Limited Color Study in Gouache

Some locations, some moments in time can be painted using a limited number of colors. This painting was made with White, Black, Cerulean Blue, and Cadmium Orange and produced almost all the colors that can be visibly seen in the reference.
This is an exercise in learning to maximize the number of hues with the least amount of colors needed on the palette.
Have you tried to paint with the use of a very limited palette? Leave your thoughts below and what was the limited number of colors you used, and what colors were they?

[@m.k.nelson2743]

Love it Ron! Thanks for sharing.

[@mattdicke3414]

I love using limited palettes. I find I started understanding color and using values better with a limited palette. This is like a Zorn palette with the blue instead of a red, would be cool to add the red into this palette. Probably all the colors one will ever need. I love using the cool warm mixes with black and white like burnt sienna and ultramarine blue, a classic, or carmine red and phalo blue or a yellow and purple. all fun combos. Great little video. Amazing how it all came together nicely with that black boarder. Interesting how you used the colors as watercolor but the white and black as opaque gouache.

[@RonLemen]

@mattdicke3414 thank you for the kind reply. I agree, it is crazy how things come together when a frame is put around them, all that feels chaotic has purpose, and all that is out of place, is either really out of place or not as big a problem as we were thinking . I am going to do some more limited palette videos and I have a few of the palettes you mentioned above in mind for them. You have mentioned a few great limited color combinations that are really fun to work with, especially when you find someplace real which fits that particular limited color spectrum. One more thing about pigment vs. digital painting, one gets a greater sense of the harmonies and combinations that work occur with these color limitations. One also gets a much different appreciation where colors come from when using pigment and limiting the palette range, that we just take the entire color spectrum for granted in the digital space.