I’ve discussed some palette strategies lately, and I thought I’d go over mine. I am very comfortable working with a limited group of low-chroma paints, but I don’t always want to make low-chroma paintings. So I use what I call a core palette.
That means that I have a core group of paints that I almost always have on my palette. These include flake white, burnt sienna, raw sienna, yellow ochre, and ultramarine blue. I am very, very familiar with how these paints mix together. I’ve used them over and over; they no longer hold any mysteries for me. Lots of painting problems can be solved with just these paints, because most of the world is pretty low in chroma and is filled with hues and values that can be mixed with these paints. By using low chroma paints, rather than neutralizing intense colors as some painters prefer, it is much easier to avoid accidentally drifting the chroma too high.
When needed, I will add some other low-chroma paints, including red ochre, Studio Products’ Tuscan red, Williamsburg Italian terre verte, Doak French ochre extra pale, burnt umber, raw umber, ivory black, transparent blue oxide. When I want very bright, opaque whites, I add titanium white. When I want very subtle mixtures with white, I add zinc white. I’m pretty familiar with how all of these colors work
That’s 90% of the paint I use. But there are times when I need more chroma. If so, I pull out some of my bigger guns: viridian, Prussian blue, cadmium red, bismuth yellow, cobalt blue, genuine vermilion, pyrol ruby, Doak Florentine lake, Doak Alger blue, Indian yellow, dioxazine purple. I don’t know these colors that well, so when I use them I often need to spend time experimenting with how they mix. Often, I use them to intensify mixtures of my more standard colors. When appropriate, I use them with only slight modification, for those small areas of chromatic color that can really make a painting jump (or fall, if done badly). Lots of my paintings don’t have any of these intense colors, but I like having them there when I need them.
Thank you for sharing all the thoughts on color.
As I use up paint I am replacing the Winton with Winsor and Newton Artist quality paints. I am curious as to why you choose the different brands. What makes you choose this color in this brand and that color in another?
Anna,
I tend to prefer high quality oil paints with very high pigment load that have a consistency similar to hand-mulled paints. I don’t like paint mulled in poppy or safflower oil. I find that paints by Studio Products and Robert Doak have those properties. Williamsburg tends to be thicker than I like, but their earth colors are so beautiful that it is worth it. I have some Old Holland paints, but they tend to be rather thick and are very expensive. I also have some paint by M. Graham, but they have a small range of colors and are sometimes a bit too loose in consistency. Winsor Newton paints seem OK to me, but they use safflower for some of their colors and don’t have as high a pigment load as I like.
Of course, like any artist, some of the colors I own are just a matter of random purchases to try stuff out. But the three brands I keep coming back to are SP, Doak, and Williamsburg. Of these three, SP is the most expensive, but has the best and most consistent handling. If I could afford it, I would probably buy mostly from them. Doak’s paints are almost as good and are much less expensive, so most of my more expensive colors are from him.
Hello, so you have moved. I am thinking of doing the same myself. Wonderful site, and a wealth of knowledge here. I have been using DANIEL SMITH oils, and I recommend them to you to try out, simply because they sound just like what you use — low chroma, great consistency, very nice earths, and did I mention h-u-g-e selection?.. (I also have heard of a relatively new brand of Michael Harding Oils, but since these are new, the selection is not so great, and I personally haven’t tried them) I was very surprised to find your site, since I have very recently discovered Flemish technique, I am so lucky. I am having a bit of trouble in the dead layer, you call it a mid-tone. I just don’t get it, so if you ever get time, write about this stage in detail if you please.
Angel,
Both Daniel Smith and Michael Harding have good reputations and I would not hesitate to try them. I will try to post some sample swatches of Doak paints, although color samples on the internet are never perfectly accurate.
Have you seen my post on Flemish technique? What problems are you having with the dead layer?
Actually, my instructional booklet says to apply a mix of “dead” color, which is a mix of black/white. On your page, I just see that you apply basic colors without going into too much detail…which makes more sense. I am looking forward to seeing your artwork and maybe a demonstration or two. Keep up the good work!
Anna,
There are lots of ways to do a layered painting. One is to do a monochrome grisaille (although I prefer a neutral mix of 50/50 black and raw umber rather than straight black, which makes very cool mixtures with white). Another is to do a true “dead coloring” layer with broad flat areas of color, followed by progressively more detail. That’s usually how I do it: proceeding from less to more detail rather than from a monochrome value painting to the establishment of hue and chroma in upper layers. But either approach is perfectly valid and can produce a good painting.
I would like to mention that I have been using RGH Artists Oil Paints for a number of years now. I find them to be of the highest quality; Comparable in quality to any of the top brands and their prices are quite reasonable. Teresa
Teresa,
I haven’t used the RGH paints. Thanks for the recommendation.
it seems like if youre gonna work in watercolor or mixed media or marble you should be so skilled at it that your doing something better than anyone else; I see Bev Doolittle doing wonderful stuff in watercolor that few could surpass, but I admit that for me its too limpid a medium; or to simply cut to the chase do photography
Hi David,
firstly I want to say thank you so much for your really infomative site/blog.
Secondly I want to ask, what colour/type of oil paint would you use to replace alizarin crimson. I’ve been using it for a while now becuase of its wonderful qualities but I didn’t realise just how quickly the colour fades away, and i’d like to know wht you think is the nearest equivalant
Any ideas??
thanks Andy
Andy,
I’ve never used true alizarin, so I never became dependent on it. Various companies sell specific paints designed to replace it. Williamsburg sells a “permanent crimson” as well as “Carl’s crimson.” I’m sure they’re both nice. Other companies sell alizarin replacements. I like Doak’s pyrol ruby, although it is certainly not the same as alizarin. He also sells a genuine rose madder, which is a natural pigment similar to synthetic alizarin (but perhaps slightly more permanent).
But none of these will mix exactly like alizarin. These others have their own qualities that you may or may not like. I’d suggest that, instead of looking for a substitute, you explore similar colors that might fit well into your palette.
Best wishes,
David
David, love your blog. I was wondering, what brand of burnt sienna do you like to use? More specifically, which do you think is best to use with ultramarine blue? I’ve noticed that Winsor Newton’s burnt sienna is much more orange than other brand’s, while Williamsburg’s is more like a red ochre. Mixing the the latter with ultramarine, you can get what’s close to a very grayish purple, which is nice. And what brand raw sienna do you like? Thanks for all your help —
Richard,
I like earths (RS, BS, etc.) by Doak and Williamsburg. You’re right that subtle differences between brands and batches make for different degrees of neutrality in mixing “complements.” Doak’s blues, by the way, are magnificent.