Building a Limited Watercolor Palette! DIY Tiny Palette

My Shop: www.arleebean.com/
Jenny's channel: / jennygranberry
MATERIALS*
Sennelier 98 Color Set: bit.ly/2N7bAa4
Colors I used for my piece:
- Raw Sienna
- Venetian Red
- Van Dyke Brown
- Ultramarine Deep
Blick Premiere Hot Press Block: bit.ly/2B6XEew
Adagio (tea):
Prima Marketing "Decadent Pies" Set: amzn.to/2AbpELV
Daniel Smith Essentials Set: amzn.to/2xfh3UJ
Portable Painter Palette: amzn.to/2mBfyfj
Calligraphy Brush Set (final piece): bit.ly/2w5UYIn
Calligraphy Brush Set (swatches and color wheels): bit.ly/2OxGvfX
*I am an Amazon and Blick Affiliate, and purchasing ANY items using these links will benefit me at no addition cost to you! ♥ Thanks for supporting this channel.
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Check out my watercolor and anatomy classes and try Skillshare free for two months: skl.sh/2h3kmHW
Let's connect!
Instagram: / arleebean
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(See the things I'm interested in currently. You might enjoy them for yourself, or it's a good way to gift something to me if you've ever wanted to do that. Please don't feel obligated to do that at all, however. ♥)
MUSIC PO Box:
Arleesha Yetzer
PO Box 363
Bethel, PA 19507
United States

[@JennyGranberry]

AHHHH Thanks for the shout out! I was just watching while eating lunch and then I was like OMG SHE MENTIONED ME!!! and made my coworkers watch. Thanks!

[@MeowMeowKapow]

Lol, me when I got my first mention from a channel I really like, too. =>.

[@DrPhilologist]

It is actually not wrong at all. Colour temperature is greatly a matter of perception. For many people ultramarine is the percieved cool blue and phthalo is the warm one. Oil painter and youtuber Jason Walcott (a very knowledgeable person and great artist) has discussed about this in many of his videos. This makes great sense since blue stands across orange which is the warmest colour (instead of red, as many people assume). To me, the coolest blue is true blue (cobalt maybe) while red and green blues feel equally warm/cool.

[@InLiquidColor]

DrPhilologist indeed this is a hotly debated topic, Arleesha! I always learned that ultramarine was warm and phthalo blue was cool, and while that still feels right to me and my logic, I know there are some people who precieve them differently! I think it has to do with people think of the color spectrum, rather than a wheel, with violet being on the far end. But to me in my head purple will always be warmer than green on the whole so that's how I break it up :) But you're definitely not "wrong"!

[@DrPhilologist]

In Liquid Color That's right. Regarding the spectrum, think about - let's say - dioxazine purple and phthalo green yellow shade. Isn't it harder to co-locate them temperature-wise?

[@arleebean]

I've wondered about these very things myself! Thanks so much for the insight, guys. It's really, really helpful.

[@grannysmithart]

DrPhilologist -after teaching split primary palette for years, i find the terms ‘warm’ and ‘cool’ confuse about half my students; so i also use the terms ‘color-bias’ (such as this red has a yellow color-bias, so it is called a warm red). one would think this an easy concept, but turns out not to be, no matter how important. gorgeous horse painting :)

[@waymire01]

The issue here is you are confusing visual color temperature with location on a spectragraph which influences the mixing ability of any two pigments and how they relate to each other. If you wish to create colors, you have to understand where they fit in relation to each other. Ultramarine is considered warm based of it's relation to red, not because of what it looks like to an individual. As her "backwards" color wheels showed... they are not interchangeable.

[@xoxrockxisxlovexox]

From what I've heard from other artists, that dissatisfaction comes from the fact that your ability to "see" your art compared to reality is growing faster than your ability to actually put down the lines, so it just looks wrong because even though your hands are telling you this is how you've usually done it, your eyes are telling you that that isn't what you were trying to do. It's competely normal (albeit frustrating) and a sign of growth!! Keep working through it and I'm sure your art will be even better! I love this artwork by the way, the flow of the tilt of the horse's head with the mane is just so peaceful, I can just feel the wind blowing through it's hair. I really also love how the colors work with this one. Its so unified and the cooler earthen pallete really drives home that autumn-y feel. I'm really glad a larger channel is giving Jenny some much needed recognition!! She's so sweet and funny, I really love her videos and am so happy that others are finding her as well.

