Watercolor Discovery Part 1: How to Set Up Your Palette

Watercolor Discovery Part 1:  How to Set Up Your Palette

There is nothing more important to a painter than to know your materials like the back of your hand.  In doing so, when you sit down to paint your masterpiece you can allocate all your attention to your creative process without the distraction of wondering how to mix this or that color.  In order to know your paints, you must lay them onto your palette with forethought.  If you invest the time to understand your paint, you will avoid pitfalls such as muddy color and non-harmonious colors.  Knowledge is power.  By knowing your paint, you will gain advantages such as being able to lift paint off the paper to create highlights because you will know which pigments will lift and which will not lift because they stain the paper.  Ideally, it is helpful to learn your colors so well that you know how to mix and match any color you could ever need.

If you haven’t yet set up your palette, give some thought to how you wish to lay out your colors.  One of the best methods of organizing your palette has been developed by Stephen Quiller.  His book “Color Choices” is a comprehensive study of watermedia color theory.  Equally as helpful, he has produced the Quiller Color Wheel, available at most Art Supply stores and online retailers.  The Quiller Color Wheel is an ideal map to follow when laying out your palette.  This way you will discover a system to mix your colors and achieve predictable results.  Steve has spent an entire career building on valuable historical color theory research, and if you begin your watercolor research with this foundation of knowledge and expertise, you are starting with the best.

While you attempt to make a decision where to place your colors on your palette, lay the tubes into the paint tray. Since it is important to learn the names of your colors it is important to label the colors on your palette once you’ve made your final placement decision.  With professional quality art materials, there is an industry standard by which most colors are named.  Cobalt Blue is Cobalt Blue, no matter who the manufactures is.  One exception to this rule: the group of “phthalo” (or phthalocyanine) colors, usually phthalo green and phthalo blue.  These colors--extremely bright, staining colors--are often identified by the manufacturer’s name.  In other words, you will find them labeled “Richeson Blue” or “Winsor Newton Green.”

At this point, once you are certain about the placement of colors on your palette, write the names of the colors onto the palette with a permanent fine-tip marker so that you can read the name of the paint once the palette is filled with paint. 

It is now time to fill your palette by putting a generous amount of paint in each compartment.  Your palette will remain wet for a day or two, but will gradually harden.  One terrific aspect of watercolor is how transportable it is.  The palette will dry overnight, yet you can easily reconstitute it with a drop or squirt of water whenever you have the opportunity to paint.

Coming up:  Part 2 Watercolor Discovery: Learn Your Colors