Can I just say this... tons of watercolorists on youtube come along with perfect videos and then there's you with paint on your shirt and dust on your tin palette. And it's quite refreshing. And real. Thanks for sharing how you set things up.
When I first started I had these big folding palettes with a multitude of colors. As I learned better I discovered not only do I not need them, I do better work without them. What I needed are the right colors and an education in pigments and color theory. The first thing to go were the "flaps", drive me nuts and once you mix on ceramic you never want to go back. I use either two ceramic "flower" palettes or a large platter I bought at my local department store for a few dollars. Then I got rid of the wells and studio palettes. My actual paint lives in full pans with magnets on the bottom that can be rearranged etc at a whim. This has saved me a ton of waste and frustration as I'm always changing my mind as to where I want them and how they are organized. Those live in tins.. I have everything from ones that will hold three full pans to ones that will hold seven (and a couple of half pans), to ones that will hold twenty. As for colors I actually have a ton of little palettes.. I have one that is all single pigment granulating colors, a collection of classic masters mixing trios, several brand specific palettes, etc. A base palette is a split primary (transparent single pigment cool and warm of red, yellow and blue) plus burnt sienna.. you can mix almost anything with it and get easy browns and greys. My favorite palette is ultramarine, quin magenta, yellow ochre, sap green, burnt sienna, and sepia. I sometimes add cad yellow and red to that for pops of color. I can paint almost anything with it and its earthy and soft on the eye while still being bright enough to pull off florals, birds, etc. I don't buy most convenience colors.. I simply mix them. I don't use paynes grey, I prefer the mix of ultramarine and burnt sienna which can go either warm, neutral, or cool. Once you learn to actually use your paint, instead of just slapping on yet one more pigment, you find that not only do your paintings look better and work together better, since the colors are literally made from each other, but you have so much more at your disposal than any palette would hold. Each mix creates multiple completely different colors.. all depending on your ratios.
Thank you for that insight into your pigment and palette setup, well tested and tried for sure. We all carry our regular pigments and our favourite ones, and we occasionally add in new ones to test. I do this more with oils to be honest. Cheers P
@@Diane_McDon Another little tip I've discovered. I was at my local home improvement store and saw this big decorative washer for building decks/patios. It's metal, painted black, about four inches across, and heavy. Since all my pans have magnets it's awesome for sitting on my desk to hold the ones I'm working with. Just pop them down and they stay still while I dip my brush in. It's like having another hand to hold them. When done they go back in their storage tin. Anything flat, relatively heavy, and metal would work.
@@waymire01 I’ve started filling pans for new metal 48 full pan metal pallettte this week. I like the idea of magnets . Thx again for ideas. I enjoy color mixing and arranging almost (almost) as much as the actual painting!
@@Diane_McDon I play with my paint on a regular basis, not only is it fun and relaxing on it's own I always learn something that helps me when actually painting.
Would really love to see why you chose those colors. Perhaps talk about what happens when you mix two of them together to make new colors that you love. Perhaps make another video with a more extensive color chart of all the colors you chose! Also I would have liked to see you pour the colors and do that chart. While doing that you could talk about why you love that color over others. Thanks☺️
I love watching people play with their pallets . Making colour swatches. And what colours people use. Very interesting stuff thanks for sharing. I have a basic colour selection I use for all three medium, oil acrylic and water colour . It was the same basic colour pallet I used when I began painting 50 years ago. I have brought in a few more colours over the years but my pallet of colours is still quite modest.
You are a total blast. I love watching you go through all I have questioned myself over. I have way too many colors I have never used and most likely I never will. You helped me organize my pallet to the colors I will use and how to get the most out of them. Very cool. Thank you.
I really enjoyed watching your video, I just found you and as an absolute beginner I have found your information so informative - very inspirational. Look forward to learning more from you :)
That brass palette has been well loved; I love its character and painty messiness! I am of the "one can never have too many colours" school of thought, so I can appreciate your lovely collection. I like to chop and change colours and not always the same ones. Squeezing paints into pans is such a fun time, haha! I love swatching them all as well. Great video, I've just found your channel. Have a lovely day! 💜
I use a similar system but I have discovered that I use some colors way more than others. So when I find those colors I will use two pans for them and since they are next to each other it is also very convenient.
I love lots of colours to choose from but still limit myself for individual paintings. I also premix custom convenience mixes. I also mix watercolour and gouache and paint with lots of gouache too. I comment tins and buy bulk empty half and full pans on Amazon. And get sticky magnets at the dollar store. And use other mixing pallets. I use smaller very compact ones for on the go vs much larger ones for in studio. I’m still collecting and mixing more! I’m expecting another 100 empty half pans. I keep clear notes and separate matching swatches that are clearly labeled that match each completed pallet. I don’t get confused. I paint faster with more options personally. Pre mixing more options helps me and the way I personally paint. Each person is different. I prefer to research and premix closer and have more options then save time by pre wetting the paint in when I’m ready. I also actually use my colours as I love having lots of colours! I paint with care for getting accurate to a subject more often such as the correct colour for a flower, or a Pokémon fanart or the exact colour I imagined for a fantasy creature. The colour of the exact species of bird. Rather than narrowing it down I’ve been joyfully expanding! I also advise keeping colour note reference book with written notes! Stop reinventing the wheel look at your colour notes! The again I have exceptional colour vision and love all colours! I do restricted pallets ONLY for an individual painting not overall. Also research pigment information. I still use non lightfast paint but am aware which ones are lightfast so if it becomes import for a for sale art or to hang on the wall. Then again if I’m ok with it fading or being replaced on my own walls lightfastness doesn’t matter. It also matters less in a sketchbook. For travel kits based on the size I pick the best for mixing plus most useful convenience. Currently there is a super compact ‘Medeen’ 42 watercolour spin out pallet with mixing area sponge and waterbrush. I just ordered one in Amazon for 11.99 CAD! Use a pallet knife to remove the cheap paint it comes with and with a needle to help it flatten put in real actual good paint! Each one is only around 3 cm deep (1 inch) and 5 cm ( 2 inches) by 20 cm ( 8 in) long! I can literally throw 2 in a small purse! So you can bring a lot of colours with you on the go if you find and use these kind of pallets. There is also an amazing tin from Dollarama in Canada that is also very sleek with an enabled white inner lid and colour does not bead and fits 45 half pans with magnets added and closes perfectly! I can fit that as well in a small purse. Planning to upgrade to a larger art bag to fit more stuff for on the go and all that paint will fit oh and another travel pallet! To each their own I suppose! Just know if you love all the paint that’s ok too! I also highly recommend the HimI/Miya gouache! For watercolour I recommend the Van Gogh as art grade even if labeled student grade. Since expanding to more colours and spreading them around me and pre wetting ; I’ve enjoyed art twice as much and gotten way more art done and faster!
From model railroading to painting, thanks Paul. I was looking for someone to discuss setting up a watercolour palette and your video just hit the spot. Thanks. Also signed up to the Patron page. Looking forward to more interesting stuff in my artistic journey.
My watercolour palette is quite large and have lots of colours are bright and of course opaque. The way I set up the palette is from warm colours to cool colours but in between those two parts, I add skin tones and some colours that are perfect for my art style and makes it easier to access or makes sense to my art style.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and firsthand practical tips. Glad I came here searching for a list to begin filling, my first time, 24-half pan plastic travel palette. I'm inclined to try the 20 well aluminum like yours, but no hurry now. I was surprised when I found no ultramarine violet, so I substituted with mauve. Others include Venetian Red, Cad. Orange, Hansa yellow, Hookers Green, and Viridian. Starting out with DaVinci paints and like you I stocked up on a few others. Being a spectator to all the great talent on YT is an education in itself.
