Color Palettes: A Semi-Limited Color Palette

Oil painting takes a lot of supplies. BUT! Before brushes and palette knives and palettes and canvases and mediums and...more stuff... let's talk color.

There are two key components I considered when creating my own idea of a "beginner's palette." One, the palette needs to cover the three main qualities of a paint: color temperature, opacity, and tinting strength (for more on these click here). Two, the palette needs to be limiting enough that our colors don't run away with us, yet workable enough to assuage any beginner frustrations.

My idea of a beginner's starter pack takes these two points into consideration and starts with six colors plus a white and black:

Cool Colors

Hansa Yellow Light Quinacridone Red Prussian Blue

Warm Colors

Hansa Yellow Medium Napthol Red Phthalo Blue

For Tints and Shades

Titanium - Zinc White Ivory Black

With these six colors plus white and black you will be able to take on almost any task. However, they are also limiting enough to help painters of any level maintain a continuous color harmony.

Starter Expansion Pack:

Burnt Sienna Yellow Ochre