Lemon Yellow refers to a cold, greenish yellow that is a staple in many artist palettes. In this article, I explore some Lemon Yellow pigments from history, as well as the variety of pigments that are used to make Lemon Yellow paints today.
Pigment Stories: Lemon Yellow
Lead Tin Yellow Lemon (no pigment index number)
Known as the ‘Yellow of the Old Masters’, Lead Tin Yellow was discovered in the 13th Century. It is an opaque, lead-based yellow pigment that was discovered as a by-product of the glass-making industry. It was used extensively by artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, including Titian, Veronese, Vermeer, and Rembrandt. Lead Tin Yellow had fallen almost completely out of use by the early 18th Century.
Barium Chromate (PY31)
The chromium-based pigments, including Chrome Yellow and Barium Chromate, were discovered in 1797 by French chemist Louis Vauquelin. Barium Chromate is an opaque and low-tinting yellow with a distinctly acidic green hue, and it was the first pigment marketed as Lemon Yellow. It was used by many of the Impressionists, including Renoir and Monet.
Today, Lemon Yellow can be made using a number of different pigments. Looking at the pigment number on the paint indicates the characteristics that the paint might have, including opacity and tinting strength. The swatches below were made with watercolour, but the information is relevant to oil and acrylic paints as well.
Cadmium Yellow Lemon (PY35)
The Cadmium pigments were discovered in 1817. The ‘lemon’ variation of Cadmium Yellow is made by compounding PY37 (the mid-valued Cadmium Yellow pigment) with Zinc Sulphide. It is opaque and strongly tinting in mixtures. In the below swatch, it becomes more acidic and vibrant when used transparently or in tints with white, and it retains its strong colour even when diluted.
Isaro Cadmium Yellow Lemon Watercolour (PY35)
Top: A wash with water, increasing diluted from left to right
Bottom: Tints with Permanent White gouache (PW6) to show tinting strength, gradually increasing the amount of white from left to right
Hansa Yellow Light (PY3)
Hansa Yellow (also referred to as Arylide or Monoazo Yellow) is a member of the Azo pigment family, a large group of synthetic organic pigments which include Diarylide, Napthol, and Benzimidazolone pigments. The first Azo dyes were made as industrial colourants in 1864, and later developed as pigments from 1884. Hansa Yellow Light was patented for use in artists paints in 1909. PY3 is one of the most commonly found pigments in Lemon Yellow Artist Paints. It is transparent with relatively high tinting strength, which means that it creates very clean, vibrant results in colour mixing without being overpowering.
Jackson’s Lemon Yellow Watercolour (PY3)
Top: A wash with water, increasing diluted from left to right
Bottom: Tints with Permanent White gouache (PW6) to show tinting strength, gradually increasing the amount of white from left to right
Benzimidazolone Yellow (PY175)
Benzimidazolone Yellow was introduced to artist paints in the 1960s. As another Azo pigment, it shares very similar transparency and tinting strength to Hansa Yellow Light (above), but it is very slightly more golden and less acidic. According to a study by Golden Paints, there are concerns about the lightfastness of Hansa Yellow (PY3), especially in transparent washes, and PY175 is considered to be a more permanent alternative.
Daniel Smith Lemon Yellow Watercolour (PY175)
Top: A wash with water, increasing diluted from left to right
Bottom: Tints with Permanent White gouache (PW6) to show tinting strength, gradually increasing the amount of white from left to right
Nickel Titanate Yellow (PY53)
Developed in the 1960s, Nickel Titanate is a semi-transparent to opaque, low tinting lemon yellow with a buttery hue. As a result, it makes more subtle mixtures than Hansa Yellow Light (PY3) and Benzimidazolone Yellow (PY175). In watercolour it is a granulating yellow pigment, so it can be used to add a soft textural quality to mixtures. If you like the muted quality of Lead-Tin Yellow, as opposed to the sharpness of the Azo pigments, then Nickel Titanate Yellow would be a good choice.
Winsor and Newton Lemon Yellow watercolour (PY53)
Top: A wash with water, increasing diluted from left to right
Bottom: Tints with Permanent White gouache (PW6) to show tinting strength, gradually increasing the amount of white from left to right
Bismuth Yellow (PY184)
While Bismuth Yellow has been used in industrial applications since 1924, it was not used as an artist pigment until the 1980s. Bismuth Yellow provides the high tinting strength of a Cadmium Yellow Lemon, but with more transparency.
Winsor and Newton Bismuth Yellow watercolour (PY184)
Top: A wash with water, increasing diluted from left to right
Bottom: Tints with Permanent White gouache (PW6) to show tinting strength, gradually increasing the amount of white from left to right
The varieties of Lemon Yellow in artist paints offer everything from creamy, butter-like shades, to powerful and bright acidic hues, with each behaving differently in mixes with other colours. Let us know which Lemon Yellow pigment you use in your palette by leaving a comment below.
Winsor and Newton Professional Watercolour
Further Reading
Recreating the Colour Palette of Paula Rego
Pigment Colour Index: Yellow Pigments
Colour Mixing: Five Yellows in Five Limited Palettes
Shop Lemon Yellow on jacksonsart.com
Have you come across Strontian Yellow
(strontium chromate usually with some
lead or barium content). Strontian is in
the far north of Scotland.
