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RECIPES to mix the

WARM/COOL
PALETTE
for oil painting

An inexpensive, nontoxic, and versatile palette

perfect for portrait and figure painting

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Mixing the WARM/COOL PALETTE

START WITH Hint: Check the back of the paint

3 paint colors: tube for the pigment number. Some

but not all brands of Burnt Sienna

Titanium White use the TRO pigment: PR101

Ivory Black

Transparent Red Oxide

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Mixing the WARM/COOL PALETTE

STEP 1: COOL GRAYS

Note: The “ value “ of a color means how light or dark it is. I

use a value scale that goes from 0 (black) to 10 (white). I’ve

included recipes for every other value step (1,3,5,7,9).

Mid-value 5 : mix one part ivory black and two

parts titanium white.

Light value 7 : mix one part value 5 mixture plus

three parts white.

Dark value 3 : mix one part white and three parts

black.

Darkest value 1 : add just a tiny bit of value 3 to

black.

Lightest value 9 : add just a speck of value 7 to

white.

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Mixing the WARM/COOL PALETTE

STEP 2: WARM RED-ORANGES

Now we will mix corresponding values with Transparent Red

Oxide (or a Burnt Sienna that is PR101). These will be high

chroma (very colorful).

Mid-value 5 : 3 parts TRO + 1 part white

Light value 7 : 1 part TRO + 3 parts white

Lightest value 9 : add a speck of value 7 to white.

Dark value 3 : TRO is very transparent but its mass

tone is about a value 2. So to get value 3, add a

bit of value 5 to a blob of TRO until it looks about

the same value as your gray value 3.

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Mixing the WARM/COOL PALETTE

STEP 3: BASIC SKINTONES

Now for each value , m i x t h e c o o l g r a y s i n t o n e u t r a l i z e a n d
reduce the chroma ( c o l o r f u l n e s s ) o f t h e w a r m T R O m i x t u r e s .
The resulting mixtures make a great starting point for both

light and dark flesh tones.

Mid-value 5 : 2 parts value 5 TRO mixture + 1 part

value 5 gray

Light value 7 : 2 parts V7 TRO + 1 part V7 Gray

Dark value 3 : 2 parts V3 TRO + 1 part V3 Gray

Darkest value 1 : 2 parts V3 TRO + 1 part black

Lightest value 9 : Same as V9 TRO

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Mixing the WARM/COOL PALETTE

Painting Tip: Mix

in-between the

basic skintone

“string” and the

more colorful TRO

string to get warmer

tones for the cheeks

and lips. Mix in-

between the gray

string and the basic

skintone string to

get more muted

colors for hair or

cooler notes in the

skin. The gray string

works for blue eyes

and backgrounds.

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Painting with the

WARM/COOL PALETTE

Here I am using this exact same palette to do a color study

and then an underpainting for a portrait; I’ve just mixed more

steps in between:

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Taking it further…

warm/cool palette:
A self-portrait with the

If you’re interested in learning more, please visit my

website to see my current course offerings:

www.annawakitsch.com/teaching

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