I have been teaching watercolor painting for nearly 20 years and I have long noticed the similarities between ones palette and the finished painting. If someone has what I call a wimpy palette (small amounts of pigment with lots of water) their painting will usually be similar with watery colors and a poor value range. A dirty palette usually results in muddied colors or more neutral (grayish brown) colors. A palette with a narrow range of colors will usually result in a painting with a narrow range of colors. For example, a palette for a painting of a forest scene with one or two greens will result in a painting with a limited range of greens – not the many varied greens one sees in nature. As I walk around my painting classes I usually can predict what a person’s painting will be like by looking first at their palette. It is uncanny how your palette predicts your painting. To help your chances to achieve a better painting, follow this advice: Always mix up your color palette before you start painting. You then have one less thing to think about during the painting process – what colors you are going to use. Use ample amounts of pigment with just enough water to liquidize the paste. You can always add more water for a lighter hue later but it is impossible to get a good rich color from a watery puddle if you use too much water to mix your colors from the start. Mix at least 3 values (light, medium and dark) for every color you plan to use in the painting. You then have the value range you need to create interest, variety and depth in your work. I always start a new painting with a clean palette and squeeze fresh paint straight from the tubes onto the palette. You are starting with clean paint this way and you will have purer color on your paper. I don’t use the wells at the side of the palette because the paint in these wells quickly becomes contaminated with other paints, dust, dirt, insects and what not. When it dries it becomes like “cake” paints and I find it hard to mix good rich puddles of color from cake paints. Try this and see how you like it. I think you will be surprised by the results and will see an immediate difference in your watercolor paintings. Happy painting!
As The Palette Goes, So Goes The Painting
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