Tip: Ideal Color Palette

The following pigments are the minimum color set needed to mix almost any hue. Start with the first four then add the others as you can (for improved intensities or convenience). The full set of colors (less black) is referred to as a split primary palette because each primary color has both a warm and color version.

• White - Titanium white
• Yellow - Cadmium yellow pale
• Red - Cadmium red medium (slightly red-orange)
• Blue - Ultramarine blue (slightly blue-violet)
• Red (alternate) - Alizarin crimson (slightly red-violet)
• Blue (alternate) – Phthalo blue (slightly blue-green)
• Yellow (alternate) – Cadmium yellow (slightly yellow-orange)
• Black - Ivory black (dark neutral blue)

In theory only the primary colors should be needed to create all hues but each pigment has impurities. As noted, several of the recommended pigments contain noticeable amounts of other hues (for instance, ultramarine blue contains red which results in it being slightly blue-violet). So when you mix blue with yellow to make green, you also bring unintended hues into the mix.


Fortunately you can use the impurities in the pigments to expand your palette without adding new paints. For example, using the two blues and two yellows you can easily mix four different color greens. You can mix phthalo blue with either cadmium yellow light or cadmium yellow, and also ultramarine blue with either yellow. The result is a set of greens that range from very intense to mildly dull.

The most vibrant green comes from the combination of phthalo blue and cadmium yellow light. This is because phthalo blue is already slightly blue-green. The least intense green comes from combining ultramarine blue and cadmium yellow since both contain some red (which tends to neutralize the green).

The same principle holds true for making other secondary colors. The brightest colors are created by using the primary pigments that tend toward the desired secondary color. Therefore the most intense orange comes from combining cadmium yellow with cadmium red, and the most vibrant purple from alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue.

Like other pigments, ivory black is not perfect. It is actually a very dark neutral blue. Therefore when you mix it with other colors you may not get the results you expect. For example, if you mix black with either of the yellows you will get a respectable shade of green. You can even make your own black by mixing alizarin crimson with ultramarine blue.