Limited Palette
A limited colour palette is a set of colours that an artist chooses to use in their work, which can help to improve their colour theory and composition.
There is no set definition for what constitutes a limited palette, but here are some examples of colour schemes you might like to try:
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Monochromatic Colour Palettes. Using the same hue in different shades and tones.
Analogous Colour Palettes. Colours that are next to one another on the colour wheel. Often one colour is dominant, while the others are more subdued.
Complementary Colour Palettes. Using colours from opposite sides of the colour wheel, such as red and green, purple and yellow, or blue and orange.
Earth Colours.
Warm colours. eg Cadmium red, Cadmium yellow, Ultramarine blue.
Cold colours. eg Alizarin Crimson, Lemon yellow, Prussian blue.
The Zorn palette
This is an unusual limited palette of four colours: Cadmium Red, Titanium White, Black, Yellow Ochre. It was invented by the Swedish portrait painter, Anders Zorn. (1860 – 1920). Here is an selection of the range of colours that can be made with just these 4:
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Reasons to limit your colours.
The whole idea with these colour combinations is limiting your colour, so you don’t use every colour within the colour wheel. It makes colour mixing easier, and gives unity to a colour scheme.
Apparently, these famous paintings have been painted with limited palettes. See what you think. Girl With A Pearl Earring, 1665, oil on canvas, by Johannes Vermeer, uses blue, cream and a hint of red. Wheatstacks (End of Summer), 1890–1891, oil on canvas, by Claude Monet, uses red, brown, yellow and green. The Old Guitarist, 1903–1904, oil on panel, by Pablo Picasso, uses blue, brown and yellow. Sunflowers, 1888 – 1889, oil on canvas, by Vincent Van Gogh, uses yellow, green, brown and orange. The Splash, 1966, acrylic on canvas, by David Hockney uses blue, brown / red, green and yellow.
