Boatless
Posted: March 7, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized 10 CommentsI love working with limited palettes. Today I tried a new one: Cadmium Orange, Ultramarine Blue and Rose Madder. Anything in the cadmium family is quite opaque (I mostly use transparent pigments) and needs to be used in small quantities otherwise it will dull and flatten a wash. But I do love the grays you get my mixing the orange and the blue. Too much orange makes it go green but a little dab of it in a blue wash will give you a wonderful warmish neutral. And if you want to cool it, like in the distant hills, just add a tiny drop of the red.
glad you didn’t drop through the ice
palette noted on the SB page of my notebook – this is very informative. I was confused as I was thinking red,yellow, blue, as primaries but when I looked at the sketch I understood that the cadmium orange (which is close to ochre) is very yellow
The other revelation is how you mixed both warm and cold greys ( the cold being near black) from the limited palette
it’s all a tad overwhelming…this is like grade 10 chemistry!
John, I was so bad in grade 10 Chemistry. Even worse in Physics. But with practice I am getting the colour thing.
I’m glad I didn’t drop through the ice. Actually, I was in my car, but there were some guys walking out there — something I wouldn’t do in March because last week I saw some areas starting to thaw.
gorgeous sketch! I love limited palettes, too. I’m working in oils, but as glazes, so it is a bit like watercolor in some ways. I may try this palette… the grays are lovely.
Anita, I have never worked in oils (although one day I hope to try) so I don’t know how the glazes work but you are certain to get wonderful grays with this. Of course, you have the benefit of being able to add white so that will give you even more range.
thanks so much for the information. I have tried watercolor and I think it is the most difficult medium. Oil is easier for me because I am always changing things as I go along. Your work is very lively and confident and I like how you can make a composition out of just about anything.
Anita, I just had a look at your work. It is incredible. You have an amazing sense of colour and composition. I love the whole series of small paintings especially Untitled (Sunny Field), Pond study and Wetland study. I loved seeing your limited palettes too. Glad you commented here so I could see what you do.
Lovely.
I loathe the cadmium colours myself, and three of them in the “recommended” beginner’s set put me off watercolours for years… Happily there are alternatives 🙂
I agree. Especially cadmium red. I always have it in my palette because I feel I need it but whenever I use it, the surface of my paper becomes dead, dead.
Shari, thanks so much for visiting my blog and for your lovely comments.
Beautiful. I have photographed a similar scene near my house many times, there is something about those minimal forms that are so interesting. Love the colour palette.