permanent in lightfastness. While the formulations used by many manufacturers of Sap Green contain PG8, which fades readily, ours mixes PG7 (phthalo green) and P049 (quinacridone deep gold) to create a lightfast paint. Aureolin (Cobalt Yellow) is more transparent, more granular and less yellow than Cadmium Yellow Light, which is semi-transparent and moves evenly through water. Both are inorganic, slightly green, and are used extensively in watercolor palettes.
The final green to yellow group, made up of all inorganic pigments, is Kingman Turquoise Genuine (17), Fuchsite Genuine (18), Terre Verte (19), Malachite Genuine (20), Cobalt Green Pale (21), Bohemian Green Earth (22), Zoisite Genuine (23), Chromium Green Oxide (24), Buff Titanium (25), Undersea Green (26), Naples Yellow (27), Olive Green (28) and Nickel Titanate Yellow (29).
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