[@livialimaastrologia]

First of all, WOW to your horse!!! I absolutely love how delicate it turned out!!! I'm beginning to paint more and decided to improve my materials, but I don't have much money right now, so I just invested on a good cottom paper and 5 tubes of paint: lemon yellow, ultramarine, madder lake, burnt umber and payne's grey. But I'm fancing the idea of later buying more warm/cool tones of the primaries I just bought.

[@anmolmalik196]

Your channel needs soooooo much more appreciation!

[@arleebean]

That's so kind, thank you!! I greatly appreciate YOUR appreciation :D

[@fr7115]

Glad I'm not the only one, I always get my warm and cool blues mixed up. (But I think our initial perception makes more sense.)

[@InLiquidColor]

I flipping love horses so I was so excited to see this from you! This portrait is so lovely and I personally can't wait to see more animals from you, if you want to do them that is 😁 I wish you all the best in getting back into your groove.

[@arleebean]

Oh, I definitely want to do more animals. :D Thanks so much, Denise. ♥♥

[@VioletGlitterworks]

I’m absolutely in LOVE with your resulting painting!!😍👌🏻✨ I really love how majestic your horse turned out and the autumn leaves give him such a magical/enchanted feeling! 🤩👏🏻 I also really love the little loose leaf tins like that for watercolor palettes! I always remove the sticker art on the front though so I can use the lid for a mixing surface on the go.😉🎨💜 I have a limited palette of neon colors with a neutral tint to create vibrant jewel tones for painting in my sketchbook. I really enjoy it because bright colors are my jam but also moody colors. Lol!🤷🏻‍♀️

[@VioletGlitterworks]

Lol! Did I seriously just rewatch a 3year old video and comment on it right above my own comment that I didn’t notice!?!?😭😵‍💫 Lord I need some coffee! 🙃

[@adampacher9285]

Awesome! I hope we'll see more animal portraits from you from time to time

[@nikita7804]

I think the horse is beautiful.

[@nessapainter]

Lovely horse, lovely neutrals! Keep at it !

[@ms.pirate]

OH I LOVE YOUR HORSE PAINTING!!!

[@roselynbaruch3697]

Love your colours, just bought Venetian red and I am inspired!! Horses are my favourite too Thank you so much 💖

[@racheldurkincachero1332]

This painting is absolutely beautiful! I love the way it’s powerful and soft at the same time. Also thanks for reminding me that I really need to experiment with different color groupings instead of always grabbing the usual suspects.

[@JennyGranberry]

Aw man, getting my rights and lefts mixed up is the source of all car directional fights with my husband! Also the blues are easy to get mixed up!

[@debl3063]

All blues look cool to me.

[@Sandrinesgallery]

What a beautiful painting!

[@joeyduprey1424]

All of your videos are awesome and genuinely inspire me!💖

[@FarlyCreates]

I feel like whenever I get antsy or am no longer satisfied with my style or level of technique it’s right before a huge growth spurt. This sounds familiar and like there will be slight (or large) tweaks to your style and/or subject matter. This is natural and you’re definitely not alone! I love the idea of a smaller color palette. May need to play around with this concept!

[@EveBolt]

Hi Arleesha! :) The only way I can keep in mind which blue is cool and which is warm is by remembering that the coolest color in terms of chroma is teal, and greenish blues are closer to teals than reddish blues. I was really confused at first by the fact that greenish blues are cooler as they have a warmer connotation in my mind, but in terms of color mixing, it's actually the cool blue. I hope this is not confusing :) The horse painting turned out gorgeous! I love the brushes you use :)

[@arleebean]

Thank you, Eve!! That is a really helpful way to think about those blues!! Always trying to confuse me ;-; And I really love using those brushes too! I forget how much they influence my workflow until I try using something else!

