Whats the best pigment combination to most closely approximate realistic color?
This is an interesting question, because different sources over the years have recommended very different pigments to approximate process colors; each pigment combination recommended would produce a very different color palette, which just goes to show that there is wide latitude in what our eyes accept as a reasonable approximation of realistic colors. My personal vote for best approximation to process colors is: pthalo blue, green shade (PB15:3); quinacridone rose, (PV 19 gamma); and PY 97, an arylide yellow. However, it doesn’t satisfy my preference of using all transparent pigments, and if using this combination, it’s best to print the yellow first, as it is only semi-transparent and leaves a soft haze of opacity over the other colors if printed later.
