What is a limited color palette? A limited color palette is when an artist chooses only a few colors, (usually the 3 primary colours and white), to use in their painting. In this article, we'll discuss the benefits of using a limited color palette for your artwork.
1. What is a Limited Painting Color Palette?
A limited color palette is when an artist uses only a few colors – usually the three primary colours and white – to use in their painting. Typically, these 3 colors will form a triad around a colour wheel so that you have both some warm and cool colours to use. This type of palette restricts an artist's options for creating visual depth and interest in their work. It also allows for more control over the intensity and saturation of each color.
2. The Benefits of a Limited Painting Color Palette
There are many benefits to using a limited color palette in your artwork. One of the most beneficial reasons is that it can help to create a more unified oil painting with your colors. Limiting your colors and mixing them to create a wider range of color gives you a smaller span of options from which to choose so you can focus on finishing the painting quickly with what you have.
3. How to Choose a Limited Painting Colour Palette
There are several different colours which you can choose from in your limited palette, or you can experiment with creating your own! While most palettes use just three colours plus white, you can always broaden your spectrum to a full palette again if you wish. Here are a few popular limited palettes:
Famous Limited Palettes:
Standard Limited Palette: Cadmium red light, Cadmium Yellow light, French Ultramarine Blue
Darker Limited Palette: Alizarin Crimson, Yellow Ochre, Ultramarine Blue Deep
Muted Limited Palette: Alizarin Crimson, Indian Yellow, Prussian Blue
Zorn Palette: Cadmium Red, Yellow Ochre, Ivory Black
Other color options: Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna, Cadmium Orange, Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue, Winsor red, and Flake white
4. Tips for Using a Limited Painting Colour Palette
Using a limited color palette can be helpful in many ways. After you've chosen which limited palette you're going to use, it's time to start painting! Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:
Only have your limited colors on your palette. You want to avoid getting other colors mixed in by accident.
Try experimenting with mixing your colors to see how wide of a color range you can achieve.
Try not to use too much of the same color. If one color is used too much or in an inconsistent way, it can confuse or distract from the scene you're creating.
If you need a more saturated color than what you have mixed, you have two options: stick with your very limited palette and settle for a less saturated color, or add an additional color in small quantities until you get the color you're looking for.
Remember, the more you mix, the less saturated your color becomes.
Be mindful of how your paintings look when viewed in different light conditions. Using a limited color palette can make your painting appear very differently when viewed in warm, indoor lighting or cool, outdoor lighting.
5. Which Artists Use a Limited Palette?
Many artists have used the limited palette technique in oil paintings and other mediums throughout history. Here are some of the most famous artists who have used a limited color palette:
Anders Zorn palette is well known for only using limited colors in his portrait painting. His palette consisted of Cadmium Red, Yellow Ochre, Ivory Black, and White.
Johannes Vermeer is known for his masterful use of light and color in his paintings. Vermeer's limited palette consisted of a darker red, Indian or yellow ochre, blue, and white.
Salvador Dali used a limited oil paint color palette in his scenes of surrealistic landscape painting.
Claude Monet used red, brown, yellow and green in many of his outdoor scenes.
Titian (Tiziano Vecelli) was a famous painter of the Renaissance that used Titanium White, Venetian Red, Mars Black, and Yellow Ochre.
Many modern-day artists have also used limited palettes at some point in their careers because it is such a beneficial method for creating efficient and unified paintings.
Conclusion:
Whether you're painting a Still Life, portrait, Plein Air landscape, or other scene, a limited color palette is an effective way to ensure that your artwork looks cohesive and balanced. By choosing the right colors and sticking to them, you can create a unified piece of art and learn a lot about color in the process!