Than you Paul. I too have numerous palettes that I use as well for various purposes additionally I have 2 Portable Painter Palette which I can pop into a small shoulder bag on the ready with appropriate travel brushes, blocks of papers , etc. I also have a Micro Portable Painter Palette that I can carry around at all times. I had invested in several porcelain palettes just for my studio a large covered one as my main source of painting also two smaller covered pallets. The smaller pallets are used for portraits, when I need to use uncontaminated colors. I did struggle selecting and positioning my favorite colors in the large palette. While I haven’t regretted the purchase of the larger palette, it has caused a lot of frustration and confusion. I ultimately had to put stickers on this larger palette with corresponding color chart so I could be reacquainted with the colors I had chosen. Still not very happy with this new set up. I use mainly M. Graham with Schminke and D. Smith as well. I had really struggled for weeks trying to decide how to layout my colors, I will keep this helpful information in mind for future use. It’s hot enough living in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert without adding further duress! 😅
Thanks so much for this! I'm returning to watercolors after many years away, and have been having tremendous fun with color swatching and trying different combinations-- a nice, meditative, non-intimidating way to re-familiarize myself with how the different colors behave together. Your video was a pleasure to watch, and it was refreshing to see how even a professional artist is tempted by the amazing abundance of colors! I am taking a birding trip to Costa Rica in April (! ! !) and I hope to bring a small, well-curated palette along with me.
When I started out, I wanted to try different paints and colors. Over the years I've realized I only use about 8-10 paints for everything. And I have all these extra paints I bought just sitting in storage
Perfect timing - I found this having just ordered a new pallet. Having always preferred ceramic, I found my trusty charity shop dinner plate doesn’t cope well now I am using much wetter washes - my blobs round the edges just flood into the mixing area. The nearest I could find is a circular ceramic ‘colour wheel’ palette, perhaps 30 is too many but my aim is to stop messing about with those mean little blobs and squeeze a good dollop into the wells. Most of my time is in the studio, I will still have my little pocket sets for when I venture out. Can’t wait for it to arrive, I will definitely do your swatch chart! Thanks for this.
Hi Paul. I just watched this video on my Fire-Stick, and thought I'd comment. I thought I was being silly having so many paint boxes, but if you, a professional does this, I feel better about the whole thing. My last count was eight boxes of various types. I use a Craig Young, Robertson type box for en plein air, but as I am now a little ancient to go walking far, that doesn't get much use. I bought smaller boxes to fill with pans, for studio sketching and I have an old W & N four-well box that was my first 'posh' tin when I retired. For 'serious' work I have either a plastic box that holds about 30 colours (Which I don't fill with colours) or a metal equivalent, which so for I ain't not used! My colours: Aureolin, Indian Yellow, New Gamboge, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Cobalt Blue, Prussian Blue, Ultramarine, Sap Green, Alizarin Crimson, Neutral Tint, Burnt Umber, Cad Red, Cad Yellow, Cad Orange, and Sepia. I reckon I have enough, but I have since added Indigo, to get better greens; I hope! I started squeezing out tubes, but missed the instant convenience of using tube colour, so I switched back to tubes, which allow me to mix plenty of colour in 3 inch diameter rice bowls. My boxes are filled with pans now. When I will use them I don't know! I wonder too how long it will be before I use up all the squeezed out colours in my plein air box! One thing I am upset about is that W & N seem to have changed the make up of Neutral Tint. I started using it when I discovered the colour in a Rowland Hilder book. I replaced Payne's Grey with it, and have stuck with it ever since. But now it's more like a charcoal grey, instead of a slight purple shade, so I shall have to mix it from Alizarin and Indigo. Maybe! By the way, you seemed to be having stability problems with a small board you used to paint a sunset. I solved that by fixing small boards, with four, marble size gobs of Blutak; pressing the board to a larger sheet of ply, clamped on my easel. This holds well for boards up to 20 x 16 inches, and I don't need to use the clamps on my easel; except for 30 x 20s. I have gone on a bit and I apologise. I enjoy your channel immensely, and I find you to be a likeable guy. So I'll stick with you. BTW I don't have a rail layout anymore, so my favourite locos are now static, in plastic cases! Regards and happy painting. John in Brum
Hi John, please forgive this late reply, I enjoyed the read and only wish I'd seen it sooner. I can relate to almost everything you mention. I use Danil smith and Schminke and fine the NT good in these ranges. Should you decide to part with your Craig Young box, I might well be interested in taking it off your hands and giving it good purpose in the future. Thanks again, Paul
Hi Paul, I too have a lot of paints and several pallette. I love to mix colors and start out with a warm and cool of the 3 primaries. And to add more colors I use dot cards to see which colors I use and like the most. Then I order those colors, so I don't have so many unused paints hanging around. Suggestion: instead of glue, use thin magnet sheet (cut to size) under the little trays..easier to clean and/or move. This doesn't work on plastic. 😉
Excellent presentation. I've been painting since 1944 and obviously have purchased a number of colors from various manufacturers. Like you, I have periodically evaluated my color choices and made choices of what is maybe a better pallet. I do some plein air and have chosen plastic pallets for that purpose in an evaluation of weight. Like you I have too many pallets. Some of the pallets are incorrectly engineered in a manner that place colors on top of each other when the lid is closed. We ought to be able to paint with just three colors plus white, but we don't do we. Keep up the good work. Dr Bill Westerman
This should be required viewing for anyone just starting out, especially if they've received a set of 48! colors as a Christmas present. I've been staring at them for 4 months wondering where to start. Looking forward to checking out your other videos.
My favorite Sepia and Payens grey are the Van Goghs!! I just love that brand! I can't consider them a students grade,when they look and perform like Artist grade colours! If Daniel Smith didn't cost a half pan,as much as a 25 Van Gogh half pans,I would have another favorite I guess! Van Goghs are that good,that I don't miss Daniel Smith that much..
Another newbie! 👋🏻 I just found your channel today, and I have been enthralled with all of your videos. They are exceptional and I have already learned so much! Thank you! I did the same thing as others, dove in and bought way too many paints. My local art supply store loves me and I think I partially funded a vacation home for them. 😊 I wish I had seen this video before I started buying stuff. I am curious about something, why no reds in your pallet?
I use an old Reeves pallet that had 12 large cakes in them. These eventually got used up or thrown out. The large panes have had the same colours in them for the last 40 years or so. The lid has 3 mixing wells where I mix all of my colours, I don't clean it off ever, I just use the previous colour to help mix up the next one. This adds variation to my paintings where the colours resemble those in nature rather than what might come in a tube such as a standard Hookers Green, Sap Green, etc. It takes time to get used to working like this but eventually colour mixing becomes intuitive.
Thanks for the comment, I paint watercolour and gouache on this channel, but all media plein air on my other channel recently changed its direction, Paul’s mobile studio. You might. Like to check that one out too, cheers P
Thanks so much, Paul, I really enjoyed your video. I use a John Pike palette. I notice that you did not use Payne's Gray, although your Indigo wash seems close. I have always loved Payne's Gray and I've noticed that other UK painters on RUclips also seem to like it. For years I have been tempted to try Neutral Tint and I finally bought some last week--Daniel Smith. I've been testing it and I really like it. I may replace Daniel Smith Moonglow with Neutral Tint on my palette. I love Aureolin but I replaced it on my palette because I read it has lightfast issues. I use Lemon Yellow, Hansa Yellow, Quinacridone Gold, Raw Sienna, and Yellow Ochre as my yellows.
Hi John thanks for that, yes I love Indigo, but have been using more Paynes grey of late and love it.I too am thinking long term of Aureolin, heard the same, so may change at some point, cheers P
Wow, a hand-built brass palette! What was the palette you used to set up new in the video? A Holbein? If you have a link to order, that would be great. I started off, about 2 1/2 years ago now, with a standard Van Gogh 15 half-pans travel palette. I was then given a birthday gift by my wife, a set of 36 watercolours by Kuretake, which use their own size of large pans. I followed that up with a more modest 24 colour set, Ladoga by Nevskya St. Petersburg. Ok, that was a great starting point, which I probably should have been satisfied with, but you know how it goes with new hobbies... A year later I started buying tube paints, first Van Gogh, then Winsor & Newton and finally I became a big fan of Daniel Smith paints. I also have a small number of M. Graham & Co., Schmincke and Sennelier tube paints. Not only did paint buying get out of hand, but also brushes! After all this experimenting with different paints and palettes, I then started to focus on smaller sets using the paints I already had and combining them to make the following: Two general sets, one of 18 colours the other of 27 mixed half and full pans. Two primaries, secondaries, earths greens and grey sets - one of 15 the other of 22 A botanical set of 33 half pans A limited primary, secondary and earth set. A couple of mini - 6 and 8 full pan paints sets for "on-the-go" urban sketching. So now I have the glorious task of painting and using up all the paints, gradually arriving more and more at my preferred sets - a process that I'm still going through to this day. I guess it would make sense to have palettes set up for specific types of painting, e.g. landscapes, botanical, urban sketching, abstract, etc. I have seen one RUclips artist, Yong Chen, who only uses primary colours and 2 brushes - what he does with those is amazing, no matter what the subject is. It would be fair to say that I've been influenced by way too many RUclips videos really, so perhaps now it will have to spend more time painting and experimenting with what I've got, particularly to slow down, simplify and give it lots more time to evolve. 😉
My favourite palette is a cheap plastic folding one, filled with Cotman paints plus other paints squeezed in. It's a massive greedy explosion of colours, just like yours but even more excessive. I know I have too many paints in it but it makes me happy. I think it's a personal choice, whatever makes you happy, whatever makes you paint. What a great hobby watercolour painting is!
