Winsor & Newton Winsor Orange (PO62) Watercolor Review
Winsor Orange (PO62) is a transparent, highly staining yellow-orange watercolor that excels in sunsets, glowing skies, autumn landscapes, and warming neutral passages. Although technically an orange, it often shifts toward yellow in lighter washes, making it a versatile glazing color that can add warmth and luminosity without overpowering a painting.
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Some watercolor paints get used every day. Others sit quietly in the corner of the palette waiting for their moment.
Winsor & Newton’s Winsor Orange falls squarely into the second category.
In fact, the tube shown in these photographs may date all the way back to 2011. That’s not because I dislike the color. Quite the opposite. Winsor Orange is one of those specialty colors that doesn’t belong in every painting—but when a painting needs it, nothing else quite does the same job.
Made from a single pigment, PO62 (Benzimidazolone Orange), Winsor Orange is a transparent, highly staining yellow-orange capable of producing brilliant glowing effects that seem to radiate directly from the paper.
What Pigment Is Winsor Orange?
Winsor Orange is made from:
- PO62 – Benzimidazolone Orange
This is a modern organic pigment known for:
- Excellent lightfastness
- High transparency
- Strong tinting strength
- Significant staining ability
- Clean mixing characteristics
Unlike many convenience oranges, Winsor Orange is a single-pigment paint. That means cleaner mixtures, more predictable glazing, and fewer surprises when combining it with other colors.
Color Characteristics
Transparency: Excellent
Winsor Orange is extremely transparent.
The graduated wash demonstrates just how smoothly this color transitions from a saturated orange to a delicate warm glow. Even in stronger applications, the paint retains a luminous quality that allows light to pass through the pigment layer and reflect off the paper underneath.
If you’re looking for that warm sunset effect that appears to glow from within the paper, Winsor Orange is exceptionally good at it.
Staining Strength: High
This paint is not interested in leaving once it dries.
Winsor Orange stains watercolor paper aggressively, making it a reliable choice for glazing and layered painting techniques. Liftability is limited compared to many earth pigments or traditional yellows.
For painters who enjoy multiple glazes, this can be a major advantage.
Granulation: None
Winsor Orange is smooth and consistent.
There is virtually no visible granulation, allowing for clean washes and even color transitions.
If you’re a fan of heavily textured pigments like Lunar Black, Shadow Violet, or Cobalt Violet, Winsor Orange lives on the opposite end of the spectrum.
This paint is all about clarity and brilliance.
Blossoms and Water Effects
Winsor Orange creates attractive blooms and backruns when introduced into damp washes.
The blossom tests reveal soft, organic textures without becoming muddy or overly chaotic. The transparency of the pigment allows these effects to remain luminous rather than heavy.
While it won’t create the dramatic explosions of some non-staining pigments, it still produces attractive watercolor textures when encouraged with additional water.
Why I Keep Coming Back to Winsor Orange
One of the most interesting qualities of Winsor Orange is that it behaves almost like two different colors depending on dilution.
At full strength, it appears as a vibrant orange.
In mid-value and lighter washes, it begins shifting noticeably toward the yellow side of the spectrum.
This makes it an excellent glazing color.
A light glaze of Winsor Orange can:
- Warm up neutral passages
- Enhance sunlight effects
- Increase the glow of sunset skies
- Add warmth to architecture
- Create subtle golden highlights
Sometimes a painting doesn’t need more orange.
It simply needs a little more warmth.
Winsor Orange excels at providing exactly that.
One of My Favorite Color Pairings
Winsor Orange becomes especially powerful when placed next to muted blues.
Colors such as:
- Payne’s Gray
- Cobalt Blue
- Ultramarine Blue
- Indigo
- Neutral Tint
suddenly appear more vibrant when paired with this intense orange.
The complementary contrast amplifies both colors, making the orange glow while simultaneously enriching the blue.
This is one reason I often reach for Winsor Orange in cityscapes, winter scenes, and sunset paintings.
A small amount can completely change the energy of a composition.
Who Should Buy Winsor Orange?
Winsor Orange is an excellent choice for:
- Landscape painters
- Sunset and sunrise specialists
- Urban sketchers
- Architectural painters
- Artists who glaze extensively
- Painters seeking clean single-pigment mixtures
You may not use it every day.
You may not even use it every week.
But when a painting calls for a brilliant transparent orange-yellow glow, you’ll be glad it’s sitting there waiting.
How Does Winsor Orange Compare?
Winsor Orange vs. Transparent Orange
Both are vibrant transparent oranges, but they serve different purposes.
Winsor Orange (PO62):
- More yellow leaning
- Slightly brighter
- Excellent warming glaze
- Highly staining
Transparent Orange (PO107):
- More red-orange
- Stronger sunset drama
- Richer mass tone
- Slightly deeper appearance
If I could only own one, I’d probably choose Transparent Orange because of its versatility.
But Winsor Orange occupies a unique space that Transparent Orange cannot fully replace.
Curious how Winsor Orange compares to other watercolor paints? Compare it to:
- Winsor & Newton Transparent Orange – more transparent and slightly redder, with stronger orange saturation and excellent blossoming ability.
- Daniel Smith Perinone Orange – darker, slightly red-biased orange with stronger staining and beautiful dark mixtures with blues.
- Holbein Brilliant Orange – brighter, higher-chroma two-pigment orange that creates more intense color passages.
- Daniel Smith Quinacridone Burnt Orange – a muted earth-orange perfect for landscapes, architecture, and natural shadow mixtures.
- Winsor & Newton Scarlet Lake – warmer red-orange mixtures and stronger floral applications.
- Holbein Permanent Magenta – combines beautifully with Winsor Orange for sunset skies and vibrant warm passages.
- Winsor & Newton Quinacridone Violet – creates dramatic complementary neutral mixtures and atmospheric shadows.
- Winsor & Newton Cobalt Violet – a heavily granulating complement that can produce interesting muted color combinations.
- Winsor & Newton Payne’s Gray – excellent for creating glowing warm-and-cool contrasts in moody landscapes.
- Holbein Marine Blue – pairing these side-by-side creates beautiful color vibration and makes both colors appear more intense.
Best Uses for Winsor Orange
- Sunset skies
- Autumn foliage highlights
- Warm architectural lighting
- Glazing neutral passages
- Enhancing complementary blue mixtures
- Creating glowing focal points
- Atmospheric light effects
Final Thoughts
Winsor Orange isn’t the star of every painting.
It doesn’t dominate a palette like Ultramarine Blue or Quinacridone Gold. It isn’t flashy like some of the modern separating colors. And it certainly isn’t a color I reach for daily.
But every once in a while a painting starts demanding warmth, light, and glow.
That’s when Winsor Orange comes out.
Fifteen years later, I’m still squeezing paint from that old tube.
That probably tells you everything you need to know.
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Ryan Fox AWS, NWS, TWSA
Ryan Fox Painting
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