Primary Yellow

Primary Yellow, an AK interactive oil paint, 20 ml

The primary yellow of the Abteilung 502 oil range (AK interactive) in a 20 ml tube. It is a pure, deep primary shade made of finely ground pigments: a modeling paint for mixing and color effects, not a kit.

With oils, pure primary colors are used differently from opaque coats. They are not paints for covering a model but the building blocks of a palette: they are mixed into other oils and applied in thin translucent layers that bring the color underneath to life instead of overpowering it. Yellow is the strongest warming agent of them all, and a few strokes shift a tone toward the sunlit.

Like every oil it dries very slowly, over a matter of days. That is an advantage: the paint can be blended for a long time, mixed straight on the model and softened gently. It is thinned and blended with an odorless thinner or with mineral spirits, never with water.

Use

• Mixing shades: primary yellow as a component for mixing greens, oranges, ochers and sand tones straight on the palette.
• Toning and reviving yellow surfaces: a thin glaze brings life back to a stale or over-subdued yellow.
• Dot filtering: small dots of yellow blended into a surface break up a monotonous coat and create color variation.
• Brightening and warming: mixed into other oils it shifts a shade toward the warmer, sunlit end.

A practical tip: oil in a tube gives off binder. Squeeze a drop onto card, let the binder soak away for a few minutes and only then load the brush; it will not leave greasy glossy edges.

It is applied to a fully cured varnished surface, best of all a gloss or satin varnish that stands up to thinner and allows the excess to be wiped away without damaging the coat underneath.

Who it is for

For modelers who mix their own shades and work with filters and dot filtering, on vehicles, aircraft, ships, figures and dioramas. Without a primary yellow most greens, ochers and warm tones cannot be mixed.

Safety: it contains an oil binder and is used with solvents (odorless thinner, mineral spirits). Work in a well-ventilated area, protect your skin and eyes and keep it out of the reach of children. Solvents are flammable, so do not use it near an open flame.