Winsor & Newton (non-toxic) Gouache Equivalent to Vermilion?
1mo
@haziz
I am going to explore using a Zorn Palette (originally consisted of Vermilion, Lead White, Ivory Black and Yellow Ochre) for a limited palette for portraiture and even possibly landscapes. I avoid toxic paints (non-negotiable, sorry) and so I have settled on Titanium White, Ivory Black and Yellow Ochre, but am a little uncertain for what to use instead of the Vermilion. A lot of people use Cadmium Red Light but that is also toxic and therefore out. My understanding of the original vermilion is that it is a fairly orange red. I do already have W&N Designer's Gouache in "Spectrum Red" and "Primary Red", but neither seems exactly right for a somewhat orange leaning red. They unfortunately don't seem to market a "Vermilion Hue" (Schmincke and Holbein do and I may end up going that route), but if I want to stick to an all W&N Gouache palette which red would you recommend? They do make a Cadmium-free Red (not labelled as "light") as well as a Cadmium-free Scarlet and I may try those but am open to suggestions for a non-toxic orangey-red, preferably within the W&N line but am open to other brands. Also unfortunately W&N don't seem to disclose the pigments in their Cardmium-free Gouache line. My understanding is that PR255 (Pyrrole Scarlet) gives a pretty close approximation to genuine vermilion but as far as I can tell it is not in any of the W&N line (not counting the two Cadmium-free Red and Scarlet, which in their infinite wisdom they have chosen not to disclose the pigment information for). Schmincke's Vermilion Hue is in fact single pigment PR255 so I am leaning towards that. The Holbein Vermilion Hue is a three pigment mix (PY74, PO73 & PR254) which makes me hesitate a bit, although it is significantly cheaper than the Schmincke at least in the US.
Thanks in advance.
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1mo
I think the Cadmium-Free Colors from W&N are likely your best bet to start with over any "hue" variations from other manufacturers. Gouache tubes are fairly small, so you'll not be stuck using a color you don't love for long, and when you branch out to other reds you'll know how they behave by comparison. Unfortunate that W&N don't provide the Pigment Numbers for the Cad-Free line, but just like "hue" colors, the Cad-Free tubes are going to be multiple pigment approximations of the color they're referencing. Really either of the Cad-Free colors will get you really close. Cad-Free Scarlet is the more orange leaning of the two, but Cad-Free Red is also a decent choice. Try both and see which you like! Both are series 4 colors, which means they're using a high pigmentation ratio which will behave closer to those full cadmium reds. The series 1 Flame Red, and Spectrum Red are great options for studies and experimentation, and if you're looking for a balance the series 3 Winsor Red is another good compromise color. The general rule of thumb is to favor single pigments over multiple pigment mixes and "hue" colors, as the Hue/mix pigments are simulating single pigments, and will ultimately be a less vibrant version of the single pigment options, but you'll have to make a compromise either way if you're avoiding Cadmiums/toxic pigments. Many artists experiment with different versions of the Zorn palette to achieve their look. Morgan Weistling (another non-toxic pigment painter) uses a variation on the Zorn Palette in his portrait oil painting course that's a Yellow Ochre Pale, Alizarin Crimson, Ivory black, and Perm White. Vermillion was the Red choice available for Zorn at the time, so it's not a hard and fast rule that needs to be followed, feel free to branch out to find something that works for you! Hope this helps, looking forward to seeing your experimentation!
