Tag Archives: palettes

One Palette, Six Ways. An Obsession.

One Palette, Six Ways. An Obsession.

I will be taking Liz Steel’s Travel Sketching course this May. I’ve taken it before, in September 2024, and I started in April 2025, but did not finish. (See all my posts for Sketching Now Travel Sketching here.)

Every time I become a little obsessed with the limited palette for this class. Liz built it using threes: a primary, three earth tones, then a dark and two lights. She kept it fairly pastel, and muted. It really is great for landscapes. Especially Autumn scenes. She used Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils.

Nine watercolor pencil swatches in rectangular wash format on white paper, labeled with color numbers and names. Colors include Lt Yellow Glaze, Sanguine, Lt Ultramarine, Brown Ochre, Chrom Green Opaque, Cold Grey III, Dark Indigo, Beige Red, Ivory, and Dark Sepia. Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils, Travel Sketching palette.
104 Lt Yellow Glaze, 188 Sanguine, 140 Lt Ultramarine, 142 Brown Ochre, 174 Chrom Green Opaque, 232 Cold Grey III, 157 Dark Indigo, 132 Beige Red, 103 Ivory, 175 Dark Sepia — Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils

The first time I took this course, I discovered I really wanted a brown, so here I’ve added the dark sepia. The second time I became very curious about Inktense pencils, wondering how were they different. Since I owned a set, a pulled the same palette colors and I started using Inktense pencils shortly afterward. I also wanted to explore Neocolors II. I was unable to finish the course, so I did not explore those as much as I intended.

This time around, I decided to find out.

The Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils. Activated, they produce soft, luminous washes. There’s a gentleness to them that feels very suited to location sketching, which is rather the point. Dark Sepia is my second dark, which I really craved. Plus I have a love affair with Sepia, so it’s a natural fit. I did consider a warmer brown, like Walnut, but the cooler sepia keeps the balance between warm and cool tones.

en Inktense pencil swatches in rectangular wash format on white paper, labeled with color numbers and names. Colors include Lemon, Baked Earth, Lapis Blue, Amber, Lt Olive, Neutral Grey, Paynes Grey, Scarlet Pink, Antique White, and Sepia Ink. Inktense Travel Sketching palette.
110 Lemon, 1800 Baked Earth, 0825 Lapis Blue, 1710 Amber, 1540 Lt Olive, 2120 Neutral Grey, 2110 Paynes Grey, 0320 Scarlet Pink, 2300 Antique White, 2010 Sepia Ink — Inktense

I built this Inktense palette to best match the colors of the original palette. Same colors, two media, learn how do they really behave different. The get the more pastel grey and soft pink, you really need a very light touch when applying the pencil, as the colors are darker than the matching shade. They say Inktense becomes permanent once dry, so you can layer over it without lifting. I find they give smoother washes, and they seem more vivid, but this palette is still holding that more muted vibe.

Nine Neocolor II wax pastel swatches in bold saturated squares arranged in a three by three grid on white lined paper. Colors include Yellow, English Red, Light Blue, Raw Sienna, Dark Olive, Beige, Indigo Blue, Desert Rose, and White. Labeled Neocolor II Travel Sketching Palette.
010 Yellow, 063 English Red, 161 Light Blue, 036 Raw Sienna, 249 Dark Olive, 403 Beige, 139 Indigo Blue, 042 Desert Rose, 001 White — Neocolor II — Stillman & Birn Delta, April 2026

I had selected the matching colors in a Neocolor palette for the April course, but never used them. Since I have them, I continue to be very curious to work with them. The swatches are certainly vibrant, and they felt good to lay down. These swatches were Delta book, in ivory paper, so that white shows up a bit better. I wonder how these would look on colored paper? Are they more opaque?

At this point the reasonable thing would have been to stop. I did not stop. Liz mentioned she would be adding markers to the course this time around, and well, I have markers! (Advantage of buying way too many art supplies over many years, I have a lot of stuff just lying around! Whole color sets make great gifts during the holidays!) So I pulled together the same palette in multiple marker types. (I did have to fill in a couple gaps, and order a few, but not too many.)

