Further Information
This section gives you some useful information on building your colour palettes with Artists' Soft Pastels.
You can see all the individual colours available by clicking on our colour chart.
Basic Palette
Your initial Artists' Soft Pastel basic palette needs to represent colours from across the spectrum and have a selection of both strong and pale tints. An assortment of 24 colours will get you started. More colours and tints can be added later for different styles and subjects. A recommended basic palette could include the following colours:
Winsor Lemon Tint 4, Winsor Yellow Tint 4, Winsor Yellow Deep Tint 4, Winsor Red Tint 4, Permanent Alizarin Crimson Tint 3, Quinacridone Magenta Tint 4, French Ultramarine Tint 4, Indanthrene Blue Tint 5, Cobalt Blue Hue Tint 2, Winsor Blue Red Shade Tint 3, Permanent Green Tint 2, Hooker's Green Tint 4, Oxide of Chromium Tint 1, Permanent Sap Green Tint 1, Olive Green Tint 5, Yellow Ochre Tint 1 and 4, Burnt Sienna Tint 1 and 4, Burnt Umber Tint 3, Raw Umber Tint 5, Davy's Gray Tint 1, Ivory Black, Titanium White.
Using All The Tints of One Colour
As your palette expands and you settle on favourite colours you'll find having all five tints of one colour will be useful. All tints of French Ultramarine for example for skies or Oxide of Chromium for landscapes. The lower tints for the highlights and the higher tints for the shadows.
Colours for Particular Techniques
As pastels cannot be mixed in the same way as paints, there is a greater need for additional colours for different techniques. Remember to make up a hand made chart of your palette as you purchase new colours. This reference will be indispensable for matching colours as you're working. In the following sections the tint numbers are abbreviated, eg. T5 is Tint 5.
Here are some basic palettes for popular techniques:
Landscape Painting
In additon to the basic palette below for landscape, yellows, blues, greens and earth colours are endlessly useful. A basic palette could contain:
Winsor Lemon T4, Winsor Yellow T5, T3, Winsor Red T3, French Ultramarine T3, Cobalt Blue Hue T4, T3, T2, Winsor Blue (Red Shade) T3, T2, T1, Winsor Green (Blue Shade) T4, Permanent Green T2, Hooker's Green T4, Oxide of Chromium T1, Green Earth T4, T3, T2, Permanent Sap Green T4, T3, T1, Olive Green T5, Green Ochre T3, Yellow Ochre T4, T1, Raw Sienna T4, Gold Ochre T2, T1, Burnt Sienna T4, T1, Indian Red T5, T3, T2, Caput Mortuum T2, Burnt Umber T4, T3, Raw Umber T5, Payne's Gray T1, Davy's Gray T5, T2, Ivory Black, Titanium White.
Portrait Painting
Portraiture needs that spark of life and character; clean, crisp colours and tints will achieve these. Pinks, violets and earth colours make the subtle tones required for portraits. Basic portrait palette colours are:
Winsor Lemon T1, Winsor Yellow T3, Winsor Red T3, T1, Permanent Alizarin Crimson T3, T1, Permanent Rose T1, Quinacridone Magenta T3, T2, T1, Ultramarine Violet T4, T3, T2, Cobalt Blue Hue T5, T2, Permanent Green T2, Oxide of Chromium T5, T1, Permanent Sap Green T3, Yellow Ochre T5 - T1, Raw Sienna T4, Gold Ochre T2, Burnt Sienna T4, T2, T1, Indian Red T3, T1, Caput Mortuum T2, Burnt Umber T4, T3, T2, T1, Raw Umber T5, T4, T1, Davy's Gray T5, T1, Ivory Black, Titanium White.
