Limited Palette Explorer: What Can the Zorn Palette Mix?

Zorn

Yellow Ochre (PY43), Ivory Black (PBk9), Cadmium Red (PR108), Titanium White (PW6)

Good for: Portraits and figures. Ochre, red, black and white cover skin tones, warm neutrals and a wide range of grays.

Cannot reach: There is no blue, green or violet tube, so saturated blues, greens and purples are out of reach. Black and white give cool grays that only read as blue next to warm colors.

Earth

Yellow Ochre (PY43), Raw Sienna (PBr7-RS), Raw Umber (PBr7), Venetian Red (PR101), Titanium White (PW6), Ivory Black (PBk9)

Good for: Tonal landscapes and value studies. Raw sienna, raw umber, ochre and Venetian red give a full range of browns, tans and muted warm colors.

Cannot reach: Every chromatic tube is an earth pigment, so bright reds, clean yellows, and any real blue, green or violet are out of reach.

Primary triad

Cadmium Red (PR108), Cadmium Yellow (PY35), Ultramarine Blue (PB29), Phthalo Blue (PB15), Titanium White (PW6)

Good for: Learning to mix. A red, a yellow and two blues, one leaning violet and one leaning green, reach most hues in a moderate strength.

Cannot reach: There is no magenta, violet or green tube, so purples mixed from cadmium red and ultramarine come out dull, and greens rely on yellow plus phthalo blue.

Watercolour travel

Ultramarine Blue (PB29), Phthalo Blue (PB15), Raw Umber (PBr7), Yellow Ochre (PY43), Alizarin Crimson (PR83)

Good for: Sketching outdoors. Two blues, crimson, ochre and umber cover skies, foliage, shadows and buildings in a small tin.

Cannot reach: There is no white, so lights come from the paper, and the only yellow is ochre, so bright lemon yellows and vivid yellow-greens are out of reach.

Open studio

Titanium White (PW6), Ivory Black (PBk9), Cadmium Red (PR108), Alizarin Crimson (PR83), Ultramarine Blue (PB29), Phthalo Blue (PB15), Cadmium Yellow (PY35), Yellow Ochre (PY43), Raw Umber (PBr7), Viridian Green (PG18), Cadmium Yellow Light (PY35-L), Hansa Yellow (PY3), Cadmium Orange (PO20), Vermilion (PR106), Quinacridone Magenta (PR122), Dioxazine Violet (PV23), Cerulean Blue (PB35), Cobalt Blue (PB28), Phthalo Green (PG7), Sap Green (PG7-Y), Raw Sienna (PBr7-RS), Venetian Red (PR101), Payne's Grey (PB29-PG)

Good for: Any subject. It holds every pigment in Chromilla's library, so it is the reference the smaller palettes are compared with.

Cannot reach: Even the full set cannot reach colors brighter than paint pigments allow, such as screen neons.

What is the Zorn palette?

The Zorn palette is a four-tube palette named after the Swedish painter Anders Zorn: yellow ochre, ivory black, a cadmium or vermilion red, and white. It is known for convincing skin tones and harmonious warm neutrals from very few tubes.

Why paint with a limited palette?

Fewer tubes mean every color in the painting comes from the same few pigments, so the colors belong together. You also learn how each tube behaves much faster, spend less on paint and carry less to the easel.

Can the Zorn palette make blue?

Not a true blue. Ivory black mixed with white gives a cool gray, and next to the warm ochres and reds it reads as blue. For skies or clothing that need a saturated blue, add a blue tube such as ultramarine.