The History of Payne’s Gray

 

The History of Payne’s Gray

I am mulling Payne’s Gray for a background and also for the edging of some plain speech bubbles that are going to be white in the center. Hand-mulling your own paint takes a lot of patience, but it allows you to control the exact texture and binder ratio for specific projects. For these speech bubbles, I needed an outline color that has a strong presence but isn't as harsh or flattening as a straight carbon black. I hope you enjoy this video and tell me how you use Payne’s Gray in your projects in the comments below.

I finished mulling one of my recipes for Payne’s Gray. It came out like a dark Navy Blue, and I thought I failed until I saw a video by Paul Clark on YouTube. When you are working on a glass slab, raw pigment mixtures can look completely different in bulk than they do when spread out in a fine layer on paper. Here is the link on YouTube so you can see it for yourself: How to Paint a Fisherman in Watercolour. In that video I saw that I didn't fail because he showed side by side how each company's Payne's Gray looks different. It was a huge relief to see his side-by-side demonstration because it proves that Payne's Gray isn't a single pure pigment—it’s a convenience blend that shifts from stormy blue to charcoal depending on the brand.

Payne's Gray: Detailed Research Summary

1. Who Was William Payne?

Payne's Gray was created in the late 18th century by the British watercolorist and tutor William Payne (born 1760). He was a pioneer who moved watercolor away from rigid, mapped lines into a softer, more atmospheric style. Like a historic predecessor to modern step-by-step painting instructors, he popularized quick, effective textures, such as using a split wet brush for foliage or the side of a dry brush for rocks. While serious critics of his era sometimes dismissed his techniques as "too easy," his methods opened up the joy of watercolor to everyday students.

2. The Original Recipe vs. Modern Blends

William Payne originally developed the color as a less intense alternative to stark black for his students. Pure black can create "dead spots" in a painting, whereas a mixed neutral keeps the shadows vibrant.

• The Historic Recipe: A mix of Prussian Blue (or Indigo), Yellow Ochre, and Crimson Lake.

• The Modern Recipes: Today, because it is a "convenience blend," manufacturers use entirely different formulas. Most combine a blue (like Ultramarine, Phthalo, or Indigo) with a carbon-based black (like Lamp Black or Ivory Black). Some lines even mix Ultramarine with Burnt Sienna or add a touch of red/violet to balance the temperature and mimic the original tone.

3. Why Every Watercolor Company's Payne's Gray is Different

Because there is no single, standard "Payne's Gray pigment," every paint manufacturing company creates its own custom formulation. This means buying a tube from one brand will give you a completely different visual result than a tube from another.

• Winsor & Newton: Leans toward a traditional, very clean, ink-like blue-gray. It uses Phthalo Blue and a touch of violet to keep the undertone crisp and non-granulating.

• Daniel Smith: Leans toward a dark, earthy storm blue. They include Yellow Ochre in their mixture, which gives it a moody, granular character that replicates the original historic recipe's warmth.

• Schmincke Horadam: Known for using a granulating black base, resulting in a deep indigo-shadow look where the pigments visibly separate on textured paper.

• Maimeri Blu: Uses a highly transparent dual-pigment blend of Ultramarine and Lamp Black. When diluted, the bright blue easily breaks away from the black at the edges of the wash.

• Holbein: Formulas vary, but they often lean far more neutral and desaturated, acting almost like a soft charcoal or a cool black rather than a bright blue-gray.

4. Visual Characteristics, Mixing, & Permanence

In heavy masstone applications, Payne's Gray looks nearly black, but it reveals beautiful blue or lilac undertones when diluted into a soft wash. Historically, it was used extensively to create atmospheric perspective, giving objects in the middle distance a sense of depth, fog, and distance.

When mixing on your palette, keep in mind that because it already contains two or three pigments, adding further colors can quickly lead to earthy, muted "muddy" tones. However, this is actually an asset when you need to paint deep, leafy foliage, shadow cast across a landscape, or moody, wet-on-wet stormy skies.

