color chart . . . or stained glass?

Back in July of 2013 I posted a sketchbook entry and color chart based on an article I had found in an old issue of Artist’s Sketchbook magazine. The article mentioned the limited palette used by New Zealand artist David Barker in his sketchbook. He first used ultramarine blue and burnt umber to establish values and color temperatures and only added a bit of color as needed. I thought at the time that I would attempt to do something similar but color was too much of a lure to stick with it.

For anyone interested in David Barker’s palette, I had made a small color chart of his choices that I recently found in my stash. Some of the colors must have been student quality because the colors sure don’t look like my current colors of the same name. He used alizarin crimson, aureolin, phthalo blue, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, and raw umber.

I went a different direction in color choices, with an earthy primary triad and a brighter primary triad (and one green) to go with the ultramarine blue and burnt umber. For the color chart, I blocked off the squares with a very narrow masking tape I found on Amazon. This paper must be made totally with paper fibers and no cotton rag; even with care, the paper tore as I pulled the tape up.

I could probably do fine with only the bright primary triad but I love playing with color.