[@sylviastone6612]

That horse made me subscribe!

[@abby_salamander]

I just made three limited palettes! One with the Daniel Smith primary set(red, yellow, blue), one with seven color made of the earthiest darkest primary set and then the brightest set from ShinHan, and lastly I made one with ten colors of some Winsor and Newton Cotman and Shinhan

[@nessapainter]

I also find utlra marine to be far more cool (merging into the cool reds) and pthalo blue to be warmer ( merging into the green and then yellows) I've been paintng and teaching for over 50 years (in different media) . The heck with some experts claim. It works wonderfully for mixing clean colors, rather than toned ( greyed) down ones. Trust your eyes and see how they mix!! Your intuition is right on. The opposite way tends toward neutrals, which are lovely in themselves, but I seem to prefer a spectrum color wheel. I love the Daniel Smith Essentials too. They are fabulous primary warms and cools. An excellent basic choice.

[@sea5205]

Next time I’m asked to describe a horse I’m gonna say “huge, angular, majestic, flowing solid creatures”

[@dominika576]

Absolutely stunning!!!!! 🤩

[@Fatima-rs6bv]

The horse is so pretty!! The 4 color pallete is absolutely beautiful!!!

[@DennisCNolasco]

I love working with limited palettes. Although it limits you, it is enabling of one’s creativity 🎨

[@MarcosG000]

You are not alone in that blue struggle lol For my brain ultramarine blue is cooler than phtalo blue, and I'm always super confused by this. In fact there's a lot of controversy with this topic in the art community...

[@eubudao]

I just loved! You’re so talented!!! Congrats ✨

[@vigtoria8123]

That horse painting is beautiful

[@leah-halliwell9272]

Love the earthy colors and the majestic beauty of the model. Are you going to test drawing more animals???

[@arleebean]

Thank you!! Yes, II definitely want to keep practicing with animals :]

[@WindspielArt]

Love your horse painting! And I could recognize your "subject" instantly when you showed your drawing and startet painting

[@waymire01]

I find almost any combination of colors work, as long as you have either a trio (red, blue, yellow.. ish), or a complementary duo.. and the values are similar so they can mix with some effectiveness.. it's really hard to pair a super soft and weak color like rose dore with a super deep or vibrant one like phthalo blue or prussian for example. I prefer at least four shades.. with burnt sienna or burnt umber as my fourth so it gives much easier browns and greys paired with the blue... but basically any "orange" earth tone works, again complementary in value to the primaries selected. You can also go with a green which give a similar function paired with the red. Or get crazy and do both. Any more paints added and you might as well just do the split primary with burnt sienna, which is a seven paint palette that can do almost anything (except pastels) with a 2-3 pigment blend max.

[@soon_to_emerge]

Lol same with blues. I always have to remind myself that ultramarine is warm, while my brain thinks it's cool. I just put my warm blue right beside reds, and cool blue is in another spot, somewhere in the other row. It helps me to associate blues with temperature of nearest colours.

[@twiggalina]

Great video and a beautiful painting!

[@BaysideCreativeMedia]

Your horse is magnificent! I love this new direction!

[@BarbaraMooreTarot]

Your horse is gorgeous. I love the loose effect in combination with some very elegant lines. I adore limited palettes...I first started exploring them in earnest after your skill share class on portraits. Your channel and work are that lovely combo of inspiring and practical. Thank you for your generous sharing.

[@geckonia]

Love how you ‘put it out there’ and oh yeah I am dyslexic when it comes to blue too.

[@lindathaxton1994]

Beautiful - thank you for sharing

[@bananna3764]

I call that rut face block. I’ve had it two times before and both times I got out of it by taking a break from faces and coming back a couple days later and then doing a lot of face drawings to get back into the forms and feel of making faces. Hope that helps👍

[@JoshuaBlunsh]

It's stunning to look how you draw that horse *__* Just beautiful!

