Chromatopia: An Illustrated History of Color cover
Chromatopia: An Illustrated History of Color
by David Coles
Found in 1 comment on Hacker News
We may earn a commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Not ready yet? Get weekly book picks.
jgord · 2026-06-18 · Original thread
Their VanDyke Brown looks more like a Burnt Sienna to my eyes, but that might just be my screen.

You may also enjoy the Chromatopia book : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40554590-chromatopia

The author produces a very nice range of oil colors under the Langridge brand in Melbourne, downunder... its nice to keep these artisanal practices alive.

Would be handy to have the standard pigment codes. Ive been gradually moving away from using heavy metals such as Cadmiums. Haven't found the perfect red, although Napthol Red PR170 and Pyrrole "Ferrari" Red PR254 are pretty close to primary for mixing from a limited palette.

Its really surprising how you can get gorgeous brick-red browns and deep purplish blacks from mixing a near primary red and primary blue.