Colour Theories: The 6 Colour Palette

Last week, I talked about getting carried away with colour, and failing to work with a plan.

This week, I’m focusing on a new piece where I did have a plan.

This time, I planned a strict 6 colour palette: cadmium yellow, burnt sienna, cadmium orange, ultramarine blue, Indian red and burnt umber.

The result is a harmonious little painting that (quality of camera aside) has subtle, changing hues and a soft pastel tone throughout. It feels like a frosty early morning scene, even though there’s no hint of sky, or even any real background cementing this horse into a setting.

Serenity, 2016

Limiting the colour palette allowed me to think about the colours as I was adding them, and pasting them on like cake icing is always liberating.

What are your personal colour theories? What works best for you, limiting, or expanding your palette?

#painting #colourtheories #horsepainting #horseart #inspiration #ArtDiaries #paintingprocess