[@zimrianispresent8123]

These little palettes are cute af man

[@moonangelful]

I heard somewhere that when you can't feel satisfied with what you do or feel like everything you draw is wrong, is because your art is actually evolving. So don't worry, you're already levelling up! :)

[@irinairinka6915]

Yes,I have a relatively limited pallete. it was because I only had money for a few colors,Van Gogh btw,and I know they aren't the best but where I live in stores that's the best quality I can get and I didn't want to order online. So, I got a Azzo yellow medium,a yellow that is pretty neutral,madder lake deep,again neutral to cool red, Payne's grey,sap green, permanent blue violet and Prussian blue. I wanted ultramarine,but they didn't have it in at the time,so I got burnt sienna. when I made the palette,because it was this fishing trinkets container which had eight slots so I had one blank. And instead of leaving it like that and waiting a few days before they got ultramarine, I filled it out with cerulian blue goauche! actually I don't regret it! cerulian blue was hand to have and not too opaque,and in the same slot I filled like a third with white gouache because I know I can use it for efects. IDK it works for me,and I am saving to get a better set,but in the man while this is good! As long as you don't use bad paper. I use Fabriano,300gr one in sheets. I like it.

[@MrsChuBell]

Hey thanks for the video, I loved the video and I’ve just recently subscribed. I’m starting to learn more about watercolour and I’m planning on getting the Daniel Smith colours soon so I’ll be working with a small palette and quite excited. I love your horse painting - horses are beautiful xx

[@WitchPixel]

Your horse is absolutely lovely! I love catching your livestreams when I'm painting

[@seededart9388]

Awesome video and beautiful artwork. I've only been playing with the kids Crayola watercolor set lololol. So this video was very informative for me when I upgrade to a more professional palette.

[@ramonavisconti674]

This makes me wanna see you doing a video about color theory! nice video

[@PensandPaint]

Love it. Thank you for sharing.

[@dreamsode]

I immediately knew what you were painting cause i love horses!

[@ergastiripetra1209]

my super small tin has : yellow lake (py150) ,burnt sienna, indigo + rose madder (or any other transparant cold red)

[@meldixon1918]

I personally don’t mind the subject matter change at all! Absolutely lovely 💜

[@meldixon1918]

Also Denise Soren always says she thinks warm and cool blues should be opposite and I agree.

[@sharonthibodeau4652]

Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed it.

[@arcuda2001]

Beautiful painting .. I really enjoyed watching this!! Thank you :-))

[@everartokelli]

Awesome video, fun triads! And quadriads! Mixing up cool and warm blues is inevitable, because we see yellow as warmer than red, and phthalo blue gs leans toward yellow and ultramarine leans more red. But we call ultramarine and other "warm" blues warm and "cool" blues cool because of how the color wheel is divided in color theory. And frankly all the colors mix well together depending on whether you want a bright or muted secondary color. I really like using a Velaquez triad palette with ultramarine, a yellow ochre/raw sienna, and burnt sienna/venetian red. I also want to try the Zorn palette that Sade from Sadie Save the Day has done a couple of videos on. I'm a long time fan of Jenny Granberry's blog and channel and how she uses watercolor for skintones in her awesome portraits--plus her channel is so fun!! I never know what to expect from her videos :) Good luck with your artistic growth, and thanks for sharing it with us.

[@spencerdeluce6742]

I actually just made my first tiny palette today! It’s not the MOST limited range, but I think it’ll really suit the kind of tone that I like to get. I like really bright punchy colours, so it’s Sennelier’s Opera rose, quinacridone gold, phthalocyanine turquoise, Payne’s gray, and then a little half pan of white gouache just for the option. I’ve really enjoyed the super rustic oranges I can get out of the opera rose and the quin gold, which really surprised me. Anyway, loved the video and the painting as always!

[@VioletGlitterworks]

I saw Jenny mention your video in her Instagram stories so I made my way over!!😉 I'm in love with this little limited palette!🎨 Thanks for sharing the tea tin idea too!!!💓 I really love the end result especially, since I'm partial to horses.😍👏🐎💕

[@nedned153]

Great video as usual ❤

[@fooledtook]

oh hey Bull! I am loving the Dragon Age references :) I find it so tricky to identify cool blues vs warm blues - they're so easy to get mixed up!

