ORANGE Art Supply Pigment Database Watercolor Acrylic Ink Pencil Color Chart Swatch
Artist reference guide to Orange pigments in art supplies. Color chart swatch cards of common pigments in watercolor, acrylic paint, inks and pencils. Includes lightfast or fugitive information, index by pigment number code, brand, manufacturer color name, how the color appears in masstone (full strength) or diluted (with water). Each image displays opacity, lifting (erasing with a damp brush), and layering (glazing a second coat after the first has dried).
PO13 , PO16 , PO20 , PO34 , PO43 , PO48 , PO62 , PO64 , PO65 , PO67 , PO68 , PO73 , PO107
PO13 Benzidine Orange: Rated as LFIII, but is extremely fugitive with LFV fading in tints/diluted. Available in cheap bargain or student grade paints, designer gouache and brands with a bright color illustration focus like Shinhan.
PO13 Mixtures:
PO16 Benzidine Orange: Red shade. Poor lightfastness, quickly fades with UV exposure. Mainly offered in cheap student sets or designer colors.
PO16 Mixtures:
PO20 Cadmium Orange: Rated very strong lightfastness with high staining. Opaque. Slightly toxic, avoid excess handling or inhaling spray.
PO34 Pyrazolone Orange: Not rated. LFII-IV, Fading reported in diluted/tints. Staining. Rarely used pigment.
PO34 Mixtures:
Darkens. LFII, minor fading over long periods of UV exposure. Rarely used pigment.
PO48 Quinacridone Burnt Orange: Rated LFI, this lightfast color is transparent, staining and often used in combination with PY150 Nickel Azo Yellow as a way to replicate the old discontinued "Quin Gold" P049. Often used to tone down Phthalo Blues or Greens into realistic foliage greens.
PO48 Mixtures:
PO62 Mixtures:
The fading is fast and dramatic when diluted or in tints. It appears that several major paint makers took the pigment manufacturer's word for it and passed along positive lightfast ratings to the artist without testing it. Schmincke, Rembrandt, Roman Szmal and White Nights all rates it high yet all of them fade within several months of UV exposure (compared to over 1 year of stability in LFI colors).
PO64 Mixtures:
Rare pigment I was only able to find in Old Holland watercolor. Lightfast. Slightly more orange-leaning than most PR101 Transparent Red Iron Oxides. A useful skin and landscape color.
Opaque, LFII-III, reported to darken with sun exposure. This color is very similar to red-leaning Cadmium Orange PO20 or PY35+PR108 mixtures. I prefer the reliable durability of Cadmiums, which is also opaque and may also be easier to find.
PO68 Sandorin Orange: Lightfastness is poor. Fading drastically in just weeks. Likely an inexpensive alternative to undisclosed ingredient kids bargain sets or as an Opera Pink in student grade paint sets.
PO68 Mixtures:
PO73 Pyrrol Orange: Rated as LFI this color is very stable UNLESS left in repeat UV exposure (daily, for months) where it begins to fade in diluted form. This pigment is highly staining.
PO73 Mixtures:
Rare pigment. Transparent dark orange. Lightfast (no fading at one year window test) which is unusual for red-orange pigments. A high quality stable choice if you prefer an orange on your palette vs mixing red and yellow.
Swatch card template available for download here, or get the rubber stamp here. Swatch cards were painted on Legion Black or Arches Cold Press 100% cotton watercolor paper. Paper and brushes are available at Jackson's or Amazon here:
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Where to buy art supplies shown on this page:
The following affiliate links are to places I have purchased my art materials. When available I'll include multiple reputable stores so you can compare and decide where you'd like to shop. Dick Blick ("DB" links below) is a large art supply chain store here in the USA that ships worldwide. Jackson's ("Jack" links below) is a great UK based art supply store which also ships worldwide, but carries some harder to find European products with quick low cost shipping to the USA. Amazon USA ("Ama" links below) often offers unique brands, including small business and Chinese off brand watercolor sets, that can not be found anywhere else. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Arches 100% cotton cold press 140# watercolor paper is one of the most durable surfaces for technical pen, scrubbing and lifting. It's surface sizing (coating) and texture is a good middle ground compared to the extremes of different brands. Due to these traits, and it being around for long enough to be the most commonly recommended paper for professionals, all of my swatches are done on this paper for consistency. Only white (and mica paints that do not show up on white) use the Legion Black paper instead. I buy my arches paper at Blick, and if you are in the USA this is likely the most affordable place to buy it: https://shrsl.com/2765w
Alpha by brand shopping directory:
Rosa Gallery can be found through the following links: 12 set, 24 set, 21 pans in tin, 28 pans in tin, and if none of those sellers are still active or ship to your country you can try the manufacturers website here.
Interested in other ways to help this project? Visit me at Kimberly Crick Art on YouTube or Patreon. If you have supplies that you would like to donate, such as watercolor dot cards or samples from your company that you would like reviewed or displayed in this pigment directory, please email me at enchantedgallery@gmail.com or use the contact form with details. Thank you :)