Hi Paul. I’m in the ‘so many colors, she doesn’t know what to do’ group. Some of my paints are so old I can’t open them any more.. even using hot water ;;. I’ve just cleaned out my two main palettes with the intention of re-pouring them with a rethink about what colors should go in. So I have decided to use an 18 well palette for out of the house, and I have a 24 well for home. But WHICH colors? I’ve decided two things: 1) do simple gridded ‘games’ to play with colors and their interactions, to edit and narrow down which ‘warm yellow’ works well with which blue (for instance) to make the green that I like… (I’ll probably have to do a lot of those :D 2) create my core color palette colors, and then leave 2-3 wells open for ‘guest appearances’ of colors. It will take a long time, but that is the joy of being a hobbyist, vs a pro.
A great video with some fantastic advice especially for a newbie in watercolour painting. I am one of those people who when starting a new hobby, has to have everything all at once..I know, I know, it’s not necessary to have everything at the beginning of this new adventure, but I get so excited and wrapped up in what is the best tools for the job, that it has already cost me a fortune $$$$… I will have to take your wonderful advice, and build up my supplies as I go along. I have just got interested in plein air painting and wanting to build my paint choices to fit the great outdoors and natural colours. I have 15 different tubes of fine watercolour paint by Daniel Smith and will stop there 😉😉 Many Thanks again for the great advice, will try very hard to follow it! 🤗🇨🇦
2 of the blues and 2 of the greens look very close to each other. I find that interesting as those are the 2 colors I can’t have too much of a variety.
The blues are very different have to say, the greens however are similar and have since replaced the sleeping beauty colour with Ptithalo green, cheers Paul
My feeling is that too many colors on a palette equals paintings that are confused and not in harmony. For many years I used 26 colors and couldn't figure out why so many of my paintings just didn't "look right'. I changed to a very limited palette of 8 colors and my work immediately improved dramatically. I used those 8 colors for approximately 3 years then eventually added in a couple more. I have been using those same 10 or 11 colors ever since. Using fewer colors and mixing them resulted in paintings with far better color harmony. I was surprised to find how many of the great masters of the past used very limited palettes! Loved the video!
hm - how come transparent orange from schmincke didn't make it in your new selection. I am fascinated by it and love to use it in mixes :-) - a fan ;-D
Oh, Paul! How fun to follow along with you. I was thinking to wet the column ahead of putting the paint down and setting the paper at a slant and letting it run. I was also thinking to tape the sides between the columns (simply because I'm a neat freak) and see what happens. Are there any reasons against me not wetting the paper before I ruin a sheet??!! Thanks! Greetings from California!
Hey Paul. Hello from John in Canada. Love your vids. Question: most serious watercolour artists seem to use tube paints. But in all the videos I watch, yours and others, it looks like there is dried paint in their/your palette. Do you typically use only WET tube paint or do you use the DRY paint leftover in your palette? What would be the reason for each situation? Thank you kindly. Hope you have an awesome day.
Hi John I use tubes as they contain more paint and fill pans more cost effective than solid pans. Once dry they are just like normal pans and will work well with a spray before use to release them a while. As for fresh tube colour that is exciting as the pigment is soft and rich, but you use more. It is a personal choice. Hope that helps, cheers P
I’m always curious how people use Indian red because it’s so opaque (which I know has its uses, but I just can’t get into it). I use almost all DS myself (I live near them!) but I have to have Schmincke’s trans pyrrol orange (PO71)….so beautiful. I do admit I like to keep some greens, esp a couple primateks (jadeite, green apatite gen) as well as perylene green (and rich green gold, PY129 which is usually known as just green gold in non-DS brands since it is great for greens as well as a cool yellow). I spend a lot of time in the forests around here and I don’t have the patience to mix ALL my greens from scratch. My “guilty pleasure” color is fuchsite which makes such a lovely, sparkly sort of glaze for the turquoise-y glacial lakes near me. My preferred palette is a Schmincke almost square palette meant for 18 half pans, but I’ve hacked that and manage to squeeze 32 half pans because I have a lot of colors that I love, don’t necessarily use often, but am mad when they’re not with me. (like fuchsite and some other primateks). I’m definitely a palette addict but the most limited palette I use is 12 colors. I have to check out some more of your videos now :-)
doesn't DS have a PO71 too? Funny enough I have Schmincke paints easily available to me but bought the PO71 from Daniel Smith because I heard it's supposed to be more vibrant? Were you able to compare the two?
@@JKxox0 Indeed they do! DS's Transparent Pyrrol Orange is a deeper formulation than Schmincke and for a split primary approach, it can sit in as a warm red (works well paired with quin rose as the cool red). I prefer the truer "oranginess" of the Schmincke's version.....probably because I'm not shy about setting up with more colors, even for plein air ;-) DS's transparent pyrrol orange actually looks pretty darn close to their Pyrrol Scarlet used in mass tone. For someone trying to keep a more limited palette, the DS version is very useful and I've used it myself for smaller set-ups. If someone likes to broaden their color choices and include both split primary and secondary colors, the Schmincke version would be a fantastic choice for the orange - it is a color that really "glows."
@@tdelphia1 thank you for your answer! That is super interesting, sounds like a good orange indeed!! I also like to keep more colors in my palette, they are just all so fun and pretty :D
Hi Tracy, so for the late reply, some very useful pointers. Like yourself, it is hard to rein in and hold our colour choices with so many available and many very similar. I look at my collection when about to go out or start work, and think do I want this in or out doI don't I? It's an ongoing dilemma. cheers Paul
I use different types because I adore make palettes!!! I have one for the Mijello Mission, another one for the White Nights and a folio palette with the W&N, which is my most lovely one.
I recommend a concise book on colour mixing , "Blue and Yellow don't make Green". You will have to read it and use it to understand where the author is coming from. Can't remember the authors name though.
not a silly question. Liquid in 15ml tubes will go further, added to empty pans and allowed to dry, you get a few refills at a little extra cost over set pans. Also if you want richer images from time trio time it is even easier with the paint still in a soft form. hope that helps cheers P
Hi, Paul, Sherry again (See below!). Since I am always going outdoors and painting plein air, my scenery changes quite often. Have you ever considered watercolor pans? I've never used them but am going to Africa in a couple weeks and there will be colors specific to Africa that I should carry. Also, I go to the desert and the ocean to paint, all of which have different color aspects. Since my travels to Africa will mean a VERY limited palette, what colors do you recommend for a Tanzania and Zanzibar experience representing only six color choices? I'm thinking having watercolors in pans makes it easier to switch them out. Thanks in advance!
I am just setting up my first palette so I listened to several of your youtube videos. But why do you have to let the paints dry before using them. Can't I even swatch them when still wet?
You can use them directly so sorry if I have given the wrong impression. They are allowed to dry for convenience of moving etc, but usable straight away, cheers p
Hello! I've just found your channel. It's so easy to get too many colors, isn't it? I've gotten to around 12-14, and a lot of days it still feels like too many! Thanks for sharing your palettes! Cheers!
