Yellow and Yellow Ochre

[Fishooks]

I am painting Amatin HMS Pegasus. The box illustration shows the lower mast sections in bright yellow. This is also shown on other kits for 18C ships. (ie..Vanguard)  I have started to paint with Caldercraft/Admiralty  Yellow Ochre and while it looks like a better colour to me, it is by no means the bright yellow proposed. Can anyone comment on the authenticity of this bright strong yellow on lower mast sections late 18C..?. If it is just a marketing picture along with the white hull bottom craze I will ignore it and stick with Caldercraft Yellow Ochre....but maybe it was a "thing" at the time..?

 

Appreciate advice from an informed researcher

[druxey]

Generally earth pigment paints are not high in chroma (bright and intense in color). Also impurities in the pigments used would dull the color as well. So, your suspicion that bright yellow on a period model is incorrect is very justified! 

 

The other factor to consider is the effect of distance and scale. The further one is from an object, the more the color sees to be leached out and, in the far distance, bluer. The smaller the scale of your model, the colors should be more diluted, as it were, so that the model does not look toy-like.

[wefalck]

Druxey is absolutely right!

 

Another aspect to consider is, whether you want to replicate a period model or a period ship. On models, due to their representational value and often intended as expensive gifts, more expensive materials and pigments were used, which give us today a false impression of the ships of the time. So, when replicating a real ship, the duller earth pigments should be used.

 

Ochre is an interesting pigment, as it can vary in hue from almost blue to quite bright yellow, depending on the chemical composition (which depends on the source) and impurities. For this reason, it is very difficult to determine with any certainty the actual colour for a given ship or period. Also, the ochre often was mixed with the even cheaper chalk, which brightens it and makes it lighter in colour. The lineseed oil as binder in turn makes the paint darker thant the original pigment.

 

I gather any 'average' yellow ochre will be close to reality and no one can prove you wrong with a good justification ...

Edited October 9, 2024 by wefalck

[Chuck Seiler]

IIRC, Nelson had his ships paint the masts below the tops yellow prior to Trafalgar so the could be distinguished from the French/Spanish in the smoke of battle.  Not sure if he did this at other times or if the tradition was carried forward. 

 

I don't believe Pegasus was at Trafalgar. 

[Fishooks]

Many thanks for those replies... just what I wanted