Jane Blundell - Artist
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3 - Orange Watercolour Swatches

There are literally hundreds of artist quality watercolours available from many brands. I have tested many of them and created swatches as seen on the right. The square box is painted into a damp wash at the top to show the colour mixed in water, with more pigment added towards the bottom. The rectangle is painted in a juicy wash to show the mass-tone. The small squares at the bottom of the swatch have the pigment number and characteristics - staining, lightfast rating, granulation and transparency. 

For more on orange pigments see the Artiscreation orange database page here. See the Handprint orange pigment information here (but note that is it based on tests completed in 2004).
Picture
The size of my swatches
Oranges - whether yellow oranges, mid oranges or red-oranges - are difficult to capture accurately so these swatches are very much only a guide to how the paints behave and what pigments are in them. I'll work on more accurate colour gradually over December and January.
​
There are not very many orange pigments used in watercolours. 

Click on any swatch for the full information.

Note - I am gradually checking the details of each swatch (during 2023) and adjusting the colour if necessary. Those with an * have been checked and are as accurate as I can achieve.

PO20 Orange Watercolours

PO20 is also available in Cadmium Red Light by Lukas; Cadmium Orange in Renesans Intense range, Turner, M.Graham; Cadmium Orange Deep in Wallage Seymour; and in both Cadmium Yellow and Cadmium Red Light in the PWC range. I'll add these, and update the swatches. *represents a more accurate colour.
​
It varies in hue from a warm yellow to a warm red.
  1. Cadmium Orange - American Journey; Cadmium Orange* - Aquarius; Cadmium Yellow Orange - Blockx; Cadmium Orange - Da Vinci; Cadmium Orange - MaimeriBlu (pre 2018 range)
  2. ​Cadmium Red Orange - QoR; Cadmium Orange - Rembrandt; Cadmium Orange - Renesans Pan; Cadmium Red Orange - ​Schmincke; Cadmium Orange Light - Schmincke; 
  3. Cadmium Orange Deep - Schmincke;
Cadmium Orange, American Journey Watercolour. PO20
Cadmium Orange - Aquarius Watercolour PO20
Cadmium Yellow Orange, Blockx watercolour. PO20
Cadmium Orange, Da Vinci. PO20
Cadmium Orange, MaimeriBlu watercolour. PO20
Cadmium Red Orange. QoR watercolours. PO20
Cadmium Orange, Rembrandt Watercolour. PO20. (new version 2019)
Cadmium Orange, Renesans half pan watercolour. PO20
Cadmium Red Orange, Schmincke Watercolour. PO20
Cadmium Orange Light, Schmincke Watercolour. PO20
Cadmium Orange Deep, Schmincke Watercolour. PO20

PO36 Orange Watercolours

Known as Benzimidazolone Orange or Azo Orange Deep, this gorgeous orange pigment.
  1. Vermilion Permanent  - Art Spectrum; Benzimidazole Orange* - Aquarius; Benzimida Orange Deep - Da Vinci; Permanent Orange - Stephen Quiller; Titan Red - White Nights
Vermilion Permanent, Art Spectrum Watercolour. PO36
Benzimidazole Orange - Aquarius Watercolour. PO36
Benzimida Orange Deep, Da Vinci watercolour. PO36. Mid orange - not as red as it looks here.
Permanent Orange, Stephen Quiller watercolour. PO36, Yellow orange
Titan Red, White Nights watercolour. PO36

PO43

These swatches don't show the true brightness of this colour , though the hue of the DS version is very close.
​Perinone Orange* - Daniel Smith; Orange Lake - MaimeriBlu
Perinone Orange, Daniel Smith watercolour. PO43.
Orange Lake, Maimeri Bleu. PO43. Note - actual colour is a bright orange!

PO 48 and PO49 Quinacridone Gold and Burnt Orange watercolours including hues

See also Mixed Pigment Oranges for DS Quinacridone Sienna.
  1. Quinacridone Red Gold, A. Gallo PO48; Quinacridone Burnt Orange* - Daniel Smith PO48; ​Quinacridone Gold - Daniel Smith PO49 (Discontinued 2015); Quinacridone Gold* - Daniel Smith PO48 + PY150; Quinacridone Gold Deep*, Daniel Smith PO49 (discontinued version); 
  2. Quinacridone Deep Gold* - Daniel Smith PO48 + PY150; Quinacridone Burnt Orange - Da Vinci PO48; ​Quinacridone Rust - M.Graham PO48,  Quinacridone Orange - Rembrandt PO48; Quinacridone Gold - Winsor & Newton PO49 (discontinued); 
  3. ​Quinacriodone Gold - Winsor & Newton PY150 + PR206 + PV19; 
Quinacridone Red Gold, A Gallo Watercolour. PO48
Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Daniel Smith watercolour. PO48.
Quinacridone Gold (Genuine) - Daniel Smith watercolour. PO49. discontinued 2015
Quinacridone Gold - Daniel Smith Watercolour. PO48 + PY150
Quinacridone Deep Gold - Daniel Smith watercolour. PO49 (discontinued version)
Quinacridone Deep Gold - Daniel Smith watercolour. PO48 + PY150
Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Da Vinci watercolour. PO48. Neutral yellow orange
Quinacridone Rust, M.Graham watercolour. PO48
Quinacridone Orange, Rembrandt Watercolour. PO48 (new 2019)
Quinacridone Gold, Winsor & Newton. PO49 - Discontinued.
Quinacridone Gold, Winsor & Newton. PY150, PR206, PV19. (This looks too green but it is a dull mix for this hue.)

