Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache - Olive Green, 14 ml tube

Pigment Information

This color contains the following pigments:

PY1:1-Arylide Yellow G

PG8-Hooker’s Green

PY42-Yellow Iron Oxide

Pigment Name

PY1:1-Arylide Yellow G

Pigment Type

organic, monoazo

Chemical Formula

C17H16N4O4

Properties

Arylide Yellow G is a variant of Hansa Yellow G (PY1). It is a transparent yellow with great brightness and tinting strength. Its drying time ranges from average to slow. Hansa Yellow pigments make more intense tints and cleaner secondaries than Cadmium Yellows, especially when mixed with other organic or modern colors like Phthalo Blue and Green. Because they are more transparent, they have great value as glazing colors.

Permanence

Hansa Yellow G has good permanence and lightfastness, particularly in the lighter shades.

History

Hansa Yellows were first made in Germany just before World War I from a series of synthetic dyestuffs called Pigment Yellow. Hansa Yellow G, introduced in 1910, was the first of these products to be commercialized. Hansa Yellow G was the standard yellow for printing inks under late in the 20th century, when stronger diarylide yellows began to replace it. It is still used a great deal in packaging, and for air drying paints.

Pigment Name

PG8-Hooker’s Green

Pigment Type

mix of organic pigments

Chemical Formula

C30H18FeN3O6Na

Properties

Hooker’s Green is a bright olive-green often sold in a yellowish shade and a bluish shade. Its transparency can range from dull and dark to bright and light because lightness and chroma vary based on manufacturer. Modern varieties have a rich, dark tone that provides a great range when mixing. Hooker’s Green is particularly good for landscape painting when a larger range of foliage is required. Dioxazine Violet is the best mixing compliment in watercolor form.

Permanence

The permanence and lightfastness of Hooker’s Green varies by brand. As a composite pigment historically mixed from Prussian Blue and Gamboge, its permanence is only fair. Modern replacements for Hooker's Green tend to be mixed with components that have more permanence, such as Phthalocyanine Green, Burnt Umber, and sometimes Hansa or Cobalt Yellow.

History

This pigment was originally an unreliable mix of Prussian or Iron Blue and Gamboge. Later, it became a more reliable mix of Cadmium Yellow and Phthalo Blue or Green. It was a staple green for 19th century landscape and botanical painters. Most modern Hooker’s Green paints are yellow greens with a hue angle around 140, or a mix of Phthalo Green and Burnt Umber.

Pigment Name

PY42-Yellow Iron Oxide

Chemical Name

iron(III)-oxide, hydrated

Chemical Formula

Fe2O3 • H2O

Properties

Yellow Ochre provides artists with earthtones from cream to brown. It has good hiding power, produces a quick drying paint, and can be safely mixed with other pigments. Its transparency varies widely from opaque shades to more transparent ones, which are valued for their use as glazes. If gypsum is present, Yellow Ochre is not suitable for frescoing. (See Brown Ochre, PY43.) PY42 is made from synthetic iron oxides. PY43 is made from natural iron oxide.

Permanence

Yellow Ochre has excellent permanence because ochres are some of the most permanent pigments available.

History

Ochre comes from the Greek word ochros, meaning pale yellow. It was one of the first pigments to be used by human beings, and evidence of its use has been found at 300,000 year old sites in France and the former Czechoslovakia.