Over the weekend in the Watercolour On Location classroom, I got asked about the glowing colours I get from my shadow grey mixes. So in order to answer the question accurately, I did a few new swatches, being careful to observe how much pigment and water I was using.
I did two tests with these favourite combinations – French Ultramarine and Transparent Red Oxide (a Burnt Sienna substitute) and then Cobalt Blue and Transparent Red Oxide. I was using ‘juicy washes’ for these and then added some more water for the bottom part of the swatches so that they were ‘watery’.
Notes:
- SCH = Schmincke, DS = Daniel Smith
- I’m using a Moleskine Watercolour sketchbook.
- Juicy and watery are terms which I define in my SketchingNow Watercolour course Lesson 1.
- I also use my own quirky pre-mix of Steel’s Grey and a mix with Cerulean Blue chromium but at the moment these two are my most used shadow grey mixes.
What is your favourite shadow grey mix?
7 Comments
W&N Light Red with Cobalt Blue or Ultramarine blue with a touch of Permanent Rose.
Oh! WN Light Red… I’ve heard numerous people mention it but never used it. thanks for sharing Doug!
For a warm shadow I like DS Ultramarine and DS Burnt Umber, but for a cool shadow, I prefer DS Ultramarine and DS Quinacridone Violet. I really like the way Burnt Umber granulates and while I love Trans red oxide, it can easily take over a mix.
Played around with this. I found my favorite grey was a mix of burnt umber, ultramarine blue and burnt umber. Thanks!
Thanks, Maureen!
You helped me find another lovely gray!
allthebest on your sketching adventures!
My palette staple is Winsor Newton’s French ultramarine and WN Burnt Sienna. Both are transparent and mix really well with other colors and can be used as a neutral. I like a more blue grey for stormy skies and rocky shores, also for concrete. Thanks for this post.
My absolute favorite gray is Quin Magenta (PR122) or Quin Rose (PV19) + Phthalo Green (PG7)!
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