It takes two

The power of a limited palette

This week we’re continuing with constraints. Limiting yourself to just two colours is a way to smarter, stronger paintings.

You’ll strengthen your instincts for:

• Picking exciting combinations that create a range of values and temperatures.

• Choosing unusual, bold, or trendy colour pairings that give your work more personality.

Exercises

1. Find Your Dream Duo

• Pick any 2 colours

• Mix 3 steps between the 2 colours.

• If you’re more experienced, expand it to 5 steps between the 2 colours

• Do this 3 times, adding more water to create mid value and light mixes

Does the combo create mud, or magic?

• Do sets with different pairs. For example:

  • A classic pair (like Ultramarine + Raw Sienna).

  • A complementary pair (like Aqua + Orange).

  • Try a wildcard (trust your instincts and pick something weird).

2. Simple Paintings

• Choose a simple subject — hills, a flower, a fruit, (a chicken?)

• Use your two colours separately, and mixed together

• Try to get a sense of light and mood

Examples

On the left a tomato painted with the same colours as above, Brilliant Orange and Turquoise.

On the right some chickens, one my favourite little subjects. Ultramarine & Rose, and Burnt Sienna & Cadmium Red

If you like these chickens, they’re included in my Watercolour Quick Guide Bundle

Why?

• Build stronger instincts for colour mixing
  You'll learn how two specific pigments interact

• Create unity in your work
  A tight palette naturally makes paintings feel harmonious and emotionally powerful, even with very simple subjects

• Practice value mixing
  By painting dark, medium and light ranges you’ll get better at mixing colour in different values

To making more with less
Patrick

---

Fo my paid subscribers:

• 2 Videos: Painting demo of the chickens, and a landscape with 2 colours

• Master Artist examples of limited colour paintings

• Advanced Practice Prompts