PO59

Permanent Orange - Aquarius 
Permanent Orange - Aquarius Watercolour. PO59

PO62 Oranges

This pigment is also available as Permanent Yellow Deep by Lukas, Benzimida Orange by Da Vinci, Permanent Yellow Orange by MaimeriBlu (new range) and Permanent Orange in MaimeriBlu pre 2018 range and Art Spectrum. 
Shown here are:
  1. Halloween Orange - American Journey; Golden Orange* - Aquarius;  Permanent Orange - Blockx;​ Permanent Orange* - Daniel Smith; Azo Orange - M.Graham; 
  2. Chrome Orange - Schmincke; Winsor Orange - Winsor & Newton 
Halloween Orange, American Journey watercolour. PO62H5G
Golden Orange - Aquarius Watercolour. PO62
Permanent Orange, Blockx watercolour. PO62
Permanent Orange, Daniel Smith watercolour. PO62.
Azo Orange, M.Graham Watercolour. PO62
Chrome Orange, Schmincke watercolour. PO62
Winsor Orange, Winsor & Newton watercolour. PO62

PO64 Oranges

Deep Orange* - Aquarius; Brilliant Orange - Rembrandt (and also Saturn Red by Schmincke.)
Deep Orange - Aquarius Watercolour. PO64
Brilliant Orange, Rembrandt watercolour. PO64. (New 2019)

PO65

Golden Barack Red - Old Holland
Golden Barok Red, Old Holland watercolour. PO65. Warm, granulating red orange (labelled incorrectly)

PO67

Brilliant Orange* - Aquarius 
Brilliant Orange - Aquarius Watercolour. PO67

PO71 Oranges

PO71 is also found in Permanent Orange - Lukas and Orange Pyrrolo - MaimeriBlu (new range) Shown here are:
  1. Transparent Pyrrol Orange* - Aquarius; Transparent Pyrrol Orange* - Daniel Smith; Transparent Pyrrol Orange* - Daniel Smith (2019 version); Transparent Pyrrol Orange - QoR; Pyrrol Orange - Rembrandt;
  2. ​​Transparent Orange (was Translucent Orange) - Schmincke;  
Transparent Pyrrol Orange - Aquarius. PO7`1
Transparent Pyrrol Orange, Daniel Smith watercolour. PO71. (original version)
Transparent Pyrrol Orange, Daniel Smith Watercolour (2019 version) PO71.
Transparent Pyrrol Orange, QoR watercolour. PO71
Pyrrol Orange, Rembrandt Watercolour. PO71. (New 2019)
Transparent Orange, Schmincke Horadam watercolour. PO71. Mid orange with slight yellow undertone. (Renamed 2017, was Translucent Orange)

PO72 Oranges

Benzimididazolone Orange, Rembrandt Watercolours. PO72. (New 2019)

PO73 Oranges

It is also used in Warm Orange by Daler Rowney; Red Orange by Mission Gold; Pyrrol Orange Red Shade by Turner and Pyrrole Orange by Isaro.

Shown here:
  1. Pyrrol Orange* - Aquarius; Pyrrolo Vermilion - Blockx; Pyrrol Orange* - Daniel Smith; Da Vinci Orange - Da Vinci; Pyrrolo  Scarlet Pyrrol - M.Graham; 
  2. Flame Red - Rosa; Sennelier Orange - Senneilier; Vermilion - Stephen Quiller;  Winsor Orange Red Shade - Winsor & Newton 
Pyrrol Orange - Aquarius Watercolour. PO73
Pyrrolo Orange, Blockx watercolour, PO73
Pyrrol Orange, Daniel Smith watercolour. PO73
Da Vinci Orange, Da Vinci Watercolours. PO73 (incorrectly labelled swatch)
Scarlet Pyrrol, M. Graham watercolour. PO73
Flame Red - Rosa watercolours PO73
Sennelier Orange, Sennelier Watercolour. PO73
Vermilion, Stephen Quiller watercolour. PO73. Red orange
Winsor Orange Red Shade, Winsor & Newton Watercolours. PO73

