I have been a little vague in recent months about the colours in my palette, mainly because I haven’t had a chance to decide whether the colours I was testing out were staying or not, and also, I simply didn’t have the time to sit down and list them.

Well, this afternoon I finally got around to cleaning up and topping up my palette – a necessity as I am heading to Tasmania shortly for a 3 day workshop. So while all the tubes were out and I was cleaning my palette I thought it would be a good a chance to record what is in my kit at the moment. 

Please note: this might change and chances are it will change within a month or two of my listing all my current colours! It normally happens that way, as soon as I put a line in the sand I shift it!

Here is a large version (click to see larger). As I had made a few minor tweaks based on colour in the last 6 months, I hadn’t checked the pigments for a while so I had a few surprises. How did I not know that SCH Trans Orange and DS Transparent Pyrrol Orange are the same pigment? Also DS Sap green being Quin Gold and Pthalo Green was a big click moment – of course that is exactly what the colour is like! This isn’t a ‘locked in’ colour and neither is Naples Yellow which is currently occupying my 16th ‘fad’ colour spot.

Listing (if you can’t read my handwriting)
DS= Daniel Smith WN = Winsor Newton SCH = Schmincke

I am also listing them as I think of them from right to left (as I am a leftie) so please excuse that this list doesn’t relate to the way you are probably read the above image!

DS Hansa Yellow Medium – PY97
DS Transparent Pyrrol Orange – PO71
SCH Translucent Orange – PO71
WN Potters Pink – PR233
DS Quinacridone Rose – PV19
DS Ultramarine Blue (not French! – PB29
DS Cerulean Blue Chromium – PB36
PS  Indanthrone Blue – PB60
WN Cobalt Turquoise Light – PG50
DS Buff Titanium – PW6
WN Naples Yellow – PW6 PBr24
DS  Quinacridone Gold – PO49
DS Monte Amiata Natural Sienna – PBr7
DS Transparent Red Oxide  – PR101
DS Van Dyke Brown – PBr7
Steels Grey III (a pre mix of WN Cobalt Deep Blue with a little DS Quin Burnt Orange and a touch of DS Quin Rose)

Final BIG note: This is my personal palette (and subject to change…. I know I have already said that). It suits me and the way I like to work, so the chances are that this exact selection of 16 colours will not suit everyone…. perhaps it will suit no one else!

Please refer to all my notes in this post for some important thoughts about choosing paints for your palette.

One final note (really final this time): this is practically the same palette I have been using for the last 2.5 years just with a few minor tweaks – Sch T Orange, Sap Green and the Naples Yellow are the new colours. The principles behind my 12 colour palette are still all current and part of this set.