Yellow Oil Paint: Which to use? Yellow Ochre, Naples Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Hansa Yellow? And Why mixing Yellow with Black is the way to go.
Yellow has a long and complex history. It has been the color of everything from optimism and spontaneity to duplicity and envy. Yellow was both the established color of Judas Iscariot throughout the Western Middle Ages, as well the color of the heavens, creating the golden other-worldly elements of Byzantine Art. Throughout China, yellow was the color of glory, wisdom, and the Emperor.
Yellow, right behind black and red, is one of the oldest pigments. Today we will be covering the top characteristics of the color yellow, the most commonly used modern yellow oil paints, and finally how to pick the correct yellow for your project.
Note: This is not a exhaustive discussion on yellow's history nor all of its pigments used throughout time. Instead, this is a very focused discussion on the most common modern yellow pigments in use today. However, further reading links will be provided throughout.
Top Characteristic
Due to its high reflectivity, yellow paint tends to advance towards the viewer. This can create depth problems within a work, but knowing which yellow to use and how to use it can help eliminate problems.
Also, when you want a deep green, skip blue and add black instead.
Terms to Know
Glaze - color + 30% medium
Tint - color + white
Tone - color + gray
Shade - color + black
Common Modern Yellow Pigments: Yellow Ochre, Naples Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Hansa Yellow
Yellow Ochre: One of the oldest pigments used in art, Yellow Ochre is a warm, opaque earth yellow that creates muted green tints.
Usually categorized as a brown, it is a naturally occurring mineral consisting of silica and clay. It ranges in hues from yellow to brown due to the iron oxyhydroxide mineral, goethite.
Yellow ochre is not only an ideal yellow to use while mixing skin tones, but it is also helpful when painting caramel to orange colored fur on dogs and cats.
Best to Use when: Due to its opaque nature, it is best to not use yellow ochre for shadows., Use instead in warm highlights and midtones. You can read more about shadows and highlights here.
Yellow Ochre in Art
Naples Yellow: One of the oldest synthetic pigments, Napes Yellows is a pale, not completely opaque, warm, earth yellow. It has a strong tint that tends to overwhelm the colors mixed into it.
Originally made of lead antimoniate used in Babylonian and Assyrian pottery glazes and Egyptian glass. Today the name now refers more to the color than a specific pigment as it is mostly no longer made with lead.
Note: Lead Naples Yellow is still available and is very toxic when inhaled, and can be absorbed through your skin. Check the label of your paint to make sure that it is lead free.
Reportedly used by Old Master’s such as Rubens for skin tones, it is essential to landscape artists because unlike other yellows, Naples Yellow tends to recede into the picture plane and not advance out.
Best Used When: When you need a yellow that will not advance towards the viewer. Avoid using in cool shadows.
Naples Yellow in Art
Artists such as Vollon (upper left), Alma-Tadema (upper right), Bouguereau, and Renoir used Naples Yellow. Below is a video about Naples Yellow.
Cadmium Yellow: A genuine single pigment color, Cadmium Yellow (Medium) is a brilliant, warm, opaque yellow with a naturally muted tint.
Cadmium was first discovered in 1817 as a by-product of the zinc industry, and from the yellow comes a range of oranges and reds. It replaced the more toxic and less lightfast Chrome Yellows and was a favorite of impressionists such as Claude Monet.
A true Cadmium Yellow sometimes will be marketed as Cadmium Yellow Medium. Below is a video about Chrome Yellow and why Cadmium replaced it.
Note: Although Cadmium Yellow is less toxic than its predecessor, it is still pretty toxic. Consider using replacements such as Azo Yellow and Hansa Yellow Medium. Which are non-toxic, cheaper, and are equally lightfast.
Since the 20th century, everyone uses Cadmium Yellow or its respective alternatives. Unless an artist specifically says, "I use this yellow," it is safe to assume it is a Cadmium or Hansa.
Best Used When: Use Cadmium or Hansa Yellow Medium when painting warm highlights or midtones.
Cadmium Yellow in Art
Hansa Yellow Light: An organic pigment, Hansa Yellow is a bright, cool, semi-transparent yellow that makes intense tints.
Erroneously labeled as the “Cadmium wannabe,” it was first made in Germany right before WWI, and it is anything but a wannabe. Similar in mass-tone to Cadmium, it creates cleaner secondaries, brighter, more intense tints, and is an excellent glazer. It also allows for more of a color shift, moving from the coolest yellow with Hansa Yellow Light to warm, golden tones in Hansa Yellow Deep.
The coolest Hansa Yellow will usually be marketed as Hansa Yellow Light.
Best Used When: Use Hansa Yellow Light for cool highlights and midtones.
How to Pick the Right Yellow
In my post about color palettes, I mentioned that a more complete palette would have both a cool and a warm color for each primary in order to better manipulate color temperature.
Of the yellows listed above I would recommend Hansa Yellow Medium for a solid warm yellow, Hansa Yellow Light for a cool yellow, and Yellow Ochre as a warm earth tone. Naples Yellow is more expensive and can be purchased later as a supplemental yellow.
Remember when picking the right yellow to use for your painting, remember the three main characteristics of a paint: temperature, opacity, and tinting strength. Then answer these questions, are you looking for a warm or cool color? Are you painting in the shadows or highlights? You can read more about picking the right color every time in my post here.
What do you think? Did I miss a yellow that you think should have been included? Let me know down in the comments.
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For additional reading, I recommend the books: The Secret Lives of Color and The Brilliant History of Color in Art. To read more about yellow, I recommend the Wiki page about Yellow. The above information came from here, and here.
This is a rewrite of my post Yellow Oil Paint: Pigments, Basics, and How to Pick the Right Yellow.
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