Hi Andrew, I’ve never come across it in person but I believe Winsor and Newton used to do a ‘Strontian Yellow’! Such a lovely name. The only source of strontium chromate (PY32) I can find now is from St Petersburg oil range.
I generally use hansa yellow light in
Watercolor. I like Daniel Smith brand of
this color. I haven’t tried the Jackson
watercolor paints but plan to order some
in the future to try out.
Yes do give them a try! Thanks Jan
So far, I’ve used cadmium and hansa watercolor.
thanks so much Evie; I’m so glad to learn
what some of these adjectives mean with
pigments. One question though…what is a
synthetic organic (mentioned under Hansa
Yellow light)? I thought it would be one or
the other.
Hi Monica, thank you for your interesting question! Organic pigments are carbon-based (as in, their structure contains chains of carbon molecules). Many modern pigments are organic, even though they are made synthetically- including quinacridone, phthalo, and azo pigments. Inorganic pigments are not carbon-based, and they include natural mineral and earth pigments. Organic pigments generally have a smaller particle size than inorganic pigments and are often brighter and more vibrant in colour. I hope that helps!
This was very informative and
interesting. I tend to mix my own paints,
but your explanation of what is in the
various yellows is fascinating.
Very glad to hear it, thank you!
Valuable and fascinating information.
Please write a book – it’d be great you
collate all these articles about pigments /
paints.
Thanks so much Nicholas!
Try Jane Blundell for water colour – excellent from every
perspective.
A great suggestion, Jane’s site is so useful.
Thank you for this wonderful insight and clear explanation
of the history of these colours and their uses. I just love
learning about various aspects of art, it’s history and
impact. I find art so therapeutic (when it is going well ha!)
so thank you once again
Thanks for your lovely comment Brenda!
I use brilliant yellow(Dler Rowney
gouache.)both work very well as
I am restricted by small space in which
To illustrate
I use hansa yellow light (Dan Smith w/c)
what a good article. I always wondered why
Lemon Yellows of different makes varied so
much. Now I know and can use them to
desired effect. Thanks you.
So glad you found it helpful, thank you Lindsay!
I used to like to mix PY3 with Ivory Black
for a subtle dark green but I became
worried about light-fastness so I
switched to PY175. I only use PY53 in
flower paintings, it’s too opaque for my
style of landscape but great for petals.
Thanks for your comment Maxine. Lemon Yellow and black is one of my favourite colour mixes, it makes some beautiful olive greens.
Arylamide yellow 10G (D/R Georgian 651
lemon yellow – has a greenish hint just like a
real lemon
Where does radiant lemon fit into the
yellow pigment categories? It’s my
favourite yellow. What I have is made by
Gamblin.
Hi Mike! Gamblin’s Radiant Lemon is a mixture of PY3 (Hansa Yellow Light) and Titanium White. I find Gamblin’s Radiant colours very useful.
A very informative article based on
scientific research through history
comedable.
I loved your article! Thanks for sharing this
wonderful knowledge.
I use several yellow pigments and it was
good to learn about them.
I was wondering which was the pigment in
the Camboge Genuine W&N . It says NY24 .
Genuine Gamboge is a natural resin pigment which is no longer used because of its poor lightfastness. Winsor and Newton now make a ‘New Gamboge’, a mixture of pigments that replicate the original colour. I will write about Gamboge in the future, it’s a beautiful historical pigment.
I love articles like these. Very well done.
I use lemon yellow a lot (Winsor yellow –
PY154). Usually, I use it as base hue for
flowers. It has transparency and it
makes a great layer to be topped by
layers of reds, oranges, violets and
blues. It mixes well with layers of green
as well. I have some tubes of these
pigments you mentioned like PY3 and
PY35 and I will try them following the
tips and information you gave. Thank
you so much!
As a matter of fact, when we are
discussing lead-tin yellow (rather the
bright variety of yellow as opposed to to
the primary yellow of orpiment back in a
time), we cannot neglect Naples yellow
which soon replaced it. Similarly, when
barium chromate is mentioned, it was one
of the three lemon yellows of the yore,
notably PY32 strontium chromate (still
available if manufactured by one Russian
factory) and PY36 zinc chromate (no
longer made). The least impressive is
strontium yellow, just yellow, but makes
nice greens with blues, whereas zinc
yellow and baryte yellow are more
versatile. The former is very beautiful
nuance of sun yellow, especially when
mixed with white-nowadays such a
mixture is possible only with cobalt yellow
and white, but lacks the luminosity. The
latter is very beneficial instead of white,
where some parts needs to be lightened
up but without making them dull.
Similarly, both of them make very specific
greens and if the blue pigment is chosen
accordingly, these cinnabar greens might
approach the unmatched Veronese green.
Personally, I am using vintage zinc yellow
oil paint, freshly-mulled baryte yellow oil
paint as well as self-made baryte yellow.
water colour. Naples yellows in pigment
form I have all three at disposal, light,
deep and reddish variety. All are suitable
for oil, gouache as well as water-colour.
Thank you very much for this very
informative article. I have always had
difficulty with yellows and had settled on
Hansa but you have given me some options
to try.