If you want Serenity of the Mind's Payne Gray you can get it at store.serenityofthemind

Resources

• Video Reference: Clark, Paul. "How to Paint a Fisherman in Watercolour." YouTube. Watch here.

• Historical Article: Hatch, Evie. "The Unexpected History of Payne’s Grey." Jackson's Art Blog. (Updated March 31, 2026).

• Biographical Overview: "Meet William Payne: The Painter Behind Payne’s Grey Pigment." WatercolorPainting.com.

• Encyclopedia Reference: Wikipedia contributors. "Payne's grey." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

• meta description: Why does Payne’s Gray vary so much between brands? Discover the history of William Payne's formula and how to successfully hand-mull your own custom recipes.

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Mulling Payne's Gray From Pigments to Paint

 Mulling Payne's Gray From Pigments to Paint 

[Temporary Note: Google updates have briefly frozen our play button. Please click on the YouTube logo in the corner of the video screen to watch it directly on YouTube!]

I am mulling Payne’s Gray for a background and also for the edging of some plain speech bubbles that are going to be white in the center. I hope you enjoy this video and tell me how you use Payne’s Gray in your projects in the comments below.

Who was William Payne?

Did you know this color is named after a real painter? William Payne came into the world in 1760. He started out as a draughtsman for the Board of Ordnance, making careful, technical drawings. It was steady work, but not exactly inspiring. Eventually, he turned toward art in London, where he began to explore landscapes.

At that time, most draughtsmen were focused on topographic accuracy—drawing land as if it were a map. Payne wanted more. He leaned into a softer, more poetic way of capturing scenes. Instead of just showing what a place looked like, he wanted to show how it felt.

An 18th-century pioneer

Payne loved to experiment. One of his biggest changes was dropping the pen outlines that most watercolorists used. That gave his paintings a looser, more natural look. He also worked on ways to show sunlight and atmosphere—those subtle effects that bring a painting to life. These ideas made watercolor feel more expressive and approachable. In many ways, Payne helped move watercolor from being a tool for draftsmen into being a respected art form.

Along with the creation of Payne’s Gray, he is also credited with the technique of splitting a wet brush to make different marks for foliage, and using the side of a dry brush to make rock-like textures in the foreground (perhaps we can think of him as an 18th-century Bob Ross?). He was criticized by the "serious" painters of the time for apparently reducing painting to a step-by-step, easy-to-use approach. It should be noted, however, that his mark-making methods were not new. Chinese landscape painters were certainly using these techniques with their brushes in the 15th century, if not long before.

He showed his work at the Royal Academy, the leading stage for artists in England, and even earned the respect of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Academy’s president.

The evolution of the pigment recipe

Payne’s Gray is a dark blue-grey color used in painting. It is usually very dark in masstone, and reveals very blue undertones when diluted. It was most likely developed by Payne while trying to produce a mixer that was less intense than black, which was the traditional mixer.

Because the shade is a composite color, many different recipes have existed over the years:

• The original late 18th-century mixture: Prussian Blue (though some sources say Indigo), Yellow Ochre, and Crimson Lake.

• The 20th-century variation: A recipe listed in the 20th century called for Indigo instead of Prussian Blue.

• The modern mix: Today, it is often a mixture of blue (like ultramarine, phthalocyanine, or indigo) and black, or of ultramarine and burnt sienna. Because a ready-mixed Payne's Gray varies from range to range, its hue is not consistent across brands.

Interestingly, Payne's Gray has long been considered similar to another color called "neutral tint," as both are made of indigo, ochre, and ivory black in watercolor, just in different proportions. The main difference is that Payne's gray has a more lilac shadow, and therefore a warmer tint. However, it does not have significant resistance to light—over time, that lilac shadow will fade, transforming the color into a neutral grey.