A double page spread in a Stillman and Birn Alpha sketchbook showing Travel Sketching palette swatches in half-dome format. The left page shows Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers with weather entries for Sunday through Tuesday April 19–21 2026, and a small Diamine ink square. The right page shows Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush Markers. Both pages are labeled Travel Sketching Palette.
Travel Sketching palette — Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers and Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush Markers — Stillman & Birn Alpha, April 2026
Nine watercolor marker swatches in half-dome format on white paper, labeled with color numbers and names. Colors are Cadmium Yellow, Sanguine, Ultramarine, Green Gold, Earth Green, Warm Grey III, Dark Indigo, Beige Red, and Dark Sepia. Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers, Travel Sketching palette.
107 Cadmium Yellow, 188 Sanguine, 120 Ultramarine, 268 Green Gold, 172 Earth Green, 272 Warm Grey III, 157 Dark Indigo, 132 Beige Red, 175 Dark Sepia — Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers
Ten watercolor marker swatches in half-dome format on white paper, labeled with color numbers and names. Colors include Lt Yellow Glaze, Terra Cotta, Sky Blue Pastel, Lt Yellow Ochre, Chrom Green Opaque, Cold Grey I, Indanthrene Blue, Sand, Apricot, and Corpus Mortuum Violet. Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush Markers, Travel Sketching palette.
104 Lt Yellow Glaze, 186 Terra Cotta, 446 Sky Blue Pastel, 183 Lt Yellow Ochre, 174 Chrom Green Opaque, 230 Cold Grey I, 247 Indanthrene Blue, 281 Sand, 116 Apricot, 263 Caput Mortuum Violet — Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush Markers

I love how watercolor markers look when activated with water. They bleed and bloom in ways I love. Easy to get complete obliteration of the lines, so it’s a bit like playing a daring game! I also put together the same palette in the pigment Pitt Artist Brush pens, but never swatched those independently. They are only swatched in the big color chart below.

And of course, I had to see everything side by side, right? How well did I match these colors across the mediums?

A handwritten reference chart in a Stillman and Birn Delta sketchbook mapping the Travel Sketching palette across six media: Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils, Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Markers, Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush Markers, Neocolor II, Inktense, and PITT Artist Brush markers. Color names and numbers are listed in columns with small painted swatches alongside each entry. Dated April 2026.
Travel Sketching palette reference chart — Stillman & Birn Delta, April 2026
A horizontal color comparison chart in a Stillman and Birn Delta sketchbook showing the Travel Sketching palette across six media in stacked rows. Each column represents a color family and each row a different medium, including Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush Markers, Inktense, Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils, PITT Watercolor Markers, PITT Artist Brush markers, and Faber-Castell. Dated 19 April 2026.
Travel Sketching palette in five media — Stillman & Birn Delta, 19 April 2026

I am really looking forward to using these in actual sketches to learn how the different media behave, and discover what I do and don’t like.

I also may have begun a new obsession. I love that Goldfaber Aqua Dual Brush Caput Mortuum. They didn’t have a brown, so that was the closest. The Pitt Artist Brush pens also have a gorgeous Caput Mortuum. So I may have immediately ordered some Caput Mortuum watercolor paint.

It started with one question about two pencil ranges, how is Inktense different from the Albrect Durer watercolor pencils. It ended with six media, so many color charts and a new obsession or two.

Everyday Sketching 2025 Week 14

This week I finished Volume 19 of my sketchbook, and started Volume 20. I wrote a bit on these pages in the past few entries.

A lot of color explorations in these pages this week. I did not have much time to sketch, what with the leaking pipes in the kitchen (now repaired!) I find that color charts are great for soothing a stressed out brain!

Sketching ruins, and foreshortening, and an exploration into creating abstracts, which I’ve already written about, was very fun.

