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.

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There are two rules for mixing darks in watercolor. First, use plenty of paint and water, and, second, pick the right combination of paints.

If I have to paint a large dark passage, I will often set out my paints in mixing cups instead of grabbing paint from a palette well. I will use one cup for each single pigment and then let the colors combine on the page.

I squeeze out lots of paint, roughly the same amount I would use if I were squeezing out toothpaste to go on a toothbrush. Then, I add enough water to bring the paint to the consistency of heavy cream. As I am painting the darks, I try never to rinse my brush until I finish the passage.

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Brands I use:

M. Graham, Daniel Smith, Winsor & Newton, daVinci

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Keep your equipment and materials simple. Mobility is important, and you don’t want to have to spend 20 minutes getting everything set up. My plein air kit consists of:

• 12 whole pans in a metal box
• 1 1/2″ flat brush
• Round kolinsky sable travel brushes: #6,#8,#10,#12.
• Small, flat nylon brush for loosening paint.
• Paper towels/kleenex
• water bottle (I use a 1-quart nalgene bottle for backpackers.)
• Small spray bottle with water
• Pencil — usually an F or B hardness (with a cheap plastic sharpener)
• Kneaded rubber eraser
• Watercolor block, 12×16 is a convenient size for me.
• Sketchbook
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent
• Floppy hat to keep the sun out of my eyes

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