Green Gold
24 Green Gold paints from 12 brands, measured in CIE L*a*b* and compared with Delta E 2000.
Why Green Gold isn't one colour
Every brand makes its own Green Gold, and no two are quite the same. They pick different pigments, grind them differently and mix them to their own recipe — so two tubes with the same word on the label can look noticeably different once they are on the paper.
We measured all 24 of them from 12 brands and compared them the way a lab would, using a number called Delta E. It is just a measure of how far apart two colours look to the human eye. Under 2 and almost nobody can tell them apart; over 10 and most people would call them different colours.
Useful when your usual Green Gold is out of stock and you need the closest substitute, when you are deciding which brand to buy, or when a mix you got right last time will not come out the same again.
How far is each brand from the average?
Every brand's version measured against the average of all 24 paints. Below 2 is imperceptible to most people; above 10 is obviously a different colour.
| Brand | Distance from the average | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Gamblin | Delta E 1.14 | Near-identical |
| Liquitex | Delta E 1.94 | Near-identical |
| Vallejo | Delta E 2.24 | Very close |
| Daniel Smith | Delta E 2.26 | Very close |
| M. Graham | Delta E 2.69 | Very close |
| Winsor & Newton | Delta E 2.99 | Very close |
| Williamsburg | Delta E 3.07 | Very close |
| Holbein | Delta E 3.77 | Very close |
| Daler-Rowney | Delta E 4.83 | Very close |
| Sennelier | Delta E 4.86 | Very close |
| Golden | Delta E 8.66 | Noticeably different |
| Atelier | Delta E 16.38 | Clearly different |
Which brands are interchangeable?
The closest pairs among 66 brand comparisons - swap one for another and most people would not see the difference.
- Daler-RowneyvsSennelierDelta E 0.32Near-identical
- Daniel SmithvsM. GrahamDelta E 0.52Near-identical
- LiquitexvsVallejoDelta E 0.73Near-identical
- Daniel SmithvsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 0.94Near-identical
- HolbeinvsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 0.98Near-identical
- M. GrahamvsWinsor & NewtonDelta E 1.01Near-identical
Which brands are clearly different?
The furthest apart. Same name on the tube, visibly different paint.
- AteliervsGoldenDelta E 23.91Clearly different
- AteliervsWilliamsburgDelta E 18.93Clearly different
- AteliervsDaler-RowneyDelta E 17.79Clearly different
- AteliervsSennelierDelta E 17.73Clearly different
- AteliervsGamblinDelta E 16.99Clearly different
- AteliervsLiquitexDelta E 15.93Clearly different
Pigments used
Brands do not always use the same pigment for the same colour name.
Daler-Rowney, Daniel Smith, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, M. Graham, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Golden
Vallejo
Atelier
Lightfastness
How well the colour resists fading. ASTM I is the most permanent; V is fugitive.
Daler-Rowney, Daniel Smith, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, M. Graham, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Atelier, Vallejo
Opacity
How much the paint covers what is underneath.
Holbein
Golden, Vallejo, Williamsburg
Atelier, Daler-Rowney, Daniel Smith, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Liquitex, M. Graham, Sennelier, Winsor & Newton
Brands that make it
Every brand in the database with a Green Gold. Each links to that brand's full range.
Available in
The kinds of paint this colour is made as.
Every Green Gold we have measured
All 24 paints, with the measurements the comparisons above are built from.
| Brand | Line | Medium | Hex | L*a*b* | Pigment | Opacity | Lightfastness | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atelier | Interactive | acrylic | #d7a82d | 71.3, 6.0, 65.2 | PY74, PG7 | Transparent | II | |
| Daler-Rowney | Aquafine | watercolor | #919b32 | 61.4, -17.7, 51.5 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Daler-Rowney | Artists' Watercolour | watercolor | #919b37 | 61.4, -17.3, 49.4 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Daniel Smith | Extra Fine Watercolors | watercolor | #9b9434 | 60.2, -9.4, 49.7 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Gamblin | Artist's Oil Colors | oil | #919137 | 58.5, -12.1, 46.4 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | Fluid | acrylic | #696e36 | 44.7, -10.9, 30.4 | PY150, PG36, PY175 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #968c2d | 57.5, -7.8, 49.7 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #696f38 | 45.2, -11.2, 29.7 | PY150, PG36, PY175 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Golden | Heavy Body | acrylic | #6a6e36 | 45.0, -10.7, 30.5 | PY150, PG36, PY175 | Transparent | I | |
| Golden | OPEN | acrylic | #696f38 | 45.0, -10.8, 29.5 | PY150, PG36, PY175 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Golden | QoR Modern Watercolors | watercolor | #96a032 | 63.2, -18.1, 53.5 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Holbein | Acryla Gouache | gouache | #a8a23e | 65.4, -10.5, 51.1 | PY129 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Artists' Oil Color | oil | #9b9132 | 59.4, -8.0, 49.7 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Holbein | Artists' Watercolor | watercolor | #9e9837 | 61.7, -10.1, 50.0 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Liquitex | Professional Heavy Body | acrylic | #918a30 | 56.5, -8.8, 47.3 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Liquitex | Soft Body | acrylic | #968c2d | 57.5, -7.8, 49.7 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| M. Graham | Artists' Oil Colors | oil | #988e30 | 58.3, -7.8, 49.3 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| M. Graham | Artists' Watercolor | watercolor | #a29b3a | 62.9, -9.7, 50.1 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Sennelier | l'Aquarelle | watercolor | #919b32 | 61.4, -17.7, 51.5 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Vallejo | Fluid Acrylic | acrylic | #968c2d | 57.5, -7.8, 49.7 | PY3, PY83 | Semi-Transparent | II | |
| Williamsburg | Handmade Oil Colors | oil | #8a9137 | 58.0, -15.2, 45.6 | PY129 | Semi-Transparent | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Artists' Oil Colour | oil | #968c2d | 57.5, -7.8, 49.7 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Galeria | acrylic | #9b962d | 60.8, -10.9, 53.1 | PY129 | Transparent | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Professional Watercolour | watercolor | #a5a23e | 65.1, -11.8, 50.8 | PY129 | Transparent | I |