Payne’s Gray in action

A significant number of William Payne's works include the shade, such as his painting Smuggler’s Cave. The shade is primarily used for atmospheric perspective to create the impression of distance, and in Payne's own work, it was primarily applied to the middle distance to produce this effect.

The vast majority of watercolor, oil, and acrylic ranges carry Payne’s Gray today, which is evidence of its continued demand. It is a beautiful, versatile neutral that is richer than black and softer than straight grey.

Next time you see that beautiful bluish‑grey in your palette, think of William Payne. He wasn’t afraid to break habits and try something new. His name may live on through a pigment, but his real gift was showing us that watercolor could be freer, softer, and more expressive than anyone thought at the time.

Resources

• Jackson's Art Blog: The Unexpected History of Payne’s Grey by Evie Hatch (Updated March 31, 2026).

• Watercolor Painting: Meet William Payne: The Painter Behind Payne’s Grey Pigment

• Wikipedia: Payne's grey

YouTube's "Inauthentic Content" rules and how to keep your channel safe

YouTube's "Inauthentic Content" rules and how to keep your channel safe

YouTube channel monetization policies

Copied from Youtube

Update to "Youtube's repititious content" policy

July 15, 2025: We’re making a minor update to our “repetitious content” policy to better clarify this includes content that is repetitive or mass-produced. We are also renaming this policy from  “repetitious content” to “inauthentic content.” This type of content has always been ineligible for monetization under our existing policies, where creators are rewarded for original and authentic content. There is no change to our reused content policy which reviews content like commentary, clips, compilations, and reaction videos.

As you can see from the print screen above channels are being demonetized. Some Channels have been around since YouTube started and had millions of subscribers and made good money from their channel. I decided to write about this issue after every time I go on YouTube finding more and more saying I have been demonetized.

There are a lot of videos talking about this issue and honestly to me it is difficult to really understand the real reasons. Some say it is because YouTube wants to get away from AI in video making yet YouTube has some of it’s own AI tools for content creators. But here is the thing. YouTube has two different things going on. There is a check box stating you used AI and that is for using AI to create "photorealistic" fakes that look like real life. You only have to check a disclosure box if your video:

• Clones a real person's voice using a computer.

• Changes real-world footage to make it look like something happened when it didn't (like making a real street look like it's on fire).

• Generates a fake video clip that looks 100% like a real camera captured it.

The other thing YouTube looks for is “Inauthentic Content”. The "Inauthentic Content" policy is YouTube’s official rule against mass-produced, low-effort videos. It's the exact policy they use to take away monetization from channels that look like they are run by machines instead of real people.

When YouTube checks a channel under this rule, they look at the channel as a whole. Here are the exact examples YouTube gives for what is strictly banned from making money:

• Mass-Produced Templates: Videos that use the exact same layout, background, and structure over and over again, where only a tiny detail (like a title or a single word) changes from video to video.

• AI Slideshows with No Substance: Moving images or scrolling text on a screen with a robotic voice reading something, but zero actual human commentary or unique perspective.

• Reading Other People's Work Word-for-Word: Channels that just scrape news feeds, articles, or other websites and have a voice read them out loud without adding any original thoughts, humor, or editing.

• Lazy Speed/Pitch Adjustments: Simply taking music or audio clips, changing the speed or pitch slightly, and re-uploading it as "new" content.

So even if someone checks the I used AI box it doesn’t save you from being demonetized If YouTube thinks you are using any of the above.

Another big problem is that some channels aren’t even doing any of that and they are still demonetized. One man got demonetized and he was filming his own cats. I wrote to him, well if you get demonetized making videos of your own cats then all of us are in trouble. But I think that is because YouTube uses AI bots to run the whole platform. Our own channel got a content strike because the bot thought that Oromo language reciting Koran was they same as piano in a sleep video. If you do get demonetized you must try to get a human. Like I told the man with the real live cat videos, go to X.com to @teamyoutube. They helped us with the Oromo incident.

