Cadmium Yellow
PY35 / PY37
Cadmium Yellow is a dense opaque pigment made from cadmium sulphide that can range from an acidic lemon yellow to a bright orange. Read on to learn more and shop for colours.


Claude Monet, Charing Cross Bridge, London, 1901, oil on canvas, 65 x 92.2 cm, 25 5/8 × 36 5/16 in, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection, Art Institute of Chicago


Claude Monet, The Artist's Garden at Vétheuil, 1881, oil on canvas, 151.5 x 121cm, 59 5/8 x 47 5/8 in, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, National Gallery of Art
Cadmium was identified in 1817 by German chemist Friedrich Stromeyer, who immediately recognised cadmium sulphide’s potential as a yellow pigment. He wrote that the compound “this sulphide, from its beauty and the fixity of its colour, as well as from the property which it possesses of uniting well with other colours, promises to be useful in painting.” Stromeyer’s prediction came true, and Cadmium Yellow was first mass-produced in the 1830s.


Circus Sideshow (Parade de cirque), Georges Seurat, 1887–88, oil on canvas, 99.7 x 149.9 cm, 39 1/4 x 59 in, Bequest of Stephen C. Clark, 1960, The Metropolitan Museum of Art


Woman with a Towel, Edgar Degas, 1894 or 1898, pastel on cream-coloured wove paper with red and blue fibers throughout, 95.9 x 76.2cm, 37 3/4 x 30in, H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Cadmium pigments are potentially harmful if inhaled or ingested. Wash hands after use, keep out of reach of children and pets, and avoid using them for airbrushing techniques without specialist equipment.




From top: Jackson’s Cadmium Yellow Deep Genuine Professional oil paint (PY35), Jackson’s Cadmium Yellow Genuine Professional oil paint (PY35)


Jackson’s Cadmium Yellow Genuine Professional oil paint (PY35) in incremental mixtures with (from top): Jackson’s Dioxazine Violet Professional oil paint (PV23), Michael Harding Lavender oil paint (PB29, PV15, PW6), Jackson’s Ultramarine Violet Professional oil paint (PV15), Jackson’s Manganese Violet Professional oil paint (PV16), Michael Harding Wisteria oil paint (PB29, PR122, PW6)


Michael Harding Cadmium Yellow Lemon oil paint (PY35) in incremental mixtures with (from top): Jackson’s Ultramarine Blue Artist oil paint (PB29), Michael Harding Phthalo Blue Red Shade oil paint (PB15:1), Jackson’s Cobalt Teal Professional oil paint (PG50), Jackson’s Cerulean Blue Professional oil paint (PB35)
For those who prefer not to use cadmium paints, there are many alternatives available. These are often called ‘Cadmium Yellow Hue’ and they use a mixture of less-toxic pigments to mimic the genuine colour.