Thank you for your report!
We have received your report and it is currently under investigation by a forum moderator.
Chrome Yellow
Welcome to the forum.
Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.
Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.
Hang on Studio Wall
This is a Studio member-only feature!
Join our Studio membership and save your favourite Painters Online content, from gallery artwork to step-by-step guides, to your own online mood boards. Create your go-to place for inspiration and learning. Plus, members can also enjoy a range of exciting features including monthly art videos and a digital magazine library.
If you are already a Studio member, simply login to your account.
Not a Studio member? Why not try our free 30-day trial - no commitment, no credit card required
Message
Posted
I spent a few minutes sorting out my plein air box and gear yesterday and found a tube of chrome yellow that I have rarely used (why did I buy it?). On the few occasions I recall using it I have found it too garish both used on its' own and in mixes, where it seems to overpower other colours. Has anyone got a good tip for using chrome yellow?
Posted
Is this real Chrome Yellow, or Chrome Yellow Hue? If the former, it'll be a very old tube indeed and I should get rid of it: it's fugitive. But it almost certainly isn't real Chrome Yellow - which means that it would be helpful to know the brand, because CY Hue can be one of several base colours. Thing to bear in mind here is that the old Chrome Yellow, much used by van Gogh, was superseded by Cadmium Yellow, which is much more stable. The Cad Yellow has many of the same qualities of Chrome, the orange bias, the opacity - so Chrome Yellow Hue is a rather lighter, generally less heavy-bodied variety of the same sort of yellow and does more or less the same sort of job. It mixes well with Viridian, Ultramarine, and Cobalt Blue to make a range of greens: add a little red if it's too garish; add a little Burnt Sienna to tone it down a bit if using it on its own or the complementary colour (which is of course violet).
I don't know that it would be my yellow of choice, but it does make a change - good for the greens of Spring, for instance. Play about with it - put it through its paces. I'm a little surprised that you say it overpowers other colours .... I wouldn't mix it with Cerulean, or with the more pastel hues but (again, depending on what it really is) it should give a good range if mixed with the stronger blues, reds, browns, or even black.
Posted
I love cad yellow and wonder if it is the only true yellow, are chemical yellows made from the reaction of another being added, possibly one can be made from a blue .or red,even by the addition of an other one,,,by chemical reaction,,,,and the dried out residue, used , one colour I cant live with out is cad yellow ,can ,any one explain to me what chemical is used to make other yellows ,could one be cyanide? ,,,, I am a bit thick remember so that explains my stupidity.and lack of knowledge on the subject
Edited
by alanowen
Posted
It probably was toxic, to some degree, but only very few makers, of whom Winsor and Newton aren't one, use chrome in paint today.
Cadmium Yellow is the only single pigment yellow I can think of at the moment, Alan - other than the earth yellows like Raw Sienna and Yellow Ochre (and sometimes they're not all they seem to be; always pays to read the label). I don't know much about the chemistry either - I know that the basis of some of them is anthraquinone yellow, or arylide yellow, but how they're made I don't know. There's a bismuth yellow too ...... I thought you took that for an upset stomach, but I dare say it's a touch more complicated than that. Amanda Bates is the chemist around here, if she has something to offer on the subject - haven't seen her on the forum lately.
Posted
It did, Syd - it turned brown, which is what happened to so many of van Gogh's sunflower paintings; happened in his lifetime, too, which must have been a blow.
Lead is good for oil paint, but not for us - I use lead white when I can get it, hard to do nowadays, but it needs to be handled with great respect.
Posted
I havent got any advice on using chrome yellow but i should have considering its my yellow of choice. I used to use cadmium yellow. Lemon yellow is a little too cold in my opinion. I love cadmium yellow deep. Thats probably my favourite yellow. Apparently yellow was van goghs favourite colour. Well there we go.