Cadmium Red vs. Alizarin

I’m back.

It’s been crazy. Who would have thought 2020 would be one of my busiest years to date?

I had a question pop up about Cadmium Red vs. Alizarin Crimson, so I thought I’d share today. First, be aware that different brands vary, and this information I’m sharing comes from my experience with Vasari and Windsor and Newton.

I have cadmium red and alizarin crimson on my palette all the time.

Cad red is brilliant. It has a high chroma, and it has an orange undertone. It’s great for intensifying reds, and I prefer to use it in the base of my flesh colored paintings. If you purchase a cad red “hue”, it simply isn’t as strong. Hues are also cheaper. I wouldn’t be afraid of them…in fact, they might be preferable in the beginning. I still use Winsor and Newton’s student grade paint, Winton, for my cad red. It works great.

Alizarin crimson is the base for cooler reds or mixing stunning purples. Dark purple is one of three “blacks” I use in my oil paintings, because you shouldn’t ever use black out of a tube. You don’t know what it’s made from and don’t have control. The above-seen painting is mostly alizarin crimson.

We can dive more into that in lessons, but I thought I’d drop this note for the day. As always, feel free to ask questions via my contact page!