Thanks Paul.....I would be interested to know which brands you favour for each colour, and why....and also why you choose the weaker Ultramarine Violet..pv15...over Winsor Violet Pv23
Hi Anne, sorry for the late reply, all good points for sure and my brands are SCHMINKE AND DANIEL SMITH. As for the PV15 and 23, The violets are biased and prefer the latter. Cheers Paul
I clean the mixing area each time I start a new film. I down throw old paint out I’d rather create a new palette of colour from scratch if I feel the need to alter my choices,hope that helps, cheers P
I keep my paint in pans so I can move them around. Then I have a big box to store them in and lots of the little 8 pan tins(which hold more if you squish them) which means I can continually have new combinations of limited numbers that I can put together by swapping them around . I also have a tin with whole pans of the colours I use most in the studio that is a bit bigger. I use white tiles for mixing, I don’t like mixing on tins. A limited pallet I am currently using for outside experiments is Naples yellow, yellow ochre, Carmine, burnt sienna, turquoise, ultramarine. Great fun.
Hi Dee so sorry for the very late reply, so many colours at our fingertips, and each set we choose is a very individual choice, I like that idea of mix and match depending on where you are at the time in your work. Cheers Paul
Oh wow , I love watching you paint but this was also so satisfying- I LOVE swatching and pouring lol Thank you for sharing your palette. It's such a personal decision, and it seems there are as many combinations as artists (well maybe not but so many schools of thought) and just as many combinations from those who have tossed all reasoning aside and just use what makes them happy. I have palettes to cover both my traditional needs and whimsical ones. Like you I just adore color and maybe one day I'll pair down and figure out what's necessary but for now, color makes me so happy so I indulge in it.
@@paulappswildlifeart well I'm not convinced it's great but it keeps me from over thinking to the point of misery (something I'm prone to). It generally works, as I paint at home 95% of the time these days (thanks COVID) but when my family and I went on a beach trip over the summer it was veritable agony trying to pick two palettes to take. One that comes with me almost always is this tin of Daniel Smith set of split primaries and earths. Another a mijello type palette of m.graham filled with gorgeous colours of the season one would find where I was visiting. Very impractical, I admit, but so wonderfully indulgent like a beach vacation should be. These are the types of ideas that guide my decisions so it's no wonder I should have like god knows how much paint now, maybe 400+ tubes and pans.
@@paulappswildlifeart ha, yes! If I knew at the beginning what I know now I would have began with a limited palette of maybe 6. A lot to be said for that approach.
Can I ask. Is there a pro/con to tube vs pan colours? I painted a while ago and am picking it up again. I feel there are more tubes than pans these days. Thanks in advance.
Hi Jane, there equal amounts of colours in both formats. I prefer tube, for the economy really . They are similarly priced and a15 ml tube fills a pan several times . Allowing it to dry in the pan for constant future use. Hope this helps cheers Paul
My grandmother's brother was a mural artist/painter. When I started to show an aptitude for drawing he gave me a one summer crash course. All summer I could only use 4 colors. Magenta, cyan and yellow. Which got me into great trouble in school 50 years ago when I argued that red, yellow, blue were not the primary colors. Anyway, he painted everything with plain old house paint and he only used cyan, magenta, yellow and an umber. He's but it in five gallon buckets and used this egg mixer for thing on the end of a power drill to mix it. If I wanted a color, tint, I had to learn to mix it out go without. I was so mad at him in the beginning. Now, I won't recommend buying any coincidence paints until and unless a person learn their color theory. Although I still only use 4 paint colors in my palette, even in watercolor, I still love looking at pallettes. I'm ashamed of myself but it's a guilty pleasure. I'm also embarrassed to say I do splurge with oil paints. Love oil paints. Probably because it's the easiest for me and I can work from dark to light. Watercolor has always been a challenge for me, but offers such beautiful results with such ease of use it's hard to not appreciate a good plien air watercolor session. Another great thing about only using 4 colors, portability. I always have my palette in my bank pocket. I never carried a wallet. I replaced it with my palette and my wc paper. Although, since cash send to be going the way of people whom paid their bills instead of charged everything I may have to rethink all that. Cheerio mate. Thanks for the video.
So sorry for the late reply, I enjoyed the story and it was a great foundation, your grand-uncle taught you well, so many grab paint like candy without ever learning how to manage, mix and understand them. cheers Paul
I am totally lost why many competent professional artists have to have 12 plus colours. As for more than 20 this is madness. I use 6 colours. Ultramarine, Cobolt Blue, Alizarine Crimson, Cadmium red Medium, Cadmium Yellow medium and Lemon Yellow any other colour I mix. Yes I mix up my browns. ochre's, greens, oranges, greys, mauve's and purples, blacks, etc. Yes I can get all of these colours from the six I have in my Old Reeves pallet which I have had for some 50 years. Some colours that people buy are mixed from two other colours such as Payne's Grey and why buy Naples Yellow No colour is a precise Ochre, Brown, Green, etc. There are tonal variations of these colours in nature and what we see. I can make up various ochres with the Cadmium Yellow and Lemon Yellow. I like all of these colours in Oils, Watercolours and Gouache. They always blend well and make up vibrant primary colours. Also mixing my own colours I can adjust the greys that lean to yellow, red, etc. Having said I only use 6 colours there are two others that I have to but rarely use. Viridian and Black. Viridian cannot be mixed and some times it is good to have a swish of Viridian as a focal point. Many artists say you must never use BLACK. I use this very sparingly. I save any black dabs until I am happy the painting is finished. Then I will judiciously add a touch of black in the foreground, especially in a landscape. Just a dab will help create extra depth and distance. Even though there are 6 main colours in the my pallete I some times find that I don't use all of them and have without consciously thinking have used just 3 or 4.. Play around with your colours in the pallet. Don't get bogged down with a multitude of colours. With practice you can mix up vibrant variations and in the long run save money. Other wise you will end up have a pile of colours that that don't get used and can become redundant.
Can I just say this... tons of watercolorists on youtube come along with perfect videos and then there's you with paint on your shirt and dust on your tin palette. And it's quite refreshing. And real. Thanks for sharing how you set things up.
I wondred how this comment was going to turn out, it was great thank you very much, cheers P
When I first started I had these big folding palettes with a multitude of colors. As I learned better I discovered not only do I not need them, I do better work without them. What I needed are the right colors and an education in pigments and color theory. The first thing to go were the "flaps", drive me nuts and once you mix on ceramic you never want to go back. I use either two ceramic "flower" palettes or a large platter I bought at my local department store for a few dollars. Then I got rid of the wells and studio palettes. My actual paint lives in full pans with magnets on the bottom that can be rearranged etc at a whim. This has saved me a ton of waste and frustration as I'm always changing my mind as to where I want them and how they are organized. Those live in tins.. I have everything from ones that will hold three full pans to ones that will hold seven (and a couple of half pans), to ones that will hold twenty. As for colors I actually have a ton of little palettes.. I have one that is all single pigment granulating colors, a collection of classic masters mixing trios, several brand specific palettes, etc. A base palette is a split primary (transparent single pigment cool and warm of red, yellow and blue) plus burnt sienna.. you can mix almost anything with it and get easy browns and greys. My favorite palette is ultramarine, quin magenta, yellow ochre, sap green, burnt sienna, and sepia. I sometimes add cad yellow and red to that for pops of color. I can paint almost anything with it and its earthy and soft on the eye while still being bright enough to pull off florals, birds, etc. I don't buy most convenience colors.. I simply mix them. I don't use paynes grey, I prefer the mix of ultramarine and burnt sienna which can go either warm, neutral, or cool. Once you learn to actually use your paint, instead of just slapping on yet one more pigment, you find that not only do your paintings look better and work together better, since the colors are literally made from each other, but you have so much more at your disposal than any palette would hold. Each mix creates multiple completely different colors.. all depending on your ratios.
Thank you for that insight into your pigment and palette setup, well tested and tried for sure. We all carry our regular pigments and our favourite ones, and we occasionally add in new ones to test. I do this more with oils to be honest. Cheers P
@waymi I’m at the point where I’d like to set up my first real pallet; thanks for this advice
@@Diane_McDon Another little tip I've discovered. I was at my local home improvement store and saw this big decorative washer for building decks/patios. It's metal, painted black, about four inches across, and heavy. Since all my pans have magnets it's awesome for sitting on my desk to hold the ones I'm working with. Just pop them down and they stay still while I dip my brush in. It's like having another hand to hold them. When done they go back in their storage tin. Anything flat, relatively heavy, and metal would work.
