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Pigment library

Tinting strength decides how much influence a pigment has in a mixture: a sliver of phthalo changes more than a generous smear of cobalt. Opacity decides whether you can glaze with it.

PigmentIndexStrengthOpacityLightfastWhat for
Titanium White
on your palette 		PW6 8/10 opaque excellent Strongest white there is. Lightens a mixture but also chalks it; use as little as you can get away with to keep the chroma.
Zinc White PW4 3/10 semi-opaque excellent A soft, cool white for subtle glazes. Can crack in thick layers, so do not make it your main white.
Lemon Yellow PY3 5/10 semi-opaque good A cool yellow. The only route to clean, fresh greens when mixed with blue.
Cadmium Yellow Light
on your palette 		PY35 6/10 opaque excellent Warm and opaque. It dominates a mixture less than you expect, so do not be shy with it.
Cadmium Yellow Deep PY35 6/10 opaque excellent Leans towards orange. Useful for warm light and for skin tones.
Yellow Ochre
on your palette 		PY43 4/10 semi-opaque, granulating excellent A muted earth yellow. Indispensable for skin, sand and autumn greens.
Raw Sienna PBr7 4/10 transparent, granulating excellent The transparent cousin of ochre. Beautiful as an underlayer that keeps showing through.
Naples Yellow PBr24 3/10 opaque excellent Comes with white already in it. A quick route to soft light tints without reaching for titanium.
Cadmium Red Light
on your palette 		PR108 6/10 opaque excellent A warm, orange-leaning red. With white it turns salmon, not pink.
Cadmium Red Deep PR108 6/10 opaque excellent Deeper and cooler than cadmium red light, but still on the warm side.
Alizarin Crimson (permanent)
on your palette 		PR206 7/10 transparent good A cool, transparent red. With blue it gives violet, with white a cool pink.
Quinacridone Rose PV19 9/10 transparent excellent Very strong. A sliver is enough. Use it as your primary red in a split-primary palette.
Indian Red PR101 6/10 opaque, granulating excellent Heavy and opaque. With white it makes convincing, muted skin tones.
Burnt Sienna
on your palette 		PBr7 5/10 transparent, granulating excellent Ultramarine’s most important partner: together they make every gray and every shadow you need.
Raw Umber PBr7 5/10 semi-transparent, granulating excellent A cool brown. The classic choice for the first lay-in in oils because it dries fast.
Burnt Umber
on your palette 		PBr7 6/10 semi-transparent, granulating excellent A warm dark brown. Replaces black in many mixtures without going dead.
Ultramarine
on your palette 		PB29 6/10 transparent, granulating excellent A warm blue that leans towards violet. Granulates beautifully in watercolor.
Cobalt Blue PB28 4/10 semi-opaque, granulating excellent A neutral blue, low in tinting strength. Ideal for skies that should not go harsh.
Cerulean Blue PB35 3/10 opaque, granulating excellent Cool, grainy and weak. For skies near the horizon and for cool half-tones.
Phthalo Blue
on your palette 		PB15:3 10/10 transparent excellent Extremely strong. Always start with a fraction of what looks right; it takes over any mixture.
Prussian Blue PB27 9/10 transparent good Dark and greenish. Strong, but gentler in a mixture than phthalo.
Phthalo Green PG7 10/10 transparent excellent Very strong and artificial in tone. Tame it with red or with an earth color.
Viridian PG18 4/10 transparent, granulating excellent A cool, transparent green with gentle strength. Safer than phthalo if you are starting out.
Chromium Oxide Green PG17 5/10 opaque excellent A dull, opaque green. Close to the color of a lot of real foliage.
Dioxazine Purple PV23 9/10 transparent good Strong and deep. With yellow it gives rich, warm shadows.
Ivory Black
on your palette 		PBk9 8/10 semi-opaque excellent A warm, brownish black. With yellow it turns a surprisingly natural green.
Mars Black PBk11 9/10 opaque excellent Neutral and opaque. Stronger and colder than ivory black.
Payne’s Gray mengsel 7/10 semi-transparent, granulating good A bluish gray. Convenience over control; mixing your own gives livelier shadows.

Every pigment has its own page with the full range against each of the others — see the mixing guide.