[@MissMarck]

Ahh so lovely! When I did my color chart recently, I felt like I finally understood the effect of cool vs warm blues. I kinda understood, but it's just so challenging to remember in the moment of painting! I think the art struggle you're talking about is like climbing to the top of a tree, and finally seeing beyond the forest... and seeing the mountain you have left to climb. It's a good thing that doesn't feel good in the moment. But I love this horse painting, and I think it's a sign of brilliance to come

[@marsbeads]

beautiful

[@FranciscaPires]

Hello :) I'm really happy to see you helping to spread the word with limited palettes! xD i love using just triads or at least a small selection of colours one of my favourite triads is Nickel Azo Yellow, Perylene Maroon and Cobalt Turquoise Light. a big hug, Fran

[@MeowMeowKapow]

Ooooo gurl, you know I’m on board where DIY palettes are concerned. The Daniel smith essentials set (and the sennelier test pack!) are my go-to sets when I recommend people try setting up small palettes. Although I’m also on board when it’s just literally random colors because you can sometimes find that the most unexpected combos work, and your color mixing knowledge can grow exponentially by being challenged with the unexpected. Also, you’re not a centaur....but you certainly are a unicorn! =^.^=. I’m excited that you’ve been pushing yourself for more! “Have you made tiny little palettes like this before?” HAHAHA. No. =>.>= never. =>.>= I’ve certainly not made like 10 palette build videos and even given you a mini palette, that would be silly. =>.>= clearly, I hate paint. =>.>= hahahahahahaha

[@arleebean]

I was actually thinking of you when I asked that question about the tiny palettes xD I AM A UNICORN YAAAAAAY

[@MeowMeowKapow]

HAHA. But Arlee, "clearly, I hate paint." And of course you're a unicorn! You're a magical creature. Also, you cause rainbows (I've decided that's a thing unicorns do, now)! So clearly, this has been your true identity all along.

[@samanthagray1097]

My smallest palette is based off of the Zorn palette with one extra color: Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red Medium, and Payne's Gray (instead of black since we watercolorists aren't fond of black), and Viridian. Mixes very subdued, realistic colors and it's what I bring along every day.

[@_aubey]

Arleebean: "I hope you don't mind that I'm not painting what I normally paint." Me: "Don't mind? Don't mind?! Arlee girl! I love it!" Variety is the spice of life. Spice it up girl! If you're "in a rut" you should definitely branch out. Try new things. Experiment. Apply your skills to different subjects.I would love to see your style applied to more animals or even landscapes. I adore your horse painting.

[@JanJan-qo1yx]

I don't have a lot of experience with building palettes, but so far I've concentrated on having more or less primary colors, having a color, that can go really dark (I love my Paynes Grey) and colors that I just like and use a lot. All in all that adds up to about 7 to 8 colours.

[@Pearberrie]

The horse is so beautiful and the colors look so nice! I struggle with blue too I can’t honestly tell which is warm or cool by just looking ^^;

[@ianjackson5834]

that DS set is a good starting point thanks

[@sighcai]

Omg The Iron Bull haha

[@bayrouttesdmf1804]

Wow I am not alone... i know it is wrong but for me blue+yellow is cool and blue+red is warm... thats just how it is to me...

[@Kyomiibrown]

I can identify. I want to move away from realism, it doesn’t push me enough. The Meeden rose palette in your WL I got last year. I love it though the crevices are small but it’s great for my gouache mixes.

[@CelestLa777]

From the first stroke I was like: Horse!

[@mikaingendaa4892]

My favorite pallet is: 1 Ultramarine deep 2 sepia 3 raw umber (schmicke) this one is lighter and more yellow 4 brown oker (winster and newton) This is a very yellow-orange color thats a bit neutral I am a landscape painter and i don't realy need a red and when i do i use a red iron oxide and when i need a green i use a cerulian (:

[@afos32]

Beautiful 🐎

[@cathyferguson570]

Stunning. As always. Sorry to hear you're in a rut. Know the feeling, it sucks, but if you keep going, you will definitely come out the other side. Plus, it meant you painted this beauty. Love.

