Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my palette. I never realized how heavily I rely on the primary colors. One reason for this may be my dwindling paint supply. Since I am running out of black, I am forced to mix Ultramarine Blue, Quinacridone Red, and Indian Yellow to create a deep purple/brown color. Depending on the hue I’m seeking, I add a greater percentage of the predominant color. It’s also important to have both warm and cool colors in your palette. To warm up Quinacridone Red, I usually add a touch of Indian Yellow. I use transparent colors a lot because I find that mixing a strong transparent color with an opaque white gives me the perfect tint. As it is, I don’t feel like I need to use any additional colors. My palette simply consists of:

Titanium-Zinc White — has a creamy texture that blends well
Quinacridone Red — cool, transparent red
Indian Yellow — a warm, transparent yellow
Cerulean Blue — cool, semi-transparent blue
Ultramarine Blue — warm transparent blue
Payne’s Grey — a very cool black (almost blue)
Transparent Earth Red: — “a transparent version of Venetian Red”
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Below is an example of the Old Masters’ Palette from the Gamblin website.

This is an interesting article by Lucy Davies.

Why preserve Van Gogh’s palette?
By Lucy Davies

Why preserve an artist’s palette? The daubs of raw pigment or the mixes left in position can be an intriguing index to the working method and the mind of the artist. And most, once the status of art had been elevated above the realms of mere craft, would paint themselves palette in hand.

Where and how colour is laid can convey emotion, psychology, religious significance. “The whole value of what you are about” wrote John Ruskin in his Elements of Drawing, first published in 1857 “depends on colour. If the colour is wrong, everything is wrong: just as, if you are singing, and sing false notes, it does not matter how true your words are.”

Auguste Renoir

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