@@waymire01 I’ve started filling pans for new metal 48 full pan metal pallettte this week. I like the idea of magnets . Thx again for ideas. I enjoy color mixing and arranging almost (almost) as much as the actual painting!
@@Diane_McDon I play with my paint on a regular basis, not only is it fun and relaxing on it's own I always learn something that helps me when actually painting.
Could you link us to those tin palettes of yours? I've only ever seen that design in plastic!
Would really love to see why you chose those colors. Perhaps talk about what happens when you mix two of them together to make new colors that you love. Perhaps make another video with a more extensive color chart of all the colors you chose! Also I would have liked to see you pour the colors and do that chart. While doing that you could talk about why you love that color over others. Thanks☺️
sorry for such a late reply, completely missed this, yes that's a good idea, and will plan and make such a video. cheers PAul
I love watching people play with their pallets . Making colour swatches. And what colours people use.
Very interesting stuff thanks for sharing.
I have a basic colour selection I use for all three medium, oil acrylic and water colour . It was the same basic colour pallet I used when I began painting 50 years ago. I have brought in a few more colours over the years but my pallet of colours is still quite modest.
Same here really, I haveadded and subtracted colour at times over the years, cheers P
Thank you. I’m brand new to watercolor and this is very helpful!
You are a total blast. I love watching you go through all I have questioned myself over. I have way too many colors I have never used and most likely I never will. You helped me organize my pallet to the colors I will use and how to get the most out of them. Very cool. Thank you.
Stunning thats so good Lucinda, thank you for your kind words, cheers P
I really enjoyed watching your video, I just found you and as an absolute beginner I have found your information so informative - very inspirational. Look forward to learning more from you :)
That brass palette has been well loved; I love its character and painty messiness! I am of the "one can never have too many colours" school of thought, so I can appreciate your lovely collection. I like to chop and change colours and not always the same ones. Squeezing paints into pans is such a fun time, haha! I love swatching them all as well. Great video, I've just found your channel. Have a lovely day! 💜
Hi Becky sorry for the late reply, hah never too many eh? I get that. It's fun and mixing playing are all ways to discover and learn, cheers Paul
I use a similar system but I have discovered that I use some colors way more than others. So when I find those colors I will use two pans for them and since they are next to each other it is also very convenient.
thank you Paul for the pleasure you gave me watching you ,,,god bless and take care .
Hi Alan great to hear from you, I enjoy your videos too. All my very best to you cheers P
Any chance we could get a link to the Holbein like palette? Pretty please?
I love lots of colours to choose from but still limit myself for individual paintings.
I also premix custom convenience mixes.
I also mix watercolour and gouache and paint with lots of gouache too.
I comment tins and buy bulk empty half and full pans on Amazon. And get sticky magnets at the dollar store.
And use other mixing pallets. I use smaller very compact ones for on the go vs much larger ones for in studio.
I’m still collecting and mixing more! I’m expecting another 100 empty half pans.
I keep clear notes and separate matching swatches that are clearly labeled that match each completed pallet. I don’t get confused. I paint faster with more options personally. Pre mixing more options helps me and the way I personally paint.
Each person is different. I prefer to research and premix closer and have more options then save time by pre wetting the paint in when I’m ready.
I also actually use my colours as I love having lots of colours! I paint with care for getting accurate to a subject more often such as the correct colour for a flower, or a Pokémon fanart or the exact colour I imagined for a fantasy creature. The colour of the exact species of bird.
Rather than narrowing it down I’ve been joyfully expanding!
I also advise keeping colour note reference book with written notes! Stop reinventing the wheel look at your colour notes!
The again I have exceptional colour vision and love all colours! I do restricted pallets ONLY for an individual painting not overall.
Also research pigment information. I still use non lightfast paint but am aware which ones are lightfast so if it becomes import for a for sale art or to hang on the wall. Then again if I’m ok with it fading or being replaced on my own walls lightfastness doesn’t matter. It also matters less in a sketchbook.
For travel kits based on the size I pick the best for mixing plus most useful convenience. Currently there is a super compact ‘Medeen’ 42 watercolour spin out pallet with mixing area sponge and waterbrush. I just ordered one in Amazon for 11.99 CAD! Use a pallet knife to remove the cheap paint it comes with and with a needle to help it flatten put in real actual good paint! Each one is only around 3 cm deep (1 inch) and 5 cm ( 2 inches) by 20 cm ( 8 in) long! I can literally throw 2 in a small purse! So you can bring a lot of colours with you on the go if you find and use these kind of pallets. There is also an amazing tin from Dollarama in Canada that is also very sleek with an enabled white inner lid and colour does not bead and fits 45 half pans with magnets added and closes perfectly! I can fit that as well in a small purse. Planning to upgrade to a larger art bag to fit more stuff for on the go and all that paint will fit oh and another travel pallet!
To each their own I suppose!
Just know if you love all the paint that’s ok too!
I also highly recommend the HimI/Miya gouache!
For watercolour I recommend the Van Gogh as art grade even if labeled student grade.
Since expanding to more colours and spreading them around me and pre wetting ; I’ve enjoyed art twice as much and gotten way more art done and faster!
I may have missed it but could you give a link to where you bought your 20 pan pallet please?.
From model railroading to painting, thanks Paul. I was looking for someone to discuss setting up a watercolour palette and your video just hit the spot. Thanks. Also signed up to the Patron page. Looking forward to more interesting stuff in my artistic journey.
Thanks Daniel, so sorry for the delayed reply, cheers P
My watercolour palette is quite large and have lots of colours are bright and of course opaque. The way I set up the palette is from warm colours to cool colours but in between those two parts, I add skin tones and some colours that are perfect for my art style and makes it easier to access or makes sense to my art style.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and firsthand practical tips. Glad I came here searching for a list to begin filling, my first time, 24-half pan plastic travel palette. I'm inclined to try the 20 well aluminum like yours, but no hurry now. I was surprised when I found no ultramarine violet, so I substituted with mauve. Others include Venetian Red, Cad. Orange, Hansa yellow, Hookers Green, and Viridian. Starting out with DaVinci paints and like you I stocked up on a few others. Being a spectator to all the great talent on YT is an education in itself.
Absolutely lovely demonstration - thank you so much. ?Beautiful colors!!!
Than you Paul. I too have numerous palettes that I use as well for various purposes additionally I have 2 Portable Painter Palette which I can pop into a small shoulder bag on the ready with appropriate travel brushes, blocks of papers , etc. I also have a Micro Portable Painter Palette that I can carry around at all times. I had invested in several porcelain palettes just for my studio a large covered one as my main source of painting also two smaller covered pallets. The smaller pallets are used for portraits, when I need to use uncontaminated colors. I did struggle selecting and positioning my favorite colors in the large palette. While I haven’t regretted the purchase of the larger palette, it has caused a lot of frustration and confusion. I ultimately had to put stickers on this larger palette with corresponding color chart so I could be reacquainted with the colors I had chosen. Still not very happy with this new set up. I use mainly M. Graham with Schminke and D. Smith as well. I had really struggled for weeks trying to decide how to layout my colors, I will keep this helpful information in mind for future use. It’s hot enough living in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert without adding further duress! 😅
Thanks so much for this! I'm returning to watercolors after many years away, and have been having tremendous fun with color swatching and trying different combinations-- a nice, meditative, non-intimidating way to re-familiarize myself with how the different colors behave together. Your video was a pleasure to watch, and it was refreshing to see how even a professional artist is tempted by the amazing abundance of colors! I am taking a birding trip to Costa Rica in April (! ! !) and I hope to bring a small, well-curated palette along with me.
Always more colour to tryout lol cheers P
Thank you I am getting back into water colors and need a few new tubes
When I started out, I wanted to try different paints and colors. Over the years I've realized I only use about 8-10 paints for everything. And I have all these extra paints I bought just sitting in storage
At the end of the day it gets down to personal preferences, and deciding whats right for you. cheers Paul
Perfect timing - I found this having just ordered a new pallet. Having always preferred ceramic, I found my trusty charity shop dinner plate doesn’t cope well now I am using much wetter washes - my blobs round the edges just flood into the mixing area. The nearest I could find is a circular ceramic ‘colour wheel’ palette, perhaps 30 is too many but my aim is to stop messing about with those mean little blobs and squeeze a good dollop into the wells. Most of my time is in the studio, I will still have my little pocket sets for when I venture out. Can’t wait for it to arrive, I will definitely do your swatch chart! Thanks for this.
