A Limited Palette of 6 Colors

Hi, I have about six colors on my palette. They are titanium white, ivory black, ultramarine blue, oxide red, lemon yellow and cadmium orange. This palette is a result of many trials and errors. I do not proclaim any magic to it. But they have served me well. I use them for just about any genre in my paintings.

One of the things I always do before I go about painting is to premix the colors on a strip of paper. I do not want to copy the exact colors in front of me or from the photographs. By premixing the colors, I got to play with the idea what the overall color scheme could be like, the value range, etc. It serves a guideline before I start to paint. I feel that I have more control of what I want from colors. Then I am left to concentrate more on composition and value during the painting process, instead of second guessing colors. Even though I have only 6 colors, I can mix a lot of colors. But to make them work together, I prefer to premix the colors and determine how different color mixtures work together first. I guess that has to be my personality but it works for many years.