Friday, July 08, 2011

Day Two

Day two. Red sky: Naples yellow*, nickel yellow, light red, mars black, titanium white. Drapery: mars black, foundation white. Figure legs. Phoenix head grass.

Naples yellow is better than yellow ochre in every circumstance. It and nickel yellow are the only yellows needed for anything unless the extreme intensity of cadmium or the transparent effects of an azo are desired. Note that Winsor and Newton lemon yellow hue is dull compared to the superior, and gratefully more expensive, Blockx version; nickel yellow.

Drapery used lead white because it is to be violet and there are no opaque violets (the closest alternative being dioxazine (with a little mars black) but that colour is too unstable and dries too slowly to be considered for underpainting). An extra glazing layer is needed so this white was chosen as it dries more quickly than titanium.

* Michael Harding naples yellow; titanium chromium yellow not "genuine" naples yellow.