It is because of all of this that we are afraid to do sleep videos. Honestly, what is repetitious content. Is having a hand painted picture with the some music for an hour for a sleep video repetitious or inauthentic. It seems that this is very subjective. So right now we are doing cat compilations of cat clips we purchase and our own cats and our own painting or should I say the painting my wife does for the channel as Shy Artist. I put my own words in and sometimes my own voice in. We don’t like using our own faces because of what AI is doing with that. People have been falsely arrested because the AI thought that was the mans face of the one who did a crime and that person can have never been to the area they are talking about. Or like what Grok did. Grok did deep fakes of peoples faces attacking them to bodies doing unthinkable things. So our faces will never be on YouTube or any other platform.

So this is what we are doing ourselves to stay away from the “Inauthentic Content “ rule of YouTube. I never use the same clip twice. We stopped even doing our best cat shorts of the year. NO repetitions at all. I use my own humor. My humor is my own and doesn’t belong to any one else. My wife paints the speech bubbles and backgrounds for me. She keeps painting and I keep having new stuff to use so eventually everything will be unique. I no longer use anything that is free for content creators. Everybody uses, YouTube Audio, Pixabay and Pexels. I pay for my audio and I use four of them the audio attached to DaVinci Resoulve, TunePocket, Zatsplat and Uppbeat. And , like I said until I can figure out what to do I may never do sleep videos again. The reason I think I will not do sleep videos again is because my wife Shy Artist might have to paint like 20 backgrounds or paintings for a sleep video so they don’t say she is repetitous. That is a lot of paintings for her. Also, changing the music all the time makes it difficult for people to be able to sleep.

There are people on YouTube who are fighting back, Gomukhi Channel believes that the YouTube "Inauthentic Content" is a Black-Box and dictatorial policy. In my previous video, I have proved that it is a scam to punish small YouTube channels. For the benefit of all YouTube Content Creators - who are actual or potential victims, I would like to aggressively contest the policy. For this, I need your constant support & cooperation. If you have legal background, please suggest me what are my options. I have learnt that before moving to court, I have to send a demand letter to YouTube to sort out the matter in good faith. I have sent out the letter and I am discussing the content with you. Any suggestions, comments, help & support is appreciated.
Some think that YouTube is demonetizing all small channels, to make money off the ads. Well, one thing for sure, YouTube would be difficult for small creators to sue. Section 230 Protected: Under federal law (Section 230), tech platforms have a massive legal shield. It gives YouTube the absolute right to choose what content they allow on their site and how they distribute it. Because of this, judges almost immediately throw out lawsuits from creators who try to sue YouTube for deleting their videos or taking away their monetization.

I personally think the safest thing is to not depend only on YouTube. I think we have to try and be as unique as possible. And if YouTube does demonetize you if you can afford it get an attorney or go to @teamyoutube. Gomukhi Channel explains how he is fighting back. Please comment and let us know how you keep your channel safe and how you keep your YouTube monetization.

Please take a look at our store where you can get unique real human hand mulled and hand painted watercolor backgrounds and graphics, store.serenityofthemind.com . Also take a look at our channel @serenityofthemind for various videos.

Our Digital Backdrop and Digital Graphic Elements Store

 

Welcome to Our Digital Boutique!

(Picture from Pixabay)

As we’ve grown and evolved, we realized that many of our regular website visitors didn't know we now have a real online storefront for our Digital Backdrops, Backgrounds, and Digital Graphic Elements!

To make this a seamless, professional experience for you, our store is powered by Payhip and uses Square to handle all transactions. Square is the trusted payment system that many major professional storefronts use, ensuring a smooth and incredibly secure checkout. Because of this, we never see or hold your credit card information—it stays completely safe and encrypted within Square's system. Think of it just like checking out on Amazon, except instead of a giant general store, we are a cozy Digital Boutique filled with unique, intentional creations.

Every single item in our store begins its life on real watercolor paper. These aren't computer-generated patterns; they are digitized from genuine watercolor paintings. They are brought to life using top-tier Daniel Smith watercolors, a blend of Daniel Smith and our own custom recipes, or exclusively with the hand-mulled paints that Shy Artist (a real human!) lovingly crafts by hand.

