Term: Hue Pigments

"Hue" is a term used by paint manufacturers to label colors produced with alternative pigments, or pigments that are different than those suggested by the name. For example, Winsor & Newton's Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue is made with arylide yellow (PY74) rather than the original cadmium zinc sulphide (PY35).

The primary reason for hue colors is that they cost less, but they are also created to replace toxic pigments (such as, Naples Yellow), to improve the permanence of the color (as with Hooker's Green), and to accommodate different binders. For instance, some pigments used in oil paint do not work well with acrylic polymer emulsion, so a manufacturer might create a hue in order to provide an acrylic-based product of the same color. Lastly, hues are created for the convenience of the artist. Rather than mixing the same color over and over again, some artists choose to pay a manufacturer to premix the color and deliver it to them in a tube.

Some artists consider hues to be substandard colors, but this is not the case. Hues made from a single pigment are just as "pure" as the originals. Although there may be some performance differences between the two, many of the hue colors perform better than the originals they replace. On the other hand, hues blended from multiple pigments will produce muddy colors more quickly than when working with "pure" colors. For example, Gamblin’s Naples Yellow Hue is made from three pigments: zinc oxide (PW4), concentrated cadmium sulfide (PY37), and natural hydrated iron oxide (PY43).