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

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.

As a general rule, mixed combinations of paints work better than lamp black for going dark in watercolor. The main reason for this, I think, has more to do with grays than with blacks. Even the blackest black will usually have some sort of transition around the edges to a lighter color. If we make our blacks with lamp black, then that transition will be a completely neutral gray. We very rarely see a truly neutral gray in nature. Even a neutral gray object will likely be tinted by the color of the light. When we create our darks from a combination of colors, then the transition to lighter values will tend to contain some color and hence mimic the effect of light, creating a more convincing illusion.

The best combination of dark paints you choose will depend on what other paints you are using. Some combinations work better for figure work and earth palettes. Other combinations work better for landscape work. When I am pick a combination, I usually start with a paint that I am using elsewhere in the painting and then add a second paint to make my dark. For example, if I am already using ultramarine blue in my painting, then I will most likely pick a dark that contains ultramarine blue. Here are some of my favorite combinations:

Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue

Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue

Although not the darkest combination you can choose, burnt sienna and ultramarine blue is versatile and easy to work with. You can shift it toward either the cool or warm side, and if you make a mistake it's easy to scrub it out. As an added bonus, the granulation of the ultramarine blue combines with the smoothness of the ultramarine blue to create a lyrical texture.

If you are looking for a dark gray instead of a true black, this is the way to go. And if you want to explore the ultimate limited palette, it is possible to create a handsome painting with just these two pigments.

Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue

Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue

Burnt umber and ultramarine blue is similar to burnt sienna and ultramarine blue, except that it allows you to go darker. The burnt umber can be a little bit more opaque and difficult to handle than burnt sienna. I find it especially difficult to control wet-in-wet, as most brands tend to spread uncontrollably. If the burnt sienna/ultramarine blue isn't dark enough for you, though, then burnt umber and ultramarine blue will give you a couple of extra steps of value.

Perylene Maroon and Phthalo Green

Perylene Maroon and Phthao Green

This combination will create a healthy black that approaches the darkness of lamp black. As you lighten this combination, the resulting grays will range from a brown to an unsaturated green to a neutral gray. It is especially useful in landscape painting for capturing deep greens in shadow.

As a general rule, it is best to avoid this combination in figure work. Phthalo green is one of the strongest pigments you can use, and it can get out of control in a hurry. Once you put phthalo green on your palette, the smallest dab can work its way into every paint mixture. It is simply too easy to turn a lovely flesh tone into a deathly and jaundiced green by accident.

Perylene Maroon and Perylene Green

Perylene Maroon and Perylene Green

This combination is similar to perylene maroon and phthalo green except, that perylene green is far less assertive than phthalo green. The blacks are virtually indistinguishable from lamp black.

Burnt Sienna and Phthalo Blue Green Shade or Phthalo Turquoise

This is a great combination for landscape work. You can mix a terrific forest green. Although it is not the darkest combination for a dark green, it is incredibly useful.

Quinacridone Orange and Phthalo Blue

Quinacridone Orange and Phthalo Blue

Admittedly, I don't use this combination frequently. Quinacridone orange, which I usually purchase as M. Graham's Quinacridone Rust, and phthalo blue are not everyday colors for me. Consequently, I usually pick other combinations first. All the same, you can mix a great dark with it.

The image at left uses M. Graham Quinacridone Rust and Winsor & Newton Phthalo Blue (Blue Shade)

Brands I use:

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

The daVinci version is slightly more saturated than the other brands.

How I Use it:

Perylene Maroon with Phthalo Green

Perylene Maroon with Perylene Green

For Making Darks:

A deep crimson is essential to my palette, and it is most useful for creating darks. Although there are more saturated alternatives to perylene maroon, such as Winsor & Newton's Permanent Alizarin or Daniel Smith's Carmine, nothing beats perylene maroon for its lightfastness or ability to create a rich dark.

A deep green, used in conjunction with perylene maroon, makes an exceptional dark that approaches the darkness of lamp black. My favorite choices are Phthalocyanine Green (also known as Winsor Green) and Perylene Green. Both of these combinations dilute to a lovely, neutral gray.

Mixed greens, such as sap green or hookers green, will not go as dark as a single pigment green.

Perylene Maroon with Cadmium Red Light

For Shadows on Red:

I love to put red objects in my paintings, and M. Graham Cadmium Red Light has long been a favorite red paint. Perylene Maroon is slightly cooler than the cadmium red, and when I use the the maroon in the shadows then red appears to glow in a warm light.

• 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, 12x16 is a convenient size for me.
• Sketchbook
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent
• Floppy hat to keep the sun out of my eyes

All of this goes into a small backpack that folds out into a seat.

Don't try to paint in full sun. Look for a spot with some shade. This will make it easier to judge value and color. If you can't avoid the sun, it's a good idea to use a white or gray umbrella to keep the sunlight off your paper.

* When you are getting started, try doing watercolor sketches of simple things -- maybe a single flower or a leaf or a tin can -- instead of a whole painting. You'll have enough of a challenge getting accustomed to working outside -- washes dry really fast, light can be strange, the wind blows. Don't set the bar too high at first.