Experiments with YInMn Blue
A BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW COLOR
Well, it depends a little bit on what you call new. YInMn Blue was discovered in 2009 by Prof. Mas Subramanian and his team of scientists at Oregon State University. It’s also sometimes called Mas Blue, Oregon Blue, or Bluetiful (as is the case with Crayola’s YInMn-inspired crayon).
I can count on one hand the amount of times I remember a new color being invented in my lifetime, let alone by accident. So when I saw Golden was allowing pre-orders for small QoR YInMn Blue watercolor tubes, I jumped at the chance to test it out. I’d read a bunch of articles over the past few years about how similar it is to other existing blues so I wasn’t expecting it to fill a gap in my palette or anything like that. In truth, I just wanted to experience the history for myself.
With all of that said, I made some swatches to compare them with some of my other favorite blues. Check it out!
This swatch stamp is a template from Waffle Flower, I linked it at the bottom of this post.
The Stats
Name: YInMn Blue (pronounced: yin-min)
It is made from the elements: Yttrium, Indium, and Manganese (whose symbols on the periodic table are Y, In, and Mn respectively. Hence the name!)
Pigment Color: PB86 (Excuse my typo on the card)
Granulating: I’ve decided to call it non-granulating but it is grainier than some of my other blues.
Transparency: Somewhat transparent - painting with it felt a little milky and it did cover some of the left black sharpie on the swatch card.
Staining: I found it to be slightly staining - I could lift much of the color off and a little blue was left behind.
Lightfastness: One of the great perks of YInMn Blue is how lightfast it is (meaning that it doesn’t easily fade in the sun).
Similar To: Folks compare it to Cobalt Blue and Ultramarine Blue a lot and I can see why (see for yourself below). If I could get a sample of Manganese Blue, that would also be an interesting comparison.
Blues on blues
Of course, I had to swatch YInMn next to all of my favorite bright primary blues. I swatched the exact same colors on both bright white and warm white Fabriano Artistico watercolor papers (one of my favorites!) The colors I’ve included are (from left to right): Cobalt Blue from Da Vinci, Ultramarine Blue Light from Case for Making, Ultramarine Blue (which I made myself! It’s not for sale), French Ultramarine from Winsor & Newton, and lastly, YInMn Blue from QoR. I’ll put links at the bottom of this for all of the paints and paper!
In case you’d also like to compare the levels of staining, transparency, and granulation, here are the swatch cards for all five blues.
LET’S SEE HOW IT MIXES
Since it is a little bit of a warm blue, I was not surprised at all to see that it mixed up some really amazing purples! The pigment particles might be a little bit bigger than those in some of the other colors I mixed it with, you can see how it separates most clearly in the Alizarin Crimson and Azo Yellow mixes. The blue sinks to the bottom while the crimson or yellow stays on top. It’s a cool effect but not applicable for everything (like skies, for instance) so I’ll definitely keep that in mind when painting with it.
For the color chart, I used a new watercolor paper that I hadn’t tried out before. It’s the Hakuho line from Awagami Factory. It feels quite smooth, almost like Hot Press paper?
My Impression
YInMn Blue feels like a milky, periwinkle-ish Ultramarine Blue. I don’t know what the formula is like (and I’m no paint scientist) but it doesn’t flow quite as much as the other blues - maybe there’s a little less oxgall? I’ll definitely want to experiment with it some more and try adding some oxgall or other dispersants to see if I can get it to move around more freely. Without knowing how evenly it spreads, I may not use it for background washes like skies or water and may decide to mostly use it for detail work or mixing.
Most of all, I’m just so excited to use and own this little piece of history! I’ll probably keep the paint tube long after it’s empty just as a memento (can you tell I have a problem throwing things away).
A NOTE:
As of right now, Golden isn’t taking orders for the acrylic, oil, or watercolor paints in YInMn Blue. My understanding is that it is expensive to make because of the rarity of Indium. So unfortunately, I can’t point you in the direction of where to pre-order any right now. I signed up for the wait list in January, made my purchase in March, and then received the tube in late May. Keep checking the Golden websites for updates!
And please let me know if you enjoyed this and if you’d want to see any other tests or mixes. I have a deep love for materials and could talk about them all day! I’d love to make what you want to see.
What I Used:
Not everything I used today is available for purchase but below are some links for items that are or will be. And full disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links (meaning I’ll get a small cut if you make a purchase!)
Papers
Fabriano Artistico Watercolor Paper in Extra White
Fabriano Artistico Watercolor Paper in Traditional White
Awagami Factory Hakuho Watercolor Paper
Stamp
Swatch Stamp Set from Waffle Flower
Paints
Cobalt Blue from Da Vinci
Ultramarine Blue Light from Case for Making
French Ultramarine from Winsor & Newton
YInMn Blue from QoR - This is the most recent press update from QoR.