Indian Red
30 Indian Red paints from 15 brands, measured in CIE L*a*b* and compared with Delta E 2000.
Why Indian Red isn't one colour
Every brand makes its own Indian Red, 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 30 of them from 15 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 Indian Red 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 30 paints. Below 2 is imperceptible to most people; above 10 is obviously a different colour.
| Brand | Distance from the average | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Winsor & Newton | Delta E 0.40 | Near-identical |
| Royal Talens | Delta E 0.70 | Near-identical |
| Nevskaya Palitra | Delta E 0.76 | Near-identical |
| Sennelier | Delta E 0.94 | Near-identical |
| Daler-Rowney | Delta E 1.27 | Near-identical |
| Old Holland | Delta E 1.27 | Near-identical |
| Williamsburg | Delta E 1.27 | Near-identical |
| Holbein | Delta E 1.41 | Near-identical |
| Lukas | Delta E 1.57 | Near-identical |
| Daniel Smith | Delta E 1.66 | Near-identical |
| Golden | Delta E 1.85 | Near-identical |
| M. Graham | Delta E 1.96 | Near-identical |
| Gamblin | Delta E 2.27 | Very close |
| Schmincke | Delta E 2.32 | Very close |
| Michael Harding | Delta E 2.86 | Very close |
Which brands are interchangeable?
The closest pairs among 105 brand comparisons - swap one for another and most people would not see the difference.
- Old HollandvsWilliamsburgDelta E 0.00Near-identical
- Nevskaya PalitravsRoyal TalensDelta E 0.43Near-identical
- Old HollandvsSennelierDelta E 0.47Near-identical
- SenneliervsWilliamsburgDelta E 0.47Near-identical
- Nevskaya PalitravsSennelierDelta E 0.51Near-identical
- Daler-RowneyvsRoyal TalensDelta E 0.83Near-identical
Which brands are clearly different?
The furthest apart. Same name on the tube, visibly different paint.
- Michael HardingvsSchminckeDelta E 4.96Very close
- GamblinvsSchminckeDelta E 4.47Very close
- GoldenvsMichael HardingDelta E 3.94Very close
- Daler-RowneyvsMichael HardingDelta E 3.86Very close
- LukasvsSchminckeDelta E 3.81Very close
- GamblinvsGoldenDelta E 3.80Very close
Pigments used
Brands do not always use the same pigment for the same colour name.
Daler-Rowney, Daniel Smith, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Lukas, M. Graham, Michael Harding, Nevskaya Palitra, Old Holland, Royal Talens, Schmincke, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Lightfastness
How well the colour resists fading. ASTM I is the most permanent; V is fugitive.
Daler-Rowney, Daniel Smith, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Lukas, M. Graham, Michael Harding, Nevskaya Palitra, Old Holland, Royal Talens, Schmincke, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Opacity
How much the paint covers what is underneath.
Daler-Rowney, Daniel Smith, Gamblin, Golden, Holbein, Lukas, M. Graham, Michael Harding, Nevskaya Palitra, Old Holland, Royal Talens, Schmincke, Sennelier, Williamsburg, Winsor & Newton
Brands that make it
Every brand in the database with a Indian Red. Each links to that brand's full range.
- Daler-Rowney · 3 paints
- Daniel Smith · 1 paint
- Gamblin · 1 paint
- Golden · 1 paint
- Holbein · 4 paints
- Lukas · 1 paint
- M. Graham · 1 paint
- Michael Harding · 1 paint
- Nevskaya Palitra · 2 paints
- Old Holland · 1 paint
- Royal Talens · 2 paints
- Schmincke · 1 paint
- Sennelier · 3 paints
- Williamsburg · 1 paint
- Winsor & Newton · 7 paints
Available in
The kinds of paint this colour is made as.
Every Indian Red we have measured
All 30 paints, with the measurements the comparisons above are built from.
| Brand | Line | Medium | Hex | L*a*b* | Pigment | Opacity | Lightfastness | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daler-Rowney | Aquafine | watercolor | #913c37 | 37.0, 35.6, 21.1 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Daler-Rowney | Artists' Watercolour | watercolor | #943e37 | 37.9, 35.7, 22.4 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Daler-Rowney | Georgian Oil Colors | oil | #8e3437 | 35.0, 38.4, 18.4 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Daniel Smith | Extra Fine Watercolors | watercolor | #8a3a3c | 35.5, 34.3, 15.8 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Gamblin | Artist's Oil Colors | oil | #8c343a | 34.7, 37.9, 16.1 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Golden | QoR Modern Watercolors | watercolor | #8c3c37 | 36.1, 33.6, 19.9 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Acryla Gouache | gouache | #944444 | 39.3, 33.7, 16.2 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Artists' Oil Color | oil | #8a373c | 34.9, 35.9, 15.1 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Artists' Watercolor | watercolor | #8e3e3e | 37.0, 34.0, 16.7 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Holbein | Heavy Body Acrylic | acrylic | #91413c | 38.1, 33.4, 19.4 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Lukas | Berlin Water-Mixable Oil | oil | #8c3437 | 34.6, 37.7, 17.9 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| M. Graham | Artists' Watercolor | watercolor | #913e41 | 37.6, 35.4, 15.6 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Michael Harding | Artists Oil Colours | oil | #873237 | 33.4, 36.8, 16.1 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Nevskaya Palitra | Ladoga | oil | #913737 | 36.0, 38.1, 19.9 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Nevskaya Palitra | Master Class | oil | #913737 | 36.0, 38.1, 19.9 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Old Holland | Classic Oil Colors | oil | #913437 | 35.5, 39.5, 19.2 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Royal Talens | Rembrandt Oil Colors | oil | #8e3437 | 35.0, 38.4, 18.4 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Royal Talens | Van Gogh | watercolor | #913c37 | 37.0, 35.6, 21.1 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Schmincke | Horadam Aquarell | watercolor | #91413c | 38.1, 33.4, 19.4 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Artists' Oil Colors | oil | #913237 | 35.2, 40.4, 18.8 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | Rive Gauche | oil | #913237 | 35.2, 40.4, 18.8 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Sennelier | l'Aquarelle | watercolor | #913c37 | 37.0, 35.6, 21.1 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Williamsburg | Handmade Oil Colors | oil | #913437 | 35.5, 39.5, 19.2 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Artisan Water Mixable Oil | oil | #91322d | 35.0, 39.8, 24.8 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Artists' Oil Colour | oil | #87373c | 34.4, 34.7, 14.3 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Cotman Watercolour | watercolor | #914144 | 38.2, 34.1, 14.7 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Designers Gouache | gouache | #9b484e | 41.5, 35.2, 13.1 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Professional Acrylic | acrylic | #91322d | 35.0, 39.8, 24.8 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Professional Watercolour | watercolor | #914144 | 38.2, 34.1, 14.7 | PR101 | Opaque | I | |
| Winsor & Newton | Winton Oil Colour | oil | #91322d | 35.0, 39.8, 24.8 | PR101 | Opaque | I |