Thank you this will help me out can’t imagine lugging around with me on holidays my big pallet 💜💙🩵🩷❤️💛💚
Hi Paul. I just watched this video on my Fire-Stick, and thought I'd comment. I thought I was being silly having so many paint boxes, but if you, a professional does this, I feel better about the whole thing. My last count was eight boxes of various types. I use a Craig Young, Robertson type box for en plein air, but as I am now a little ancient to go walking far, that doesn't get much use. I bought smaller boxes to fill with pans, for studio sketching and I have an old W & N four-well box that was my first 'posh' tin when I retired. For 'serious' work I have either a plastic box that holds about 30 colours (Which I don't fill with colours) or a metal equivalent, which so for I ain't not used!
My colours:
Aureolin, Indian Yellow, New Gamboge, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Cobalt Blue, Prussian Blue, Ultramarine, Sap Green, Alizarin Crimson, Neutral Tint, Burnt Umber, Cad Red, Cad Yellow, Cad Orange, and Sepia. I reckon I have enough, but I have since added Indigo, to get better greens; I hope!
I started squeezing out tubes, but missed the instant convenience of using tube colour, so I switched back to tubes, which allow me to mix plenty of colour in 3 inch diameter rice bowls. My boxes are filled with pans now. When I will use them I don't know! I wonder too how long it will be before I use up all the squeezed out colours in my plein air box!
One thing I am upset about is that W & N seem to have changed the make up of Neutral Tint. I started using it when I discovered the colour in a Rowland Hilder book. I replaced Payne's Grey with it, and have stuck with it ever since. But now it's more like a charcoal grey, instead of a slight purple shade, so I shall have to mix it from Alizarin and Indigo. Maybe!
By the way, you seemed to be having stability problems with a small board you used to paint a sunset. I solved that by fixing small boards, with four, marble size gobs of Blutak; pressing the board to a larger sheet of ply, clamped on my easel. This holds well for boards up to 20 x 16 inches, and I don't need to use the clamps on my easel; except for 30 x 20s. I have gone on a bit and I apologise. I enjoy your channel immensely, and I find you to be a likeable guy. So I'll stick with you. BTW I don't have a rail layout anymore, so my favourite locos are now static, in plastic cases! Regards and happy painting. John in Brum
Hi John, please forgive this late reply, I enjoyed the read and only wish I'd seen it sooner. I can relate to almost everything you mention. I use Danil smith and Schminke and fine the NT good in these ranges. Should you decide to part with your Craig Young box, I might well be interested in taking it off your hands and giving it good purpose in the future. Thanks again, Paul
Hi Paul,
I too have a lot of paints and several pallette. I love to mix colors and start out with a warm and cool of the 3 primaries. And to add more colors I use dot cards to see which colors I use and like the most. Then I order those colors, so I don't have so many unused paints hanging around.
Suggestion: instead of glue, use thin magnet sheet (cut to size) under the little trays..easier to clean and/or move. This doesn't work on plastic. 😉
That's a great idea Maureen, ill get my hands on some cheers P
Excellent presentation. I've been painting since 1944 and obviously have purchased a number of colors from various manufacturers. Like you, I have periodically evaluated my color choices and made choices of what is maybe a better pallet. I do some plein air and have chosen plastic pallets for that purpose in an evaluation of weight. Like you I have too many pallets. Some of the pallets are incorrectly engineered in a manner that place colors on top of each other when the lid is closed. We ought to be able to paint with just three colors plus white, but we don't do we.
Keep up the good work. Dr Bill Westerman
Thank you for that and agree, apologies for the late reply, cheers P
This should be required viewing for anyone just starting out, especially if they've received a set of 48! colors as a Christmas present. I've been staring at them for 4 months wondering where to start. Looking forward to checking out your other videos.
That is cool I am so pleased it helped out, cheers P
My favorite Sepia and Payens grey are the Van Goghs!! I just love that brand! I can't consider them a students grade,when they look and perform like Artist grade colours! If Daniel Smith didn't cost a half pan,as much as a 25 Van Gogh half pans,I would have another favorite I guess! Van Goghs are that good,that I don't miss Daniel Smith that much..
Wonderful. I can hardly wait to rework my own palettes, one at a time. :) Thank you
Thank you. I’m just starting to explore watercolor painting this was so very helpful!
I have the same one you do, sort of heavy and always worried about dropping it. But , do enjoy ceramic over metal.
Thank you. Excellent advice and presentation.
Thank you for sharing - so many beautiful colors
Thank you Linda glad you enjoyed it P
Another newbie! 👋🏻 I just found your channel today, and I have been enthralled with all of your videos. They are exceptional and I have already learned so much! Thank you!
I did the same thing as others, dove in and bought way too many paints. My local art supply store loves me and I think I partially funded a vacation home for them. 😊 I wish I had seen this video before I started buying stuff. I am curious about something, why no reds in your pallet?
I use an old Reeves pallet that had 12 large cakes in them. These eventually got used up or thrown out. The large panes have had the same colours in them for the last 40 years or so. The lid has 3 mixing wells where I mix all of my colours, I don't clean it off ever, I just use the previous colour to help mix up the next one. This adds variation to my paintings where the colours resemble those in nature rather than what might come in a tube such as a standard Hookers Green, Sap Green, etc. It takes time to get used to working like this but eventually colour mixing becomes intuitive.
Was VERY suprised with your music choice, but I love it and loved your video!
@@SarahDailey-jr7js so kind of you to say thank you, cheers P
YT recommended you. Thanks for the video. I like plain air watercolor or gouache or watermixable oil. Thanks for any help
Thanks for the comment, I paint watercolour and gouache on this channel, but all media plein air on my other channel recently changed its direction, Paul’s mobile studio. You might. Like to check that one out too, cheers P
Brilliant....setting up a pallet has been my biggest challenge...thank you so much👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻✅✅✅🙋♀️
Hi Dawn so glad it was a help to you, cheers P
Thanks for helping me a lot Paul. I was in a mess which color I'd use when I go outside for plein air.
So very helpful, thanks for the video!
Thanks so much, Paul, I really enjoyed your video. I use a John Pike palette. I notice that you did not use Payne's Gray, although your Indigo wash seems close. I have always loved Payne's Gray and I've noticed that other UK painters on RUclips also seem to like it. For years I have been tempted to try Neutral Tint and I finally bought some last week--Daniel Smith. I've been testing it and I really like it. I may replace Daniel Smith Moonglow with Neutral Tint on my palette. I love Aureolin but I replaced it on my palette because I read it has lightfast issues. I use Lemon Yellow, Hansa Yellow, Quinacridone Gold, Raw Sienna, and Yellow Ochre as my yellows.
Hi John thanks for that, yes I love Indigo, but have been using more Paynes grey of late and love it.I too am thinking long term of Aureolin, heard the same, so may change at some point, cheers P
Thank you so much I'm just starting out painting and it was giving me a headache on how to arrange my palette.
I’m pleased it helped, so sorry for the late reply, cheers P
Wow, a hand-built brass palette! What was the palette you used to set up new in the video? A Holbein? If you have a link to order, that would be great.
I started off, about 2 1/2 years ago now, with a standard Van Gogh 15 half-pans travel palette. I was then given a birthday gift by my wife, a set of 36 watercolours by Kuretake, which use their own size of large pans. I followed that up with a more modest 24 colour set, Ladoga by Nevskya St. Petersburg.
Ok, that was a great starting point, which I probably should have been satisfied with, but you know how it goes with new hobbies...
A year later I started buying tube paints, first Van Gogh, then Winsor & Newton and finally I became a big fan of Daniel Smith paints. I also have a small number of M. Graham & Co., Schmincke and Sennelier tube paints. Not only did paint buying get out of hand, but also brushes!
After all this experimenting with different paints and palettes, I then started to focus on smaller sets using the paints I already had and combining them to make the following:
Two general sets, one of 18 colours the other of 27 mixed half and full pans.
Two primaries, secondaries, earths greens and grey sets - one of 15 the other of 22
A botanical set of 33 half pans
A limited primary, secondary and earth set.