In this category, we will keep you fully updated with everything new and interesting happening with our store, behind-the-scenes looks at the painting and mulling process, and updates from the artist.

Thank you for supporting authentic, human-made art!

Click to go to our Store!

Human-Made, Physical to Digital Art: Watch Shy Artist paint a graphic element

 Human-Made, Physical to Digital Art: Watch Shy Artist paint a graphic element

Well, this is basically going to be a video where you learn a little bit about me and why I paint. Later, I may get into when I started painting and drawing, but today, this is a film to show you how I paint and why I paint the way I do.

I started painting for Serenity of the Mind—for my husband, the content creator for the channel—for several reasons. The first reason is that the free sites didn’t have a good variety of backgrounds. The selection got worse and worse through the years. The second reason is that because everyone uses the backgrounds from those free sites, everyone on a platform like YouTube starts to look the same, and YouTube doesn’t like that. It can cause demonetization and even channel removal.

The third reason is that almost all platforms for digital backdrops and graphic elements are now using AI. AI creates with math, so everything looks perfect and soulless. The last reason is that Serenity of the Mind needed me to. You know the old saying: "Necessity is the mother of invention." Well, it is necessary that I paint for the channel, blog, and store just so his universe can survive.

As an artist, I am the total opposite of AI. I hate perfection. Perfection is boring. I go out of my way to make everything I do unique and one of a kind. Because I love surprises, I use watercolor paints. I love watercolors. Even a professional artist cannot paint the same subject twice and have them turn out the same.

Watercolor has a mind of its own. Variables like wetting the paint differently, the temperature of the water, the temperature of the room, or whether it is a dry day or a high-humidity day all play a part. Even my arthritis, bothering me more today than yesterday, affects the work. As you can see, there is just an infinite amount of variables that affect the final piece.

This is a gift to you for reading about my artist's statement and watching me paint!

 

Purple speech bubble

Use the following code to get this Speech Bubble for only fifty cents!

Code: 9GWOS5Y2GR

What is Serenity? A Perspective from Serenity of the Mind

 

What is Serenity? A Perspective from Serenity of the Mind

The Webster Dictionary defines serenity as: “A state of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude.” It’s a beautiful definition, but as I sit here typing this, I’ll be honest—I am tired. It has been a long day, and sometimes that "utter calm" feels like something we have to chase. But even when the tank is low, serenity is what brings us back to center.

My Personal Path to Peace

For me, serenity is deeply tied to the world around us. I find an immediate sense of calm when I’m near water—lakes, oceans, or even just the sound of a fountain. I also feel a profound sense of peace in our backyard food garden. Watching the trees sway and observing the bees, butterflies, and ladybugs helps ground me.

The Heart of the Home: Family and the "Grand-Cats"

Beyond nature, my greatest source of serenity is my family. Working alongside my wife—the "Shy Artist"—is a blessing. Seeing her hand-mull watercolor pigments and capture "ambient light" in her art brings harmony to our home. We are also fortunate to have our son nearby; his help around the house keeps things running smoothly so we can focus on our passions.

And of course, there are our six cats. Whether they are purring against my leg or resting on my lap, they are the ultimate experts in quietude.

What the Experts Have to Say

To dig deeper, I looked into some great resources like SOS Meanings and Reven Concepts. Here is what the experts suggest:

• The Emotional "Resting Point": Much like a rubber band has a natural shape when it isn't being stretched by joy or scrunched by sadness, serenity is our emotional neutral zone. It is the state of being "just OK."

• Active Mindfulness: Experts define it as an active state of self-mastery. It is the ability to maintain inner peace even when external "storms" are brewing.

• The Physics of Calm: Imagine a glass of water on a table. When it is still, that is serenity. When life "shakes the glass," serenity is the ability to return to that level state.

