"Budget Lightfast Reds and Yellows- Americana Premium" Topic

Tbeard's heroic testing of various craft and hobby paints by color was very inspiring to me, and it got me thinking about the lightfastness of colors. Common reds and yellows (and by extension oranges, greens and purples) are tricky as the cheaper pigments often used in these colors are not indeed lightfast. This may not be a concern for some, but it is a concern for me.

Since craft and hobby paints do not list pigments and (some) only claim to be lightfast (rather than list pigments) I am suspicious of the products. A budget alternative is the Americana Premium line- which is medium viscosity and pretty cheap at $3 USD a pop. I have not used them yet (not currently Stateside), but I would expect the paint is probably better than the Liquitex Basic Line, as Americana uses premium red pigments (Pyrrole i.e. Ferrari Red, and Quinacridone) in this this line and they are only available in the professional acrylic lines otherwise.

In the linked chart, look for Lightfast I Excellent. Lightfast II Very Good should be avoided. Anything with Napthol Red should also be avoided. The Pyrrole and Quinacridone are truly excellent (they are at premium prices in Liquitex and Golden). Note, they mix higher chroma (like Pthalo Blue/Green) which is a feature and a flaw depending on the application.

PDF link

Thank you! Except for being frustrated with paints with poor coverage and for wanting specific colors, I realize that I haven't been as discerning as I once thought I was.