A couple of mini - 6 and 8 full pan paints sets for "on-the-go" urban sketching.
So now I have the glorious task of painting and using up all the paints, gradually arriving more and more at my preferred sets - a process that I'm still going through to this day. I guess it would make sense to have palettes set up for specific types of painting, e.g. landscapes, botanical, urban sketching, abstract, etc.
I have seen one RUclips artist, Yong Chen, who only uses primary colours and 2 brushes - what he does with those is amazing, no matter what the subject is.
It would be fair to say that I've been influenced by way too many RUclips videos really, so perhaps now it will have to spend more time painting and experimenting with what I've got, particularly to slow down, simplify and give it lots more time to evolve. 😉
In the field I uses a Craig Young box The one here Is cheap and cheerful , thanks P
Es un gusto que compartas tan magnifico video Y TAN AMPLIA ESPLICACION
Thanks so much for your advice. I’m one of those beginners who has too many colors - very distracting. I like simple. Denny
Very good information.
Thank you sorry for the late reply , p
Hi) thank you for sharing this info)
My favourite palette is a cheap plastic folding one, filled with Cotman paints plus other paints squeezed in. It's a massive greedy explosion of colours, just like yours but even more excessive. I know I have too many paints in it but it makes me happy. I think it's a personal choice, whatever makes you happy, whatever makes you paint. What a great hobby watercolour painting is!
I totally agree with you , cheers P
Hi Paul. I’m in the ‘so many colors, she doesn’t know what to do’ group. Some of my paints are so old I can’t open them any more.. even using hot water ;;.
I’ve just cleaned out my two main palettes with the intention of re-pouring them with a rethink about what colors should go in.
So I have decided to use an 18 well palette for out of the house, and I have a 24 well for home. But WHICH colors?
I’ve decided two things:
1) do simple gridded ‘games’ to play with colors and their interactions, to edit and narrow down which ‘warm yellow’ works well with which blue (for instance) to make the green that I like…
(I’ll probably have to do a lot of those :D
2) create my core color palette colors, and then leave 2-3 wells open for ‘guest appearances’ of colors.
It will take a long time, but that is the joy of being a hobbyist, vs a pro.
This was incredibly helpful. Thanks
So glad it was useful, cheers P
A great video with some fantastic advice especially for a newbie in watercolour painting. I am one of those people who when starting a new hobby, has to have everything all at once..I know, I know, it’s not necessary to have everything at the beginning of this new adventure, but I get so excited and wrapped up in what is the best tools for the job, that it has already cost me a fortune $$$$… I will have to take your wonderful advice, and build up my supplies as I go along. I have just got interested in plein air painting and wanting to build my paint choices to fit the great outdoors and natural colours. I have 15 different tubes of fine watercolour paint by Daniel Smith and will stop there 😉😉 Many Thanks again for the great advice, will try very hard to follow it! 🤗🇨🇦
Hi Carole, sorry for the late reply, That infection never goes away, trust me after over 50 years it is still hitting my bank account, cheers P
thank you! Love some of those palettes/ Music!
Glad it helped
2 of the blues and 2 of the greens look very close to each other. I find that interesting as those are the 2 colors I can’t have too much of a variety.
The blues are very different have to say, the greens however are similar and have since replaced the sleeping beauty colour with Ptithalo green, cheers Paul
Thank you. Useful.
Glad it helped cheers P
Are you sure you dont need them all? I love all the colors, they make me happy.
I did enjoy your video.
I have used a similar system but I find that I use some colors much more than others
Paul I now use sonnet and St Petersburgh
I have never tried either as yet, that may change one day, cheers P
Thanks for showing this! I’m going to do this. Question: can you mix two colors to put into a pan?
great video! would you mind sharing the name of the song?
My feeling is that too many colors on a palette equals paintings that are confused and not in harmony.
For many years I used 26 colors and couldn't figure out why so many of my paintings just didn't "look right'.
I changed to a very limited palette of 8 colors and my work immediately improved dramatically. I used those 8 colors for approximately 3 years then eventually added in a couple more. I have been using those same 10 or 11 colors ever since.
Using fewer colors and mixing them resulted in paintings with far better color harmony. I was surprised to find how many of the great masters of the past used very limited palettes! Loved the video!
That is all very true, and the fewer colour used to create harmony within the painting. cheers Paul
Great advice! Thank you
You are so welcome thank you , Paul
hm - how come transparent orange from schmincke didn't make it in your new selection. I am fascinated by it and love to use it in mixes :-) - a fan ;-D
I will admit I feel its loss and since this video and will revert in time as I do love it , cheers P
Oh, Paul! How fun to follow along with you. I was thinking to wet the column ahead of putting the paint down and setting the paper at a slant and letting it run. I was also thinking to tape the sides between the columns (simply because I'm a neat freak) and see what happens. Are there any reasons against me not wetting the paper before I ruin a sheet??!! Thanks! Greetings from California!
Deanz feat. Revel Day - Hold You is the song in the middle of the video.
I enjoy Revel Day, use the music a lot, cheers P
Thank you!
Hey Paul. Hello from John in Canada. Love your vids. Question: most serious watercolour artists seem to use tube paints. But in all the videos I watch, yours and others, it looks like there is dried paint in their/your palette. Do you typically use only WET tube paint or do you use the DRY paint leftover in your palette? What would be the reason for each situation? Thank you kindly. Hope you have an awesome day.
Hi John
I use tubes as they contain more paint and fill pans more cost effective than solid pans. Once dry they are just like normal pans and will work well with a spray before use to release them a while.
As for fresh tube colour that is exciting as the pigment is soft and rich, but you use more. It is a personal choice. Hope that helps, cheers P
I’m always curious how people use Indian red because it’s so opaque (which I know has its uses, but I just can’t get into it). I use almost all DS myself (I live near them!) but I have to have Schmincke’s trans pyrrol orange (PO71)….so beautiful. I do admit I like to keep some greens, esp a couple primateks (jadeite, green apatite gen) as well as perylene green (and rich green gold, PY129 which is usually known as just green gold in non-DS brands since it is great for greens as well as a cool yellow). I spend a lot of time in the forests around here and I don’t have the patience to mix ALL my greens from scratch. My “guilty pleasure” color is fuchsite which makes such a lovely, sparkly sort of glaze for the turquoise-y glacial lakes near me. My preferred palette is a Schmincke almost square palette meant for 18 half pans, but I’ve hacked that and manage to squeeze 32 half pans because I have a lot of colors that I love, don’t necessarily use often, but am mad when they’re not with me. (like fuchsite and some other primateks). I’m definitely a palette addict but the most limited palette I use is 12 colors. I have to check out some more of your videos now :-)
doesn't DS have a PO71 too? Funny enough I have Schmincke paints easily available to me but bought the PO71 from Daniel Smith because I heard it's supposed to be more vibrant? Were you able to compare the two?
@@JKxox0 Indeed they do! DS's Transparent Pyrrol Orange is a deeper formulation than Schmincke and for a split primary approach, it can sit in as a warm red (works well paired with quin rose as the cool red). I prefer the truer "oranginess" of the Schmincke's version.....probably because I'm not shy about setting up with more colors, even for plein air ;-) DS's transparent pyrrol orange actually looks pretty darn close to their Pyrrol Scarlet used in mass tone. For someone trying to keep a more limited palette, the DS version is very useful and I've used it myself for smaller set-ups. If someone likes to broaden their color choices and include both split primary and secondary colors, the Schmincke version would be a fantastic choice for the orange - it is a color that really "glows."
@@tdelphia1 thank you for your answer! That is super interesting, sounds like a good orange indeed!! I also like to keep more colors in my palette, they are just all so fun and pretty :D
Hi Tracy, so for the late reply, some very useful pointers. Like yourself, it is hard to rein in and hold our colour choices with so many available and many very similar. I look at my collection when about to go out or start work, and think do I want this in or out doI don't I? It's an ongoing dilemma. cheers Paul
I use different types because I adore make palettes!!! I have one for the Mijello Mission, another one for the White Nights and a folio palette with the W&N, which is my most lovely one.
thank you
I recommend a concise book on colour mixing , "Blue and Yellow don't make Green". You will have to read it and use it to understand where the author is coming from. Can't remember the authors name though.
