My Primary Palette (Patreon)

Hi everyone! Here’s a list of my most frequently used watercolor pigments, along with notes and alternatives. Just a few quick thoughts:

These aren’t “must-haves”—most can be swapped or mixed. But they form the foundation of my style and the vibrant look you might recognize. As part of every tutorial, I provide a list of alternatives and substitutes.

Some color families are over-represented (especially reds!) because of my focus on botanical work. I’m picky about reds, but much less attached to specific yellows or greens—except maybe Aqua Green, which I love!

If you’re building your palette, dot charts are a great starting point. They’re affordable (around $15–20) and let you test a wide range of pigments before buying tubes. I recommend Winsor & Newton and Daniel Smith.

For a deeper dive, you can watch this older video where I demo some of these colors in action: https://youtu.be/VPLfzXQbTOc And remember—the best palette is your palette. Use what you love, mix freely, and enjoy the process!

COOL RED: Quinacridone Magenta from QoR (PR122): https://amzn.to/3SuqtXt

Notes/Use case: most frequently use this for pink and violet botanical; also use it to "warm up" blues and purples. 

MEDIUM RED: Quinacridone Red from QoR (PV19): https://amzn.to/43iZ12D

Notes/Use case: This is my "go-to" for most red subjects. I typically start with this pigment, and add additional cooler and warmer pigments to add variation in color temperature. Alternatively, use any medium transparent staining red. For example Quinacridone Rose from Daniel Smith S.

WARM RED:  Quinacridone Coral from Daniel Smith (PR209) https://amzn.to/4d44hfk

Notes/Use Case: One of my all time favourites. Use it on most botanicals, birds (e.g.: flamingos, ibis etc) and mixing skin tones. Alternatively, use Scarlett Lake W&N, Winsor Orange Red Shade W&N. 

MEDIUM YELLOW: Benzimidazolone Yellow from QOR (PY154)

Notes/Use Case: I don't have a strong preference when it comes to yellows, and I am not loyal to any specific brand here. Yellows are often used for under-painting, and Benzo yellow is good if you want to have a very vibrant look. For a softer but very similar effect, you can use Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue from Daniel Smith {PY 53, PY 151, PY 83}, or any other medium yellow.

WARM YELLOW / ORANGE: Diarylide Yellow from QOR (PY83): https://amzn.to/4maOxfg

Notes/Use Case: beautiful orange-y yellow that works for most orange subjects, or for glazing warm sunlight spots. A very close alternative I often is is Hansa Yellow Deep from Daniel Smith https://amzn.to/49fhK0U

DARK ORANGE: Transparent Pyrrole Orange from QoR (PO71): https://amzn.to/3L0diJO 

Notes/Use Case: works beautifully when paired with Indigo and blues. Perfect for vibrant animal fur (think foxes, squirrels, red panda} and fall subjects. 

DARK BLUE / BLACK: Indigo from Daniel Smith (PB60, PBk6): https://amzn.to/409kObF

Notes/Use Case: most often use this instead of black (I almost never use black straight from the tube), blue shadows. Alternatively, use Payne's Gray on its own or mixed with Indanthrone Blue.

PURPLE:  Dioxazine Purple from QoR (PV23) : https://amzn.to/4ddnr24

Notes/Use Case: This is likely my most used pigment. Although a similar shade can be mixed using Quinacridone Magenta and Phthalo Blue, I am extremely loyal to this color and you will find it in practically every painting I do.

BROWN / VIOLET: Perylene Violet Daniel Smith: https://amzn.to/3CLm8HC

Notes/Use Case: I often use this red-leaning violet for shadows (especially on red / pink subjects), and in place of brown for subjects like tree branches, human eyes, etc. Alternatively, you can use Permnent Brown from Daniel Smith, or Quinacridone Violet from QOR (other brands' Quinacridone Violets are not as they lean towards blue). 

LIGHT BLUE: Phthalo Blue Green Shade from QoR (PB15:3): https://amzn.to/3uzszMD

Notes/Use Case: My "go-to" blue which you will find in most of my work. It's transparent and very intense. One of the most frequent uses is for eyes {mixed with Indigo} and ANY shadows on white or light subjects.  Alternatively, use Phthalo Blue Red Shade from any brand. 

GREEN / BLUE: Aqua Green W&N: https://amzn.to/3QE3vLB

Notes/Use Case: My favourite pigment for cool greenery, water and atmospheric backgrounds. So far, I am only able to find it in W&N range, and pigment code / CI is unavailable. Alternatively, you can use another Phthalo pigment called Phthalo Turquoise, but I find it a bit too vibrant.

MEDIUM GREEN: Hookers Green from Daniel Smith (PG 36, PY 3, PY 150, PO 48): https://amzn.to/43OcWOc

Notes/Use Case: This is a convenience mix that I use mainly for the sake of speed. It’s a great starting point for warm greenery, and I tend to rely on it often—especially when I want to focus my energy on other color families instead of mixing greens from scratch. That said, I don’t feel strongly attached to it, as green is such a personal color choice for many artists. I also have a few tutorials on painting greenery where I share different mixing strategies and alternatives if you prefer a more customized approach.