Cadmium Yellow 9 - No. 51

Cadmium Yellow 9 (Hue). This is my “I need a yellow that actually shows up” kind of yellow.

Because some yellows are polite. They sit quietly in the corner, behave well, and disappear the second you add water. Cadmium Yellow 9 does not do that. This one walks into the painting like it owns the place, gives you strong opacity, sunny punch, and that classic cadmium warmth artists love, without using cadmium pigments.

So yes, I’m calling it Cadmium Yellow 9 (Hue) on purpose. In the watercolor world, “Hue” means: same vibe, same visual power, but cadmium free. It is the lookalike, the twin, the “I want the effect but I also want to sleep at night” version. And honestly, I respect that.

It is bright, solid, and incredibly useful for highlights, bold shapes, warm light, lemons, florals, and any moment where your painting needs a yellow that doesn’t apologize. It also mixes beautifully with blues and greens and gives you juicy, clean secondaries instead of that sad, tired grey that some yellows create when they get stressed.

In other words. If your palette needs vitamin D and a bit more backbone, this is it.

Lightfastness 6/6 (Excellent)