PO82

Chrome Orange (Hue) - Aquarius 
Chrome Orange (Hue), Aquarius Watercolours. PO82

PO107

Transparent Orange - Winsor & Newton 
Transparent Orange - Winsor & Newton Watercolours. PO107

PR108

Cadmium Yellow Orange* - Holbein​; Cadmium Red Orange* - Holbein ​
Cadmium Yellow Orange - Holbein Watercolour. PR108
Cadmium Red Orange - Holbein Watercolour. PR108

Single Pigment Orange Watercolours

Single pigment orange watercolours will generally be made from a 'Pigment Orange' denoted as PO followed by a number. Note some of the colours are not true to life - orange is a difficult colour to scan accurately. * indicates as close a match as I can get.
As well as the pigment shown above, orange pigments in use are: variations of PO N/A such as
  1. Aquarius Orange* - Aquarius PO N/A​; Mayan Orange* - Daniel Smith PO N/A; Vermilion - Derivan PO6; (Brilliant Orange by Shin Han PWC PO16 not shown)
Aquarius Orange - Aquarius Watercolours. PO N/A
Mayan Orange, Daniel Smith watercolour. PON/A.
Vermillion, Derivan watercolour. PO6. Mid orange. This was a sample. (Current website info list PY74 + PO73 + PY3)

PR206

Avignon Orange - MaimeriBlu 
Avignon Orange, Maimeri Blu watercolours. PR206 See also Brown Madder and Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet

PY216

PR290

Ginger Red - Aquarius
Ginger Red, Aquarius. PR290 2021

Mixed Pigment Orange Watercolours

I am not so interested in mixed pigment oranges as they can be mixed in the palette. There are many variations. Shown are
  1. ​Arancione - A.Gallo; Halloween Orange - American Journey; Australian Red Gold - Art Spectrum; Cadmium Orange Hue - Daler Rowney; Cadmium Orange Hue by Daniel Smith;
  2. Aussie Red Gold - Daniel Smith;  ​Quinacridone Sienna* - Daniel Smith PO49 + PR209 (discontinued); ​Quinacridone Sienna* - Daniel Smith PO48 + PR209 + PY150​; Alizarin Gold by Da Vinci; Permanent Yellow Orange (old) - Holbein PY53 + PY55; 
  3. Permanent Yellow Orange - Holbein PY74 + PY83 + PO73; Red Orange - Jackson's; ​Cadmium Orange - Rosa PO20 + PY35; Permanent Red Orange - Schmincke; Tundra Orange - Schmincke PY43 + PR233 + PBr7; 
  4. Chinese Orange - Sennelier; Golden - White Nights; ​​Cadmium Orange - Winsor & Newton. 
Arancione, A Gallo. PY83, PV19, PR101
Halloween Orange, American Journey watercolour. PO62 H5G
Australian Red Gold, Art Spectrum watercolour. PY48 + PR101 + PV19. Yellow-orange hue
Cadmium Orange Hue, Daler Rowney watercolour. PO62 + PY65
Cadmium Orange Hue, Daniel Smith watercolour. PY53 + PO73
Aussie Red Gold, Daniel Smith Watercolours. PY83, PR101, PV19
Quinacridone Sienna, Daniel Smith watercolour. PO49 + PR209. Discontinued
Quinacridone Sienna - Daniel Smith watercolour. PO48 + PR209 + PY150
Alizarin Gold, Da Vinci Watercolour. PR177+PY42. This looks brighter on the screen than the more dull colour in reality.
Permanent Yellow Orange (old) - Holbein Watercolour PY53 + PY55
Permanent Yellow Orange - Holbein Watercolour PY74 + PY83 + PO73
Red Orange, Jackson's watercolour. PO43, PY83.
Cadmium Orange - Rosa Watercolours. PO20 + PY35
Permanent Red Orange, Schmincke Watercolour. PO62+PR242
Tundra Orange - Schmincke watercolour PY43 + PR233 + PBr7 (supergranulation)
Chinese Orange, Sennelier Watercolour. PY150+PR209+PBr23
Golden, White Nights watercolour PY3 + PO13. (Note PO13 is not considered a lightfast pigment)
Cadmium Orange, Winsor & Newton watercolour. PY35 + PR108. Yellow-orange hue
These swatches are painted and added as a guide. The intention is show the characteristics of each colour when painted. The colour reproduction is not perfect but hopefully will still be helpful used in conjunction with the manufacturer's website.  Thank you to those of you, from all over the globe, who have helped me with this section by sharing your favourite colours. If you notice errors please let me know so I can correct them. If you have artist quality watercolour that are not shown here and want to help me build up this resource, also please let me know :-)
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This pages was last updated November 2022. I am gradually separating the various pigments into new galleries with all the pigment information in the blurb - hope this makes it easier to find the swatches you are looking for.
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