Winsor Newton Scarlet Lake Review (PR188): Is This Watercolor Worth Buying?
Winsor & Newton Scarlet Lake is an excellent warm red if you want transparent color, clean mixtures and strong warm washes without the heaviness of more opaque reds. I especially like it for architecture, sunsets, florals and limited palettes—and it produces surprisingly good blossoms.
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Winsor & Newton Scarlet Lake: The Warm Red That Deserves More Attention
Some watercolor paints arrive with great fanfare. Others quietly sit in the palette, waiting for you to realize they have been useful all along. Winsor & Newton Scarlet Lake falls firmly into the second category.
At first glance, Scarlet Lake looks like just another bright warm red. It does not scream for attention like Opera Pink or seduce you with granulation drama like a moody super-granulating color. But if you paint landscapes, architecture, florals, sunsets, or anything requiring a strong, transparent warm red, Scarlet Lake deserves a closer look.
According to Winsor & Newton, Scarlet Lake is a bright red with orange-yellow undertones, made from pigment PR188 (Naphthol Scarlet Lake) and classified as semi-transparent with strong permanence.
What Does Scarlet Lake Actually Look Like?
Scarlet Lake sits somewhere between a warm scarlet and a vermilion. Think of it as a confident red leaning toward orange, without tipping into screaming fire-engine territory.
Diluted, it produces warm coral and pinkish washes useful for glowing skies, warm reflected light, skin warmth, or sunlit architecture. Used at full strength, it becomes a rich, saturated red with real punch.
If you enjoy painting cities such as Istanbul, Edinburgh rooftops at sunset, or warm Mediterranean architecture, Scarlet Lake can quietly become one of those colors you reach for more than expected.
And unlike some reds that dry into disappointment (“Look how vibrant I am!” five minutes later “Actually, I have decided to become beige”), Scarlet Lake tends to hold onto its intensity reasonably well after drying. Artists often note that it remains brighter than many traditional warm reds once the wash settles.
Transparency, Mixing, and Behavior
One of Scarlet Lake’s strengths is its clean mixing behavior. Because Winsor & Newton formulates it as a single-pigment PR188 color, mixtures stay relatively predictable and avoid the muddy personality crisis some convenience reds enjoy.
Pair Scarlet Lake with:
- Ultramarine Blue for warm violets and atmospheric neutrals
- Earth colors like Burnt Sienna for glowing brickwork and warm shadows
- Yellows for fiery oranges and sunset passages
- Neutral darks for rich contrast in architecture and landscape work
Scarlet Lake is also useful in limited palette watercolor painting, especially if you prefer warmer triads. Combined with a cool blue and a versatile yellow, it can create a surprisingly broad range of mixes.
It is semi-transparent rather than fully opaque, meaning it layers well and still allows watercolor to feel like watercolor instead of accidental gouache. Winsor & Newton classifies it as semi-transparent with permanence rating A.
Does It Blossom?
Here is where things become interesting.
Like many warm reds, Scarlet Lake can occasionally behave with more enthusiasm than requested in wet passages. On very damp paper it may bloom or feather into surrounding washes, particularly if water ratios are uneven.
For some painters, this is a problem.
For others—particularly those chasing atmospheric effects, expressive skies, loose cityscapes, or intentional watercolor texture—it becomes a feature instead of a flaw. Yes, it blossoms beautifully.
Watercolor rewards a little controlled chaos. Scarlet Lake sometimes reminds you of that.
Is Scarlet Lake Lightfast?
Scarlet Lake (PR188) generally carries respectable permanence ratings and performs better than some older warm reds, though some artists remain cautious about very diluted tints over long periods, especially when compared with ultra-stable modern reds like pyrroles or cadmiums. For most sketchbooks, studio paintings, and framed watercolor work under proper conditions, it performs quite well.
How Does Scarlet Lake Compare to Other Watercolors?
- Winsor Orange – Winsor Orange is a transparent yellow-orange, while Scarlet Lake leans much further toward the red side of the spectrum. Scarlet Lake produces richer sunsets and stronger warm accents.
- Winsor & Newton Transparent Orange – Transparent Orange creates glowing, transparent orange passages. Scarlet Lake offers a deeper, redder warmth and more dramatic color intensity.
- Daniel Smith Perinone Orange – Perinone Orange is a slightly red-leaning orange with excellent staining strength. Scarlet Lake pushes further into the red family and creates more vibrant warm washes.
- Holbein Brilliant Orange – Brilliant Orange is brighter and more obviously orange. Scarlet Lake feels richer and more versatile for warm skies, florals, and architectural accents.
- Holbein Permanent Magenta – Permanent Magenta leans toward violet and cool reds. Scarlet Lake stays firmly on the warm side, making it a better choice for sunsets and glowing light effects.
- Winsor & Newton Quinacridone Violet – Quinacridone Violet excels at blossoms and purple passages. Scarlet Lake provides a warmer counterpart and mixes beautifully into sunset palettes.
- Holbein Mineral Violet – Mineral Violet creates granulation and color separation effects. Scarlet Lake produces cleaner, more intense warm washes with less texture.
- Winsor & Newton Cobalt Violet – Cobalt Violet is heavily granulating and subdued. Scarlet Lake is brighter, smoother, and much higher in chroma.
- Holbein Marine Blue – Marine Blue and Scarlet Lake create strong complementary contrast, making them an excellent pairing for dramatic skies and landscape paintings.
- Winsor & Newton Manganese Blue Hue – Manganese Blue Hue creates luminous blue passages that contrast beautifully against the warm intensity of Scarlet Lake.
Final Thoughts: Is Winsor & Newton Scarlet Lake Worth It?
Yes—especially if you want a transparent, warm, versatile red that mixes cleanly and brings warmth into landscapes and architecture without overwhelming everything it touches.
It may not be the flashiest paint in the box, but Scarlet Lake quietly solves problems:
- Warm sunsets? ✔
- Brick buildings and glowing rooftops? ✔
- Expressive limited palettes? ✔
- Rich transparent reds without heavy opacity? ✔
Sometimes the best watercolor paints are not the dramatic divas of the palette.
Sometimes they just show up, do the work, and make you look more competent than you probably are.
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Ryan Fox AWS, NWS, TWSA
Ryan Fox Painting
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