To my fellow artists—have you ever wondered if you could achieve every color you need with just a limited palette? I believe it’s possible. Despite my love for collecting new art supplies, which I’ve indulged in for years, I always return to a core set of colors. I’m sure many of you feel that same pull. Over the past eight years of working primarily with watercolors, I’ve rediscovered my technique by focusing on a few key colors rather than expanding my palette endlessly.
When I first started, my process was simple. I mixed colors in the palette and then applied them to paper in a single step. But in the past five years, I’ve shifted to layering, applying multiple washes to build depth, adjust transparency, and achieve the precise tones I want. This approach has been especially useful for urban sketching, where I often work outdoors with only a limited number of colors. With layering, I can create a wide variety of hues and shades on the go, adding brightness and luminosity to my sketches without losing the transparency I love.
Mixing directly in the palette often resulted in muddy or opaque colors that didn’t have the lightness I wanted. But with layering, I’ve found a way to control both color and water balance, building up rich, transparent tones that feel alive. There’s something about working with watercolors that’s both risky and full of possibilities—it forces you to rediscover and refine your own technique constantly.
So, to everyone who loves the medium as I do, keep experimenting. There’s always more to discover, even with a few colors!