[@arleebean]

Thank you so much for the encouragement :3 ♥♥

[@kathrynt98011]

Man I wish Daniel Smith sold an earth tones set to compliment the essentials set. I love limited palette painting. I don’t usually make up tiny palettes for them though, partly because I don’t like working from half pans. But I particularly like doing a limited palette where one of the colors is very unexpected - like I do a lot of floral or botanical painting where my “yellow” is Rich Green Gold PY129, or where my “blue” is phthalo green. I did a desert landscape with quinacridone burnt scarlet, quinacridone burnt orange, phthalo green, and carbazole violet. Not only is it fun, it pops me out of my tendencies to try to go too realistic with my color.

[@Andrea-cb1jd]

I just bought my first real watercolor pans! It's van gogh half pan in perm. lemon yellow, quin. rose and cerulean blue phatlo. I think I got it right in terms of a cool palette but I also want the warm versions of the same colors, any suggestions to what colors to choose? Preferably the same brand, if you are familiar with van gogh. Great video and channel!

[@zara4leafclover]

I first started with a Van Gogh 12 pan palette the warm colors in that palette (and I also recommend since I used the van Gogh palette for years and mixing was quite easy) are permanent red light, ultramarine deep and azo yellow medium.

[@Andrea-cb1jd]

zara4leafclover Thank you so much kind stranger! This was very helpful. Random sidenote: they're just now on a small sale so i feel lucky and blessed. Thanks again!

[@kuraicraft]

Beautiful palette. What brand did the final colours belong to? or a mix of? I watched the vid but I'm unclear

[@moonlightgator541]

Oh, I don't really have enough materials to limit myself. Trying to find the way I can have as little paints as possible and be able to satisfy my needs.

[@Prof_Granpuff]

I relate to you with the blues. In my opinion, it doesn't make sense to classify blues as warm or cool, since purple and green are both cool colors. I consider blue to be the coolest color or the center of the cool range, so then moving in either direction doesnt make it a cool blue, if that makes sense. I think that might just be me tho lol

[@sablemoreno5095]

Hi. Question: have you found it common for the blue pigments to separate and settle when mixing? All the ones I have kinda look like that when they dry (about 4:44 blue and red line mixture)

[@arleebean]

It's definitely common for granulating blues. So, ones like ultramarine and cerulean that naturally have that effect usually will do the same when mixed with other colors. :)

[@MsMonile]

OMG Very loose but.... very beautiful.😀😀

[@peterangel6463]

How do you stick the watercolor pans to the metal box?

[@NeverEndingKarla]

I get my blues and purples mixed up too! T_T

[@frankpmurphyh4995]

No, but you inspired me to do it!

[@alexosauruses]

of HORSE we like it

[@lindyashford7744]

You are not the only one who mixes up cool and warm blues. They mess with my idea of what cool and warm are, so called warm blues look colder to me and vice versa. Similarly purples do not look warm to me while greens do. I appreciate the technical difference but my emotional response rebels.

[@paju9697]

feels natural that you not always drawing portraits or human face stuff...

[@subkha1007]

I wanted to try sell homemade watercolor, for starter 6 color pallette. But i don't know what color to choose🥲 it just feel something missing if i don't put white. Help🥹

[@irinairinka6915]

Yes,I have a relatively limited pallete. it was because I only had money for a few colors,Van Gogh btw,and I know they aren't the best but where I live in stores that's the best quality I can get and I didn't want to order online. So, I got a Azzo yellow medium,a yellow that is pretty neutral,madder lake deep,again neutral to cool red, Payne's grey,sap green, permanent blue violet and Prussian blue. I wanted ultramarine,but they didn't have it in at the time,so I got burnt sienna. when I made the palette,because it was this fishing trinkets container which had eight slots so I had one blank. And instead of leaving it like that and waiting a few days before they got ultramarine, I filled it out with cerulian blue goauche! actually I don't regret it! cerulian blue was hand to have and not too opaque,and in the same slot I filled like a third with white gouache because I know I can use it for efects. IDK it works for me,and I am saving to get a better set,but in the man while this is good! As long as you don't use bad paper. I use Fabriano,300gr one in sheets. I like it.