Custom palette

Custom palette - student project

This was so much fun! I'm interested about outdoor sketching for both; natural and urban areas.  I chose some of my favorite colors and those I thought would be the most suitable. Only 3 of them contain multiple pigments! I was quite surprised that my favorites were mostly single pigment. Here's my list of colors:

 

Jaune Brilliant 2 (PO73, PBr7, PW6, PY65)

English Venetian Red PR101

Permanent Carmine PV19

Quinachridone Magenta PR211 Rebecca Humphreys

Ultramarine Finest PB29

Prussian Blue PB27

Cerulean Blue PB35

Cobalt Teal PG50

Phtalo Green PG7

Permanent Green 1 (PY3, PY53, PG7)

Lemon Yellow PY3

Permanent Yellow Light (? no idea, it's difficult for me to find info of pigments on Holbein's watercolors)

Yellow Ochre (PY42 maybe? another Holbein paint)

Quinachridone Gold (PR101, PR206, PY150) Yummy super yummy color

Custom palette - image 1 - student project

 

Why these colors?

I wanted a variety of blues for skies, water and different shades of green. Only one Green because I couldn't create that vibrancy with other yellow+blue combinations and it's a good base to which I can add blue, yellow and hints of red. Yellow Ochre is my base for browns and other earthy tones when mixed with more colors. English Venetian Red works wonderfully as skin base when diluted and from there I can add layers if needed. Jaune Brilliant is my opaque base, mostly for urban sketching and if I want to create an expressionist sketch with non realistic colors. Quinacridone Gold looks close to Yellow Ochre by itself, but when combined with others, it gives a wonderful glow to them. I just love that little extra.

 

I played with concentrated mixes:

Custom palette - image 2 - student project

and also with watery mixes, getting used to how they interact with each other:

Custom palette - image 3 - student project

It's a very bright and happy palette on purpose. I am aiming towards dreamy outdoor sketches and I hope this palette will entice me to use more primary colors, less dark browns and no black other than ink lines.

 

Thanks Julia!