Total newbie here: why choose liquid over the dry pans? Thanks!
not a silly question. Liquid in 15ml tubes will go further, added to empty pans and allowed to dry, you get a few refills at a little extra cost over set pans. Also if you want richer images from time trio time it is even easier with the paint still in a soft form. hope that helps cheers P
Hi, Paul, Sherry again (See below!). Since I am always going outdoors and painting plein air, my scenery changes quite often. Have you ever considered watercolor pans? I've never used them but am going to Africa in a couple weeks and there will be colors specific to Africa that I should carry. Also, I go to the desert and the ocean to paint, all of which have different color aspects. Since my travels to Africa will mean a VERY limited palette, what colors do you recommend for a Tanzania and Zanzibar experience representing only six color choices? I'm thinking having watercolors in pans makes it easier to switch them out. Thanks in advance!
thanks you
Sir, where did you buy those big palette trays?.....
I got them from Jacksons art supplies in UK, cheers P
I have the problem that when the pigments dry out, some shrink, crack and fall out of the wells…
That is normally a condition with Gouache I am quite surprised to hear watercolours doing that. So pre-made pans fall out but not many. cheers P
I am just setting up my first palette so I listened to several of your youtube videos. But why do you have to let the paints dry before using them. Can't I even swatch them when still wet?
You can use them directly so sorry if I have given the wrong impression. They are allowed to dry for convenience of moving etc, but usable straight away, cheers p
Hello! I've just found your channel. It's so easy to get too many colors, isn't it? I've gotten to around 12-14, and a lot of days it still feels like too many!
Thanks for sharing your palettes! Cheers!
True enough we hoard colours an add more seldom do we use a fraction. Thank you Paul
Thanks Paul.....I would be interested to know which brands you favour for each colour, and why....and also why you choose the weaker Ultramarine Violet..pv15...over Winsor Violet Pv23
Hi Anne, sorry for the late reply, all good points for sure and my brands are SCHMINKE AND DANIEL SMITH. As for the PV15 and 23, The violets are biased and prefer the latter. Cheers Paul
Hi thank you! What about a real pink pink, like candy, pure pink. ??
that is a personal choice you can make. not for me, but Quinacridone red or magenta will serve well I feel., cheers P
Do you ever just clean a palette out and start again? Would like to see that process, is there an easy way?
I clean the mixing area each time I start a new film. I down throw old paint out I’d rather create a new palette of colour from scratch if I feel the need to alter my choices,hope that helps, cheers P
@@paulappswildlifeart Hope you never want to change your mind with a Craig Young palette box!
I keep my paint in pans so I can move them around. Then I have a big box to store them in and lots of the little 8 pan tins(which hold more if you squish them) which means I can continually have new combinations of limited numbers that I can put together by swapping them around . I also have a tin with whole pans of the colours I use most in the studio that is a bit bigger. I use white tiles for mixing, I don’t like mixing on tins.
A limited pallet I am currently using for outside experiments is Naples yellow, yellow ochre, Carmine, burnt sienna, turquoise, ultramarine. Great fun.
Hi Dee so sorry for the very late reply, so many colours at our fingertips, and each set we choose is a very individual choice, I like that idea of mix and match depending on where you are at the time in your work. Cheers Paul
Oh wow , I love watching you paint but this was also so satisfying- I LOVE swatching and pouring lol
Thank you for sharing your palette. It's such a personal decision, and it seems there are as many combinations as artists (well maybe not but so many schools of thought) and just as many combinations from those who have tossed all reasoning aside and just use what makes them happy. I have palettes to cover both my traditional needs and whimsical ones. Like you I just adore color and maybe one day I'll pair down and figure out what's necessary but for now, color makes me so happy so I indulge in it.
That’s a great way to approach a very complex subject adorned with so many theories and colours to match. Cheers P
@@paulappswildlifeart well I'm not convinced it's great but it keeps me from over thinking to the point of misery (something I'm prone to). It generally works, as I paint at home 95% of the time these days (thanks COVID) but when my family and I went on a beach trip over the summer it was veritable agony trying to pick two palettes to take. One that comes with me almost always is this tin of Daniel Smith set of split primaries and earths. Another a mijello type palette of m.graham filled with gorgeous colours of the season one would find where I was visiting. Very impractical, I admit, but so wonderfully indulgent like a beach vacation should be. These are the types of ideas that guide my decisions so it's no wonder I should have like god knows how much paint now, maybe 400+ tubes and pans.
@@morgenmachen2400 wow no wonder you have decision issues lol. I had 30 once lol never again best to you P
@@paulappswildlifeart ha, yes! If I knew at the beginning what I know now I would have began with a limited palette of maybe 6. A lot to be said for that approach.
Can I ask. Is there a pro/con to tube vs pan colours? I painted a while ago and am picking it up again. I feel there are more tubes than pans these days. Thanks in advance.
Hi Jane, there equal amounts of colours in both formats. I prefer tube, for the economy really . They are similarly priced and a15 ml tube fills a pan several times . Allowing it to dry in the pan for constant future use. Hope this helps cheers Paul
👍🏻
Thank you so much
You started out making the process seem daunting...
I hope it ended easier
My grandmother's brother was a mural artist/painter. When I started to show an aptitude for drawing he gave me a one summer crash course. All summer I could only use 4 colors. Magenta, cyan and yellow. Which got me into great trouble in school 50 years ago when I argued that red, yellow, blue were not the primary colors. Anyway, he painted everything with plain old house paint and he only used cyan, magenta, yellow and an umber. He's but it in five gallon buckets and used this egg mixer for thing on the end of a power drill to mix it. If I wanted a color, tint, I had to learn to mix it out go without. I was so mad at him in the beginning. Now, I won't recommend buying any coincidence paints until and unless a person learn their color theory. Although I still only use 4 paint colors in my palette, even in watercolor, I still love looking at pallettes. I'm ashamed of myself but it's a guilty pleasure. I'm also embarrassed to say I do splurge with oil paints. Love oil paints. Probably because it's the easiest for me and I can work from dark to light. Watercolor has always been a challenge for me, but offers such beautiful results with such ease of use it's hard to not appreciate a good plien air watercolor session. Another great thing about only using 4 colors, portability. I always have my palette in my bank pocket. I never carried a wallet. I replaced it with my palette and my wc paper. Although, since cash send to be going the way of people whom paid their bills instead of charged everything I may have to rethink all that. Cheerio mate. Thanks for the video.
So sorry for the late reply, I enjoyed the story and it was a great foundation, your grand-uncle taught you well, so many grab paint like candy without ever learning how to manage, mix and understand them. cheers Paul
I am totally lost why many competent professional artists have to have 12 plus colours. As for more than 20 this is madness.
I use 6 colours. Ultramarine, Cobolt Blue, Alizarine Crimson, Cadmium red Medium, Cadmium Yellow medium and Lemon Yellow any other colour I mix. Yes I mix up my browns. ochre's, greens, oranges, greys, mauve's and purples, blacks, etc. Yes I can get all of these colours from the six I have in my Old Reeves pallet which I have had for some 50 years. Some colours that people buy are mixed from two other colours such as Payne's Grey and why buy Naples Yellow
No colour is a precise Ochre, Brown, Green, etc. There are tonal variations of these colours in nature and what we see. I can make up various ochres with the Cadmium Yellow and Lemon Yellow.
I like all of these colours in Oils, Watercolours and Gouache. They always blend well and make up vibrant primary colours. Also mixing my own colours I can adjust the greys that lean to yellow, red, etc.
Having said I only use 6 colours there are two others that I have to but rarely use. Viridian and Black. Viridian cannot be mixed and some times it is good to have a swish of Viridian as a focal point. Many artists say you must never use BLACK. I use this very sparingly. I save any black dabs until I am happy the painting is finished. Then I will judiciously add a touch of black in the foreground, especially in a landscape. Just a dab will help create extra depth and distance.
Even though there are 6 main colours in the my pallete I some times find that I don't use all of them and have without consciously thinking have used just 3 or 4..
Play around with your colours in the pallet. Don't get bogged down with a multitude of colours. With practice you can mix up vibrant variations and in the long run save money. Other wise you will end up have a pile of colours that that don't get used and can become redundant.
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