Daniel Greene's Palette
 

I've studied with Daniel Greene several times, and I've used his palette for years. Over the years. I've begun "branching out," but in times of stress or indecision, I find myself going back to his set of pre-mixed colors.

Has anyone else studied with him, or used his palette? He makes no bones about it being basicallly a "yellowish" pallete, but he also points out that if you see other colors, it's no problem to mix them, which it isn't.

Dick Budig

Just last evening I had occasion to look through my file from Greene's workshop, and as much fun as I had there and as much as I learned, I confess before everyone that I just have never been able to bring myself to spend the 45 minutes that it takes me to mix the full palette of colors that he starts with. The fact is, though, that decades ago he visited museums and made meticulous studies of what hues were the most likely to be found in the best portraiture work, and so he premixes those to avoid wasting time while his VIP subjects are sitting on the model stand.

However, I don't have yet the privilege of working from subjects who have to catch the Concorde to London at 3 o'clock, so speed isn't my primary consideration. I guess I'm happy to mix up colors as I need them. Sure, I have a basic flesh tone, which I lighten and darken, warm and cool, but no, I don't pre-mix 60 or 70 hues and values.

John Sanden (another pre-mixer, so much so that he sells the pre-mixtures under his own brand name) kind of bemoans Greene's fame, while he (Sanden) is reportedly (by Sanden) chided for his "formula" mixes. I think Sanden and Greene are doing pretty much the same thing. Greene seems to me to be a little more willing to say, okay, what I see isn't on my palette of 80 colors, so I'll quickly mix that one up special. I sense from their respective video demonstrations, and my personal visit to Greene's studios, that Sanden says more often than Greene, "close enough". And usually both Sanden and Greene are right.

I won't live long enough to paint like either of them, so I'm making up time by shamelessly stealing everything I can from both of them.

Premixing a palette
 

Steve:

Yes, it takes some time to pre-mix Greene's set of colors, but not 45 minutes. It used to take me quite some time, but now, I can do the whole thing in just a few minutes. For me, it is a bit like a piano player doing a few scale exercises before playing music.

And, after years of using Greene's method, it is surprising how many of those colors you bump into on a subject. And, it's really not difficult to customize any of these pre mixed colors. For example, a tot of black or raw umber into yellow ocher will give you some of those curious greens, or a little alizarin into his cad red mixure will give you a different red . . . and on and on.

It was, and still is, nice to have a bunch of "general" flesh tones laying there that I can pick up and use as is, or alter with nothing more than the addition of a dab of something else.

Please understand, I'm not promoting his, or any other system. It's just that when I started, I didn't now flesh tone from anything else. I was so surprised, in my first Greene painting demo, when he picked up a wad of his dark mahogany shadow tone (aliz crim - sap green -- cad yel med) and put it on his canvas! And then, he started using reds and yellows and oranges! I thought flesh was flesh toned -- I just had no idea what that was.

Now, like you, I often start in with a clean palette, mixing what I need. But, if it's going to be a long session, or a session with many considerations, I find that Greene's premixed batches of color help me by eliminating some of these decisions.

He was/is right when he talks about how he visited museums to find all these colors, in that it is quite surprising how much of the time these are, indeed, the colors you run into in painting flesh.

Nice talking to you. Have a nice day.

Dick Budig

Yes, I was not being critical of Greene's palette, just admitting my own laziness in mixing it up. I'm sure I would get faster at it with more frequent use. And you're right, being able to just pick up the color note you need, with or without slight modification, really turbocharges your painting session. I liken it to having a good supply of pastels ready to go.

Interesting that you mention the sap green / alizarin combination, as no matter what "palette" I've set up, I now always make sure those pigments are there, just because of that rich dark shadow that the mixture imparts.

For those reading who may not be familiar with this palette, it includes:

Flake White
Ivory Black
Prussian Blue
Raw Sienna
Yellow Ochre
Naples Yellow
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Red Light
Alizarin Crimson
Burnt Sienna
Raw Umber
Burnt Umber
Sap Green
Thalo Green

The full pre-mixed palette involves combinations of various of these pigments, with graded additions of white. His video demonstration would be, at the very least, essential to understanding the full process and appreciating the range of colors mixed.

This is an interesting topic. Would someone mind sharing the formulas for some of Greene's pre-mixed flesh tones?

Thanks,

Renee Price

Sap Green
 

Lately I've read somewhere that Sap Green was less than permanent, maybe in Sanden's book(s). I've always used sap green, because I like it. Lately, I've wondered if I should throw it out, but now that I see Daniel Greene uses it, it must be ok. What is the story?

Renee,

It wouldn't be at all productive to attempt a verbal explanation of the palette. In addition to the tube colors, you wind up with over 50 mixtures (mostly white-tints), the subtleties between which can only be appreciated visually (and then only with practice.)

The best introduction would be either one of Daniel Greene's oil videos, or for about $10 or $15, his coated cardstock publication, "The Portrait Palette of Daniel E. Greene, N.A.", on which is illustrated the complete pre-mixed palette.

Write to his studio for a product catalog:

Studio Hill Farm
Rte. 116
North Salem, NY 10560

I am not able to find a web site with his products. I was particularly interested in his videos. Any help on this?

Mike,

He doesn't have a web site. I was supposed to do one for him at one point, but then he decided to not move forward. You'd probably have to contact them directly to buy the video.

You can get Daniel Greene's videos through F&W Publications, 1-800-419-0421, or PO Box 2031, Harlan, Iowa 51593.