I am going to be traveling with family later in April, so I wanted to test the two desert paint palettes I have to see if I should bring them with me. One is the Schmincke Supergranulating Desert set. The other is Daniel Smith’s Earth Desert to Mountain. Then I decided to test the Schmincke Supergranulating Forest set, as I’ll also be among the pine trees. I haven’t decided what I’ll bring, but I certainly am beginning to feel the vibes here!

Since I had out the Supergranulating box, I noticed I hadn’t filled in the swatch card they provided with it, so naturally I had to begin swatching the rest of the colors! So I did another Haze page, and then Shire.

I had some paint left over from the shire tests, so I filled a page with that. I also wanted to put the Alex Boon recommended set of 24 as a reference in this Delta book. I could also test the different paper, which does seem to be surprisingly different for the pencils over the Alpha/Gamma paper.

I may add text to these pages, or line sketches. Though I may not have the time, in which case, I’ll just opt to move on and leave the pages as is, capturing the busy-ness in slightly unfinished pages.

Initial Thoughts on Inktense

I’ve been in a lot of conversations lately about Inktense, and heard a lot of questions about them, which makes me very curious to learn the answers. I’ve done a couple sketches with them, but my goal has mostly been to compare them with Albrect Durer watercolor pencils. One question I’ve heard is what makes them different from watercolor pencils. This is perhaps the question I seek to answer first.

They lay down like watercolor pencils. The lead is a little softer than Albrect Durer, so sharp tips break off. However, sharpening with a knife or using the sticks could fix that. I find it challenging to find which color I’m looking for in my kit bag, when I’m on location, because the pencils barrels are painted black, and  the leads don’t always look like the color they put down. (I’m looking at you Amber and Tan whose leads look green, but they lay down as muted yellows.) The color indicator on the end could help, but I am reluctant to store my pencils tip down, especially with a soft lead. Maybe a roll-up pencil case is the solution?

Because it is a softer lead, it is maybe easier to lay down a thick layer, when I want strong color. Once they are activated, the literature says they are permanent like ink. I haven’t tested that with applications like watercolor over the top. They are vibrant, intense colors with strong pigment, which I like. The pastels I tend to get with watercolor pencils is nice, but I yearn for more color. That might just be my own lack of skill showing, however.

Once the Inktense is activated with water, I find it much easier to put a second layer on top once it is dry, than I do with Albrect Durer. That makes it easier to keep working with them in layers. Especially on location, as I live in the desert, and my pages dry very quickly.

These are my first observations on them. I’ve owned my Inktense pencils for a very long time, and rarely used them, so I’m quite keen to make use of them and learn more. 

Alex Boon Art on You Tube has been very helpful for me in selecting colors for a palette to carry. He is a Nature Journalist, and he has a few limited palette recommendations. Here are his 12 and 24 color recommendations.

The 12 pencil set: 2100 Payne’s Grey, 1720 Tan, 1320 Ionian Green, 1903 Burnt Umber, 2100 Charcoal Grey, 0900 Iris Blue, 0700 Fuchsia, 0100 Sherbet Lemon, 0330 Persian Red, 0600 Shiraz, 1530 Felt Green, and 0300 Tangerine.

For 24, also add: 0200 Sun Yellow, 0850 Deep Blue, 0410 Hot Red, 0800 Violet, 0850 Deep Blue, 1310 Iron Green, 1550 Spring Green, 1600 Leaf Green, 1730 Oak, 1800 Baked Earth, 2010 Sepia Ink, 2020 Indian Ink, 2200 Ink Black.

I wanted to see how they work on the Delta paper, so I did another color chart.

I begin to think the Delta paper is working better for the Inktense pencils! The colors seem richer, and they definitely smooth out with water more easily. Interesting.