Flower Painting
Flower painters often have a high key palette of full strength pastels. A basic palette could contain:
Winsor Lemon T4, Winsor Yellow T4, T3, Winsor Orange T4, Winsor Red T4, Permanent Alizarin Crimson T4, Permanent Rose T4, Quinacridone Magenta T4, Winsor Violet T4, French Ultramarine T4, Winsor Blue (Red Shade) T3, Cerulean Blue Hue T4, Winsor Green (Blue Shade) T3, Winsor Green (Yellow Shade) T4, T3.
Animal Studies
Earth colours are favourites for animal tones;
Yellow Ochre T5 - T1, Raw Sienna T5 - T1, Burnt Sienna T5, T3, T2, Indian Red T5, T4, T3, Caput Mortuum T5 - T1, Burnt Umber T5 - T3, Raw Umber T5 - T1, Ivory Black, Lamp Black, Charcoal Grey, Titanium White, Zinc White.
Seascape Painting
Blues, greens, ochres and greys are the common colours for the sand, sea and sky of a seascape;
Quinacridone Violet T5, French Ultramarine T5, Indanthrene Blue T5 - T1, Cobalt Blue Hue T4, Winsor Blue (Red Shade) T5, T4, Winsor Green (Blue Shade) T5, T4, Winsor Green (Yellow Shade) T2, Hooker's Green T5, Oxide of Chromium T5, Olive Green T3, T1, Yellow Ochre T5, T4, T1, Raw Sienna T5 - T1, Gold Ochre T4, T3, Burnt Sienna T5, T4, Burnt Umber T5, Raw Umber T3, T1, Davy's Gray T5, T3, T2.
Buildings
City scapes need blues, greys, browns and reds and tend to be rather equal in tone. Country buildings use more ochres and are a little lighter in tone. Here are some basic colours;
Winsor Red Deep T5, Permanent Alizarin Crimson T5, French Ultramarine T5, T2, Indanthrene Blue T5, T2, Olive Green T3, Yellow Ochre T5, Raw Sienna T5, T4, T3, Gold Ochre T5, Burnt Sienna T5, T4, Indian Red T5, T4, T3, Burnt Umber T5, T4, Raw Umber T5 - T1, Payne's Gray T5 - T1, Davy's Gray T5 - T1, Charcoal Grey.
High Key (Bright) Colour
These are generally the Tint 4 colours. High key palettes are popular with impressionist styles, flowers and for more abstract effects in pastels;
Winsor Lemon T4, Winsor Yellow T4, T3, Winsor Yellow Deep T4, T3, Winsor Orange T4, Scarlet Lake T4, Winsor Red T4, Permanent Rose T5, T4, Quinacridone Violet T3, Winsor Violet T3, Cobalt Blue Hue T4, Winsor Blue (Red Shade) T4, T3, Cerulean Blue Hue T4, T3, T2, Winsor Turquoise T4, Winsor Green (Blue Shade) T4, Winsor Green (Yellow Shade) T4, Permanent Green T4, Permanent Green Light T4, T3, T2, Burnt Sienna T4, Titanium White.
Low Key (Subdued) Colours
These are generally earths, greens and greys. Tint 1's and Tint 2's are usually low key and the Tint 5's in some cases too;
Winsor Lemon T1, Winsor Orange T5, T1, Winsor Red T1, Permanent Rose T1, Quinacridone Magenta T1, Ultramarine Violet T3, T2, T1, French Ultramarine T2, T1, Indanthrene Blue T5, Winsor Turquoise T1, Oxide of Chromium T5 - T1, Green Earth T5 - T1, Permanent Sap Green T2, T1, Olive Green T5, T3, T2, T1, Green Ochre T5 -T1, Yellow Ochre T5, T2, T1, Gold Ochre T4, T2, T1, Burnt Sienna T2, T1, Indian Red T5 -T1, Caput Mortuum T5 - T1, Burnt Umber T5 - T1, Raw Umber T5 - T1, Payne's Gray T5 - T1, Davy's Gray T5 - T1, Ivory Black, Lamp Black, Charcoal Grey, Zinc White.
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