TWO CONTRASTING LIMITED PALETTES

These sheets of colour swatches (below and above right) illustrate two quite contrasting palettes that are very different in character. Both have been made by carefully mixing two colours with white in varying quantity; the resulting wide range of mixes will allow me to achieve tone and temperature of tone.

The palette of white, yellow ochre and blue black (below left) gives an excellent range of mixes for painting by artificial light. Blue black is a Winsor & Newton pigment which, when mixed with white, produces subtle yet beautiful blue-grey mixes.

The palette of mixes made with white, burnt sienna and ultramarine (above right) is a very nice limited palette to use when painting in natural light. This is the palette I used for the demonstration, as it was painted by natural light in the studio.