My Palette
My ultra-portable cigar box palette.
I’ve been asked a few times lately what my palette is, so I thought I’d put a post about it.
Over the years I’ve whittled down the palette I was taught to fewer and fewer colors. At present I use:
- Lead or Titanium white (I prefer the handling of lead, but I’m currently using titanium for health and environmental reasons).
- Cadmium Yellow from Michael Harding (or I’ll grind my own Cad Yellow light from Zecchi).
- Zecchi’s Roman Ochre
- Vermilion, hand-ground from Doak. Though I sometimes use the Zecchi one outdoors.
- Cadmium Red Medium, either Harding’s or hand-ground from Zecchi.
- Alizarin, either hand-ground or I was using Doak’s Florentine Lake for a while too.
- Cerulean Blue, $70 a pop from Old Holland, or hand-ground if I need a lot for a large painting.
- Ultramarine Deep from Old Holland.
- Manganese Blue from Old Holland.
- Cobalt Blue, either Old Holland or Harding.
I also use hand-ground Ivory Black when painting indoors, and I’ve tried to find a use for it outside but can’t. I know some landscape painters use it for clouds but I can never see the point.
The palette I started with included Naples Yellow, an earth red (Pozzuoli, English…etc), and Veridian. I have also used high chroma oranges and purples for specific projects with orange trees, irises and such.
Hi Marc
Which brands did you used for Naples Yellow,earth red and Viridian ?
(for NapYells I use Harding,for earth red and Viridian I use Blockx,
or I grind my own including Cobalt Blue deep)
Thanks
ly
I only ever used hand-ground colors back in the days when I used Naples Yellow, earth reds, and Viridian. Zecchi sold a beautiful Naples back then, but like all their lead colors, their supply dried up and the other options at the time were unacceptable.
I’ve heard good things about the Harding Naples, I just find I never use it when I have it on my palette these days.
Hi Marc,
It is interesting that your using lead less.
I still use it and I also use Titanium in a mix with lead and by itself. I can’t shake lead…
I always thought that Cadmium’s a real Vermilion were just as toxic as lead.
Manganese is also not very good for you.
Lovely landscapes by the way.
Thanks Jeff.
I find that I don’t use nearly as much vermilion, cadmium, and manganese as I do white. So the other colors don’t bother me.
I just go through tons and tons of white, and so much of it goes down the sink when I wash brushes that I thought I was better off using titanium.
They use it in food coloring after all, it can’t be all bad.
There aren’t really substitutes for the other colors, but titanium is actually manageable when you get used to it.
I was just curious why you felt the need for the 4 different blues? Is it to paint the variety of greens outdoors? Thanks
Hi Stephan. Cerulean and ultramarine are essential (IMO). Cobalt just saves time, though you can get brighter skies with it as well. A pthalo blue is fun for greens and some colors not occurring naturally (i.e. cars or buildings).
And what about the Manganese blue? I’ve never used that color, although maybe you are talking about the hue which seems to be an altered Thalo?
I was researching artists palettes lately and just noticed that many artists palettes are top heavy with reds (including mine) and noticed yours had more blues then average. And since I admire your work very much I was curious. I guess in the end it is probably the individual eye of each artist choosing what they feel they need to use to match color or create the harmonies they want….
BTW, your most recent post on materials convinced me to upgrade on paints from my usual Utrecht to Blue Ridge. The money difference isn’t that great and it was sure nice to actually talk to the guy making the paints when I ordered!