What’s My Palette?
Any time you select a set of paints, you are choosing a gamut or a range of colors that you can mix. There is no magical combination of paint that will enable you to mix every color. For example, you can mix orange from a combination of red and yellow, but the orange mixed with the two paints will not be nearly as saturated as an pure orange paint.
Your choice of paints should depend on your style and subject matter. Figure painters need to be able to mix a range of flesh tones, and landscape painters need to mix greens easily.
Although I continually experiment with new paints, my basic palette looks like the follow chart. Keep in mind that I do a lot of figure painting, and my palette is chosen accordingly.
Items in bold are always on my palette. Brand abbreviations are as follows:
- D/S = Daniel Smith
- D/V = da Vinci
- M/G = M. Graham
- W/N = Winsor & Newton
| Most commonly used | Sometimes I substitute … |
| W/N Cadmium Yellow Pale | W/N Winsor Yellow (PY 154), Cadmium Lemon (Holbein, most often), |
| New Gamboge (D/S or W/N) | M/G Gamboge |
| W/N Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre | |
| M/G Cadmium Red Light | |
| W/N Burnt Sienna | |
| W/N Burnt Umber | M/G Burnt Umber, D/S Burnt Umber |
| D/S Quinacridone Rose | Other brands of quinacridone/permanent rose (PV 19) or quinacridone red (PR 209) |
| Perylene Maroon | M/G, W/N, D/S, D/V Perylene Maroon, D/S Carmine, W/N Permanent Alizarin |
| Ultramarine Violet
Although regarded by many as an inessential pigment, I find ultramarine violet indispensable in painting the figure. There is considerable difference among the brands, and different brands suit better for different paintings. |
M/G Ultramarine Violet, Holbein Mineral Violet, W/N Ultramarine Violet, Stephen Quiller Ultramarine Violet |
| W/N French Ultramarine | M/G Ultramarine Blue |
| Cobalt Blue | W/N Cobalt Blue, M/G Cobalt Blue |
| W/N Cerulean Blue | M/G Cerulean Deep, M/G Cobalt Teal, D/S Cobalt Teal Blue |
| W/N Phthalo Blue (Green Shade) | M/G Phthalo Turquoise, W/N Phthalo Turquoise, Phthalo Green (M/G, D/S, or W/N), W/N Perylene Green |
What do you think?
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