Travel Sketching Class Palette

I haven’t used watercolor pencils for travel sketching, so I’m going with the class palette in order to learn the techniques. Using the same watercolor palette I used for the Teacups class. I tend to avoid graphite pencils, so it will be interesting to see how these work out for me. I’m rather intrigued by the graphite aquarelle variety. I do have Neocolor II in a similar palette to the watercolor pencils that I may try out (but are not in this image) because I’m very curious about them.

Foundations (4th Run)

Happy New Year!

I am so very excited about Foundations this year. As I was doing Buildings a lot of the basics really clicked for me in new ways, and thusly I’m quite excited to do Foundations, and focus on those basics, and allow my new depth of understanding to really be explored and practiced!

This is my fourth run through of Foundations! Hard to believe, isn’t it? I’ve never finished, (I say that a lot, don’t I?) but I always learn a lot. Obviously, I’m absolutely planning to complete everything! Naturally, I’m “behind” already. However, I love it no less!

For the first time, I’m using the same kit as Liz Steel for her class. I am particularly excited to stick with the six color palette and practice my color mixing! I’m pretty good with my color mixing, so this will be fun. I also got a set of Faber Castell Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils for Yule. Thusly, for the first time, I have the full set of colors Liz uses in her kit! Woot!

I’ve experimented with the watercolor brands I had previously, and so far the Albrecht Durer are my favorites for color intensity and ease of use. I’m looking forward to getting a feel for how they work and what I can do with them.

My six colors are all Daniel Smith.

  • Hansa Yellow Medium (HY)
  • Quincridone Rose (QR)
  • Ultramarine Blue (UB)
  • Cerulean Blue Chromium (CBC)
  • Transparent Red Oxide (TRO)
  • Monte Amiate Natural Sienna (MANS)

I did a few color bars, aiming for some shades and watercolor magic, as well as capturing which colors were used in the blend. Greens, browns, and grays are all colors that one benefits from knowing how to mix quickly! These are my Lesson 1 Indoor assignments. I always love sketching art materials, and doing color charts! I think we all do!

A Holiday Palette

I love the idea of seasonal palettes, and color stories. For this holiday season I am inspired by these tones and colors, and I suspect one could do quite a lot with this colored. My watercolors are all Daniel Smith. The gold gouache is Winsor Newton. After all, the holiday season needs some sparkle!

Then I had to figure out what, exactly, is “Interference Gold” by Daniel Smith, and how does it work? Am I supposed to mix it in to paint to make the paint sparkle? Nope. That gives a tiny bit of sheen, but is really not very effective. How does it work if I paint it on top? That was the sparkliest options. It is transparent enough fro the color to come through, but also clearly gold in the light. I tested how these palette colors “lift” alongside a swipe of Interference Gold, as well.

Leaves, Clothes, and a Palette

Continuing on with my older sketchbooks, where I was still experimenting a lot in my pages.

Botanical Line Drawing
Wardrobe Sketches

Since I sew and dye many of my own clothes, sketching my wardrobe is always a favorite for me! That green is not at all accurate for the clothes, so thus begins my eternal quest to match the perfect mixes for greens!

Autumn Palette

I was attempting to create a nice Autumn color palette and was testing some choices. Most of these colors were very new to me when I made this color test page!

Experiments with Food and Color Tests

Food sketches and color tests were a big focus for much of the rest of my very first sketchbook. This is an A5 Leuchtturm Sketchbook, which I was beginning to realize was not very good paper for the wet techniques I prefer. That did not stop me from playing with and finishing the book. Here continues my tour through Sketchbook 1A.

Love this Lasagna sketch!

Here I am testing Monte Amiate Natural Sienna, Geothite, Naples Yellow, and Quincridone Gold.

More tests of Monte Amiate Natural Sienna and Goethite, this time with Buff Titanium, and Van Dyke Brown. I also Tested Transparent Pyrrol Orange versus Pyrrol Orange.

This is the Big Impact palette produced by Expeditionary Art and Uma Kelkar. I was testing out what kind of mixes I could achieve with it, in order to get a feel for it.

My primary palette, as it was when I finished this sketchbook in February.