Trying to simplify my palette

[Minh Thong]

I have done the standard ten-color color wheels (Yellow

[Deladier Almeida]

Take a look at Richard Schmid "ALLA PRIMA, Everything I Know About Painting".

In this book he divulges his palette and suggests a series of color charts based on it. His palette might not be for everybody, but it is complete, economical (with exception of the yellows), and most importantly, permanent. The charts are lengthy and require commitment to see through. I did them this summer and they were my introduction to oils.

If not for the charts - as it seems you have been exploring your own mixes - at least you should investigate his palette. He arrived at it the hard way and has been gracious enough to share that knowledge.

While you don't have the book, take a look at his FAQ page, where he explains his palette and choice of manufacturers:http://www.richardschmid.com/faq.html

Greetings.

[Chris Saper]

Minh,

If you just use the "search messages" function (at the top of each Forum page), you'll discover that Richard Schmid's, and many others' palettes are already posted.

http://forum.portraitartist.com/foru...?s=&forumid=31

[Peggy Baumgaertner]

Minh,

Although there are a staggering numbers of paint colors, hues, values, and mixes, and when you add in the equally staggering number and kinds of paint manufactures, it is easy to see where a new artist could be totally knocked for a loop by the choices. (Which is why finding an artist whose work you respect and using their palette at least gives you a point to start.)

Having said that, I cannot understand why you feel the compulsion to eliminate cadmium orange and all the greens. Phthalo, maybe (it is somewhat redundant with the viridian....), but your palette seems perfectly serviceable as it stands. I certainly couldn't live without cadmium orange. There is no other color, no yellow, no red, and certainly no mix, which is as warm and brilliant as cad orange.

I have had a moveable palette for many years. I've studied under a number of teachers, and adapted some colors as they were introduced, and eliminated others.

I would look at my palette after a week. If I found that I hadn't been dipping into a certain color, I would eliminate it from the palette the next time I loaded it up. If I found that I was constantly running back to my paints to squeeze out a little of an eliminated color, I would add it back.

The one thing I would have you consider with your palette is to actually add in two colors. I would suggest you add an opaque white, titanium. Flake and Permalba are both more transparent than titanium, one of the few truly opaque paints (although I might get some flack on this, I would replace the flake white and Permalba with titanium...) I would also have you consider adding Dioxazine purple, one of the few truly cool colors. With cad orange and diox purple, you control the full range of warm to cool.

Peggy

[Khaimraj Seepersad]

Minh,

You will find that the Mars colours are the cleanest of the earth range. For Cadmium Yellows, I shifted to Permanent Lemon Yellow (Rembrandt], it's a bright lemon yellow. Makes good greens with just about anything.

Burnt Sienna is not Transparent Red Oxide. It is Sienna that has been heated. Transparent Red Oxide is a man-altered iron oxide; it may be just a mix of Blanc Fixe or Alumina Hydrate with a Mars colour.

I was always taught that it is better to mix any Umber (yellow,blue,red as you wish); the Manganese Dioxide in the Umber is a pronounced drier, but without the positive traits of Lead White.

What you maybe searching for is very clean colours.

If you can find it, Irgazine Red is a cleaner red than Cadmium Red. It is expensive. I use Irgazine Scarlet, but that has to be hand-mulled.

Peggy,

I have never used pure Titanium Dioxide White. It must be an experience.

[Peggy Baumgaertner]

Kim,

Titanium white is warm, full bodied, and delicious (sort of like English beer....). I can't imagine being able to lay in a nice impasto without it. In the soup of a freshly painted nose, for example, the titanium highlight will set right up on top, pristine and pure, not disappearing into the soup an hour after it is placed. I sculpt and model with my paint, and I control the body by the consistency of the titanium white that I use. Rembrandt has an oilier content, and Yarka has a thicker body. My favorite is W/N.

Permalba, by comparison, is thinner, cool, and oily. You can't sculpt Permalba up into lovely thick impastos.

You should give titanium a try! I like a paint that stands up to the plate and gets the job done.

Peggy

[Marvin Mattelson]

Minh,

The palette you are using is an adaptation of the palette taught to the books author by the legendary teacher Frank Reilly. I studied with John Murray an ex Reilly student for 10 years. The palette is based on the Munsell color wheel, which has been scientifically proven to be the most accurate and is THE industry standard for color measurement. (note: yellow and purple are not compliments, yellow and blue-purple are)

The only difference is how the nine value steps between black and white are calculated.

Reilly used nine steps between black and white pigment as his basis, while Munsell used a theoretical black and white since he was categorizing color not limited to pigments.

The concept of the Reilly palette is to have the ability to mix the greatest range of colors using the least amount of pigments. However in some instances (ex. bright magenta) this isn't possible and you need to add other colors.

That said Rembrandt used a yellow, a red, black and white with not too shabby results. But we wouldn't call him a great colorist, would we?

I try to use the least number of pigments as possible without sacrificing my end result. Unity is more easily achieved with fewer colors. I only keep the appropriate amount of colors on my palette for the painting I am currently working on.

That being said, as a beginner you should definitely limit your colors and concentrate on form and modeling. Don't get hung up on color at this point (repeat after me: Rembrandt used four colors!) Color may be the most obvious aspect when viewing a painting but it's by far the least important. Sez me!!!

[Minh Thong]

Thanks for all the replies, everybody. It's very helpful.

Mr. Mattelson,

I started out with six colors (split primary), and when I actually painted I used less than that. But when I got the Faragasso text and started doing all the exercises, I decided to buy exactly what was specified. So now, I've been practicing mixing the nine neutral grays, mixing the ten-color Munsel wheel and creating nine values of each of those colors, and making chroma swatches of each hue. I've got enough homemade color charts laying around to paper the White House

Now that I have a little better handle on color, I want to reduce the number of paint tubes, yet still be able to make all the Reilly charts. Unfortunately, I've found some rather unique pigements in my Rembrandt paint. Like PR101 for Raw Sienna and Burnt Umber, PR254 for the Madder Deep, and a couple others. I was just curious. I'm probably going to replace the Rembrandt earth colors with Old Holland, I love the rest of the set though.

Thanks again,
Minh

[Khaimraj Seepersad]

I can't imagine being able to lay in a nice impasto without it. In the soup of a freshly painted nose, for example, the titanium highlight will set right up on top, pristine and pure, not disappearing into the soup an hour after it is placed.

Peggy,

You have given me the answer to something I have been trying to figure out. Now, let's see if I can make use of it. Thanks a million.

[Peggy Baumgaertner]

Kim,

Let me know how it works for you! I'd love to see what you are doing...

Peggy