Paynes Grey

When choosing the different watercolor colors of our palette, we always ask ourselves the same question, are all the brands the same? In some colors, the differences are notable especially in watercolors that are not mono pigment, that is, they are composed of several color mixtures. In the color that we are going to discuss next, the gray of Payne, the results vary significantly, so we have selected some of the best-known brands so that you can decide which one best suits your taste or need. when painting watercolor.

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Payne's gray color is a bluish-gray that was created by the English watercolorist William Payne in the 18th century. At first, it was a mixture of indigo, natural sienna, and red. Nowadays, each brand makes a different mix, so the results are inevitably different. The most common mixture to achieve this is phthalo blue, black and quinacridone violet. The color code is # 536878 and its color wheel companion is # ab9687 (light purple).

It is semi-transparent and offers high light resistance. The degree of staining is medium and the result is a warm gray with little blue presence. We loved the cleanliness of the stain and the luminous gray it gives us in the gradient. The result is a very valid gray for skies or urban landscapes. Also, PG is a good color for nature landscape art.

There are two types of Payne's Gray: Payne's Gray and Payne's Blue Gray, from the name we already deduce that the second has a high percentage of blue. We have tried the first one so that the comparison was more adjusted to the rest of the brands.

It is composed of a mixture of PB29 (ultramarine blue) and PBk9 (bone black). It has excellent light resistance, is semi-transparent and leaves a slightly grainy appearance. It is more bluish than Schmincke's but still maintains the grayish appearance. The degree of staining is low.
Perfect for shadows, blends to represent water or urban landscapes.

The Payne´s gray artist of Kuhalampi.fi is formed by the pigments index PB15 (phthalo blue), PBk6 (carbon black) and PV19 (quinacridone violet), this mixture gives us a vibrant gray with little granulation and very visually clean. It is a semi-opaque color with light resistance and a medium level of staining.

Valid for shadows, water, skies and bluish backgrounds in landscapes to represent distance.

It is a transparent gray, low staining and difficult to edit. Light resistance is medium. The result of the gradient exercise gives us a clean, transparent and without granulation slightly bluish-gray, making it perfect for skies and shadows, as well as for mixtures to paint water.

It is transparent with a medium staining and a high resistance to light. The gradient leaves a slightly grainy appearance and with a high concentration of blue, which makes it one of the coldest.

It has a high resistance to light and is qualified as semi-transparent. The degree of staining is low and presents a high granulation in the gradient. This feature makes it valid for urban issues, asphalt, buildings, etc., but not for stains that require cleaning and transparency as in the representation of water or skies.

Payne's Gray is usually an essential color in the palette of many artists due to the number of possibilities it offers, alone or mixed with other colors. Dare to try it and discover its infinite pictorial possibilities, and tell us which one is your favorite.