Denise, I'm so happy that the palette is giving you the control that you were seeking. I know that keeping your color in check was an issue of great concern and I'm thrilled that you have overcome this problem and are selling your work. The satisfaction I receive from hearing stories like yours always warms my heart. I understand how important getting more proficient is for my students and I take the responsibility of giving them my all quite seriously. I'll gladly accept your praise any day.
Wilma, the palette you propose is very similar to the palette I use and have shared with my students, so I applaud you on what I perceive to be your great instincts. The results, like those stated by Denise, are pretty much universally shared. If people follow my lead and give it a sincere effort they can achieve great things in a short amount of time. You can check out the works of both
Tim Mensching and
Joe Daily who both use my palette.
The difference between what you propose and what I use is in the reds. I eschew cadmiums in the flesh as did the vast majority of painters before the twentieth century since cadmiums weren't available. Masters such as Lawrence, Raeburn, Bouguereau and Velasquez didn't use cadmiums in their complexions. Neither did Paxton, who although he had access to cadmiums, employed earth reds instead and produced the most luminous and lifelike complexions I've ever seen.
I use two strings of reds, one mixed with Terra Rosa and the other with Indian Red. These combined with the ochers (darkened with raw umber) and neutrals can provide me with all the nuances of flesh in natural light. Other colors can sometimes be required to depict reflected lights in the shadows. As Denise said I do add other colors but I find that the addition of Ultramarine Blue, Viridian and Alizarin Crimson Permanent I can achieve a myriad of color possibilities. I am constantly amazed at how much more I am able to squeeze out of this simple arrangement with each ensuing painting.
It is my opinion, based on my experience as an artist and teacher, when it comes to color, more is indeed not better. I pursued a non cadmium palette because I found that my students struggled with trying to contain the overpowering strength of cadmiums and I looked to those painters I admired the most to see what they used. It worked for me and the rest, as they say, is history.
Good luck to you.