Palette Series: Monochrome

Colors:

• Winsor and Newton white gouache

• Grumbacher Chinese white

• Winsor and Newton Cotman sepia

• Winsor and Newton Cotman Payne's grey

• Winsor and Newton Cotman lamp black

• Grumbacher ivory black

Pros:

We always recommend to go back to the very basics of art, one key component of which is black and white illustrations which, by definition is monochromatic grey shades. This helps us focus on the differences between light and shadow, helping create the much needed contrast when color isn't there to do it for us. The absence of color also encourages us to make less decisions about the hues we are laying down. Especially for a plein air palette, the less decisions we need to make, the better! (This is the same reason why we also encourage limited palette of colors.)

Cons:

Implementing this specific set into active use proved to fall short in certain areas. Sepia provides a warm shadow, however there are no cool shadows available to complement it; we will remedy this with Winsor and Newton's indigo in the near future by trading it for Grumbacher's ivory - no need to have two black hues. An intermediate grey shade is also missing, so we plan on switching our existing Grumbacher's Chinese white, with Winsor and Newton's Davy grey - again no need for two whites, where gouache will allow for a more rounded out palette.

Final Thoughts

It can use work, but has potential to be corrected and improved. Overall it is a great palette for beginners to professionals: we believe it is important to continuously revisit the basics; and it will give great pops to your piece.

For more information about pallets, or if you would like to request a commissioned piece, please contact us directly, or view our blog posts on color theory or "Services" tab, respectively.

Happy painting,

Viktoria