Transparent Yellow

I have been looking all over for a good transparent yellow. I am just relearning to paint after a 6 year absence, and have decided to concentrate on portraits, as my drawing teacher suggested. I would like to paint in the 7 layer Flemish style and will probably waste a lot of paint. I bought lots of Artisan paint, and decided to try a few Berlin at the same time. Now I wish I had bought everything in the Lukas Berlin colors as it reminds me of the Rembrandt paint I used to use. I understand that the Berlin Indian Yellow is more of an orange color. Do you think that if I used the zinc white with it that it would be more of a transparent yellow? I am a three hour trip to an art store, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I don't really want to buy the Holbein DUO yet, since it is so expensive, and I don't expect any masterpieces in the near future. Maybe later, hehe!

HI Crystal.

According to my book by Sean Dye, the transparent yellows are:
Hollbein - aureolin and marigold
Grumbacher - diarylide
Van gogh - Indian yellow
W&N - lemon yellow, cad yellow pale hue, cad yellow hue and cad yellow deep.

Dale

As per the Lukas Berlin chart the Indian Yellow is a transparent color. But you may be rite that it leans toward orange quite a bit. I do have most of the Lukas Berlin colors just not the Indian Yellow. The masstone in the chart seems to lean toward the orange; however, the undertone looks like it leans quite a bit toward yellow. Once you add medium to the color it could shift quite a bit toward the yellow. I love the Lukas Berlin line as well as the Holbein Duo Aqua. I find they have very similar properties and mix well together so if the Indian Yellow does not work out you could go with one tube of the Holbein just for the Yellow that you want.

Being so far from an art store, you might want to consider buying on line. Several of us have used

Dick Blick,

www.dickblick.com/

ASW,

www.aswexpress.com/

Jerrysartarama (they also have a great number of free instructional videos)

www.jerrysartarama.com/

just to name a few. If you google art supplies online, you'll find other sources.

Judy

Thank you all for your help. None of the Holbein or Grumbacher yellows are normal yellow colors either. I already have W&N Lemon Yellow, although it doesn't appear to be very transparent (W&N have changed their designations to T or O instead of the usual T, ST, SO, or O). But I think it will have to do. Debra told me she uses the Lukas Berlin Indian Yellow and it tends toward orange. And, yes, I buy all my supplies on line, but I sure would like to be able to see some of the colors before I buy them. This is a great forum, and very helpful. Thanks!

Crystal1,

Hi there. As for me, I would not add white to any color and expect it to be transparent. My understanding is that adding white automatically makes the other color opaque and a bit chalky. Now I'm far from being an expert, just what I was told by my artist teacher.

oCD I think you're right "titanium white" does make colors more opaque and overused can create a chalky look. I find that adding yellow to white rather then white to yellow can help to control this.

oCD' this is going a little off topic about transparent yellow, but you might want to look at

https://watersolubleoils.forumotion.com/t649-chalkiness-of-colors-lightened-with-white

There is a very good discussion of the effects of white and colors and transparency that may be of interest to you.

Judy

Hi Crsytal1,
I did a search and found Royal Talens Cobra Water Mixable Oil Color.
I don't know if it is good or bad, only that it is called transparent yellow.
Hope that helps. Debi

The Cobra is a Azo Yellow.

My favorite transparent yellow is Quinacridone Gold.

http://www.danielsmith.com/Item--i-284-390-005

Out of the tube it looks very brown untill you thin it down with either medium and/or water and then it is beatiful. The color swatch you see is out of the tube and mixed with white.

I love the quinacridone gold from Holbein duo's. It is wonderful as a glaze over finished greens and yellows in a landscape to help harmonize the entire painting. I usually use it right out of the tube or with a little walnut oil added to make it more fluid.

Thanks for all your replies. I've been using Cobra Transparent Yellow Medium since it came out. I used to use Rembrandt's Transparent Yellow Medium when I used traditional oils, and they are similar. It's PY128, and hard to find, even in traditional oils. Although, Cobra's has less pigment than Rembrandt's.