A good acrylic pallet is much easier to arrange than watercolors as many of the pigment characteristics are suppressed by the acrylic medium. The choice to use liquid type or the thicker tube colors is up to you. Liquid acrylics produce effects resembling watercolors, while the tube colors mimic oil paints and can be worked into thick textures with a pallet knife. I personally prefer liquid acrylics.
Golden makes some of the best grades of acrylics. A well matched minimum triad set is:
|
Hue |
Importance |
comments |
|
Titanium White |
Very |
|
|
Carbon Black |
Very |
|
|
Hansa Yellow (light) |
Very |
|
|
Hansa Yellow (medium) |
Very |
|
|
Pyrrol Red |
Very |
|
|
Quinacridone Red |
Very |
|
|
French Ultramarine blue |
Very |
|
|
Thalo Blue (red shade) |
Very |
|
|
Alizarin Crimson (permanent) |
Optional |
|
|
Yellow Ochre |
Optional |
|
|
Iron Oxide |
Optional |
|
|
Cerulean Blue |
Optional |
|
|
Thalo Green (blue shade) |
Optional |
|
|
Burnt Sienna |
Optional |
|
|
Burnt Umber |
Optional |
|
- 3 sheets of 30x22 mid grade watercolor paper cut into 1/4 OR a watercolor "block" of paper
- paint brushes, water container etc. (your choice)
- ordinary black pencil crayon (not charcoal stick or graphite drawing pencil)
Helpful Hint: A small water mister and / or a "Stay Wet" pallet will keep your acrylics from drying too quickly. A pallet can also be made from a shallow Tupperware type container using a wet sponge on the bottom covered with a damp piece of paper.