← Colour Lab
Payne's Grey
#536878 · click to copy
Neutral
HEX
#536878
RGB
83, 104, 120
CMYK
31%, 13%, 0%, 53%
Pigment
PB27, PBk9
Lightfastness
Good (II) — some formulations use less lightfast components
Moods & Keywords
grey
blue
cool
muted
atmospheric
shadow
Pigment & Material
PB27, PBk9
Synthetic
A mixture of black, white, and blue pigments — typically ultramarine or phthalo blue with black and sometimes red.
Origin & History
Developed by William Payne around 1800 as a pre-mixed neutral grey for watercolour painting. Payne was an English drawing master and engineer who wanted a convenient grey that could be used for shadows without the complexity of mixing. Its slight blue cast makes it particularly useful for atmospheric shadows and urban subjects.
Also Known As
Payne's Gray
Blue-Black
Neutral Grey
Psychology
Atmospheric, sophisticated, and versatile. Payne's grey is grey with character — its blue cast gives it the quality of twilight and urban atmosphere. It creates shadows that feel luminous rather than dead. The slight coolness suggests overcast light, wet streets, and the particular blue of northern European skies.
In Culture
Payne's grey became the standard grey of illustration and urban watercolour painting in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its association with professional watercolour practice makes it one of the few pigments named after an individual to remain continuously used for over 200 years. In digital colour, Payne's grey inspired a category of desaturated blue-greys used in interface design.
Natural Sources
No natural source — a mixture pigment developed by English watercolourist William Payne (c.1800) as a convenient grey for watercolour painting. Typically contains Prussian blue (PB27), ivory or bone black (PBk9), and sometimes red iron oxide for balance.
Making It Yourself
Mix Prussian blue (PB27) with ivory black (PBk9) — approximately 30:70 ratio.
The Prussian blue shifts the black toward blue-grey rather than neutral or warm grey.
For different variations: add small amounts of raw umber (warm grey), ultramarine (cooler blue-grey), or burnt sienna (darker warm grey).
Note: different manufacturers' Payne's grey vary significantly — some are quite blue, others more neutral.
The Prussian blue shifts the black toward blue-grey rather than neutral or warm grey.
For different variations: add small amounts of raw umber (warm grey), ultramarine (cooler blue-grey), or burnt sienna (darker warm grey).
Note: different manufacturers' Payne's grey vary significantly — some are quite blue, others more neutral.
Art Movements
Watercolour Tradition
Illustration
Contemporary Painting
Famous Works
Victorian watercolour illustration broadly
Contemporary urban landscape painting
J.M.W. Turner
atmospheric grey passages
Available As
Winsor & Newton — Payne's Grey (PB27 + PBk9)
Daniel Smith — Payne's Grey
M. Graham — Payne's Grey
Sennelier — Payne's Grey
✦
Colour data compiled with AI. Spot an error or have more to add? Leave a Note — ekphra reviews and updates.
HEX copied!