Payne’s Grey

Payne's grey

Payne's grey is a dark blue-grey colour used in painting. Originally a mixture of iron blue, yellow ochre and crimson lake, Payne's grey now is often a mixture of blue and black, or of ultramarine and burnt sienna. The colour is named after William Payne, who painted watercolours in the late 18th century, who most likely developed the colour while trying to produce a mixer that was less intense than black. Payne's grey was deemed an obsolete term in the early 19th century, but is still used by artists today.

Grey

Grey or gray is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a rain or storm cloud, of ash, and of lead.

payne

Noun

1. Obsolete spelling of pain.

grey

Adjective

1. Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.
2. Synonym of coloured (pertaining to the mixed race of black and white).

Verb

1. Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.