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Yellows made with PY150, PY151, PY153, PY154 and PY159

These are the various colours from paints made with the pigments PY150, PY151, PY153, PY154 and PY159. There are other yellow pigments from PY150 to PY159 but not all are made into paint.


All the yellows here are supposed to be lightfast.

PY150 goes by many names. It's called Nickel Azo Yellow by Daniel Smith and Transparent Yellow by Schmincke. It's a lightfast slightly warm yellow. The paint looks warmer when used in concentration. It's a good option as a primary yellow.

PY151 is benzimidazolone yellow, aka Azo Yellow (Daniel Smith) or Aureolin Hue (Schmincke). It's an intense slightly cool yellow. This is probably one of the more vibrant yellows around, other than PY175 Lemon Yellow. This paint cost more as it's from a more expensive series. Works great as a primary yellow too.

PY153 nickel dioxine yellow and has been discontinued very recently. Daniel Smith's New Gamboge used to be made by this pigment. Schmincke's Yellow Orange used to be PY153 as well but now, according to their brochure, used PY110. I was pleasantly surprised to find a tube of Schmincke Yellow Orange in my collection that still uses PY153. Daler Rowney Gamboge Hue also uses PY153, according to the latest brochure I saw.

PY154 is benzimidazolone yellow and goes by different names, eg Azo Yellow Light, Winsor Yellow. This is a vibrant yellow as well but PY151 Azo Yellow seems to have a higher tinting strength. This is a great option as a primary yellow too.


PY159 is zirconium praesodymium silicate. Winsor and Newton seems to be the only manufacturer that uses this pigment to make paint, and the colour they make is Lemon Yellow Deep. This is a semi-transparent/opaque muted yellow. When mixed with other colours, the mixes become more muted because of the opacity.


These are the various mixes with the yellows with reds and blues to create orange and blues.

PY150, PY151 and PY154 are versatile yellows for mixing and creating vibrant secondary colours. PY153 which is a warm yellow is limited to producing vibrant orange and dull greens, as expected.

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