• Health Benefits: Cultivating this state lowers blood pressure, reduces cortisol (the stress hormone), and even strengthens the immune system.

Finding Your Balance

Understanding serenity is the key to unlocking your full potential. Whether you find it through nature, family, or a creative hobby, it is a balance worth seeking.

Visit Our Store: We sell Digital Backdrops and Graphic Elements at store.serenityofthemind.com. Subscribe on YouTube: @serenityofthemind

Join the Conversation: I'm tired, but I'm serene. What brings you peace at the end of a long day? Let us know in the comments!

Waste Not, Paint More: Transitioning from Daniel Smith to Handmade Watercolors

 

Waste Not, Paint More: Transitioning from Daniel Smith to Handmade Watercolors

Amber Haze background, original by 

Shy Artist

My studio is currently in the middle of a big evolution. If you’ve visited my store or followed my work, you might notice a mix of textures and styles. This isn't an accident—it’s a conscious choice to honor the tools I have while building the studio I want.

The "Waste Not" Philosophy

I am a firm believer in not wasting high-quality materials. I still have a beautiful collection of Daniel Smith watercolor paints, and I intend to use every last drop. You will see these professional paints appearing in my standard backgrounds and blended into my artisan mixes. It’s my way of being a good steward of the resources I already own while I slowly transition my studio over to a completely handmade setup.

The Technical Edge: Why I Mull

There is a mechanical reason for this change that matters to every digital creator: Pigment Density. Commercial paints are often designed for transparent washes on paper. However, for digital backgrounds, I need substance. By mulling my own pigments into a custom medium, I achieve a heavy pigment load with no fillers.

• Solid Scans: When I digitize these paintings, the colors stay "pure" and "solid."

• Editor-Ready: For video editors and designers, this means the background doesn’t "fall apart" or look thin when you scale it or color-grade it. It holds its ground.

The Labor of the "Signature Series"

This process is incredibly work-intensive. For my Signature Backgrounds, like Amber Haze, the price reflects the hours of preparation and the specific techniques used. To create those colors, I had to mull four distinct earth pigments individually—ranging from deep ochres to natural greens—before they ever touched the paper. That was four hours of physical labor at the mulling slab just to prepare the paint!

Because of the time and the cost of raw materials, my store follows a clear path:

• Signature Backgrounds ($5.00): These are 100% hand-mulled, often involving multiple pigments and complex painting techniques. They are the "heavyweights" for professional digital use.

• Individual & Artisan Backgrounds ($2.00): These include my single-pigment mulls and my artisan blends (a mix of hand-mulls and Daniel Smith). These are a great way to get high-quality textures at an accessible price.

A Healthier Studio, A Healthier Earth

The real "why" behind this transition is my health and the planet. I am moving my studio over to pigments from Natural Earth Paints. They value the health of the artist and the environment, allowing me to create a toxic-free workspace. It takes time to switch a studio over completely, but every piece I paint brings me closer to that goal.

Why We Keep It Reasonable

Even with the $5.00 Signature items, we keep our prices fair for two reasons:

1. We Use These Assets: My husband and I use these exact files for the Serenity of the Mind blog and YouTube channel. We know they hold up under professional editing because we rely on them ourselves.

2. Helping Creators: I want to help other content creators and artist access professional-grade, hand-painted textures without a massive financial barrier.

By purchasing from the store, you aren’t just buying a background—you’re supporting a transition toward a more sustainable, mindful, and high-quality way of making art.

meta description:   Discover why "Shy Artist" is transitioning from Daniel Smith to hand-mulled Natural Earth Paints. Learn about the 4-hour mulling process behind our $5.00 Signature Backgrounds and why pure pigment scans better for digital creators.

visit our store at https://store.serenityofthemind.com/

and our YouTube Channel: @serenityofthemind

This video shows you how we use our own backgrounds. https://youtube.com/shorts/Gim1l1FTARk?si=8I_A7AfGL7-cg5Jg