Re: tricolor gum question - yellow

[Katharine Thayer <kthayer@pacifier.com>]

Hi Paul,  if you want a more muted yellow, the best way is to use a  
less color-saturated pigment.   By that I don't mean less pigment,  
but a pigment that is inherently less saturated in hue.  Jim has it  
right about cadmium yellow being high chroma; if you're looking for a  
muted yellow  that makes terra cotta instead of bright orange,   
cadmium yellow isn't going to be it.   If you want  very dull muted  
shades, the earth yellows (yellow ochre, naples yellow) will do the  
trick,  but if you want a more transparent, livelier color mix with  
less saturated hues,  I'd head in the direction of quinacridone gold  
or PY110.  If you do want a muted palette overall, then I'd also  
change out your other pigments to pigments with less saturated hues:   
ultramarine or indanthrone or prussian instead of pthalo;  deep  
scarlet or even burnt sienna or burnt umber for the red.  I like a  
muted palette myself, and pthalo in combination with quinacridone  
rose (point of information:  the Daniel Smith "quinacridone red" is  
actually quinacridone rose (PV19)  not quinacridone red (PR 209)) and  
a bright yellow make a palette that   is altogether too garish for my  
taste.
Katharine




On Nov 17, 2009, at 1:56 PM, Paul Viapiano wrote:

> Hi all...
>
> After making several tricolor gums, I am feeling that my yellow  
> layer is a bit on the heavy side. Where I am expecting muted yellow- 
> browns in my final print, I am seeing a brighter shade slightly on  
> the garish side. I see this with oranges as well. Where I expect a  
> more terracotta color I am seeing a brighter orange.
>
> How can I correct for this? Should I mute the yellow by doubling  
> the gum arabic in the pigment mixture? Or expose that layer less?
>
> I can also change colors...at the moment I use Cad Yellow Pale,  
> along with Quin Red and Phthalo Blue RS, all Daniel Smith pigments.  
> Maybe toning the Cad Yellow down with something like Raw Sienna  
> will mute the vibrancy...
>
> Thanks!
>
> Paul