John Muir Laws wrote the book on nature journaling, literally; I really enjoyed The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling. It was especially mind-blowing to me when it came to describing the nature journaler’s mindset: a sort of zen place of observation and curiosity. My partner and I often use his framework when outside observing nature (I notice… I wonder… It reminds me of…)
Laws devotes some time to the how of nature journaling, including the use of drawing supplies and watercolor, and recommendations for which colors to use. You know I love a peek in people’s palettes!
John Muir Laws’ Suggested Colors
Laws has a description of his 30-color watercolor palette in the book and on his website. He also sells a 34-color prepoured Custom Watercolor Palette. I’ve marked colors that are only found in the Custom Watercolor Palette as [CWP]. Most colors are Daniel Smith.
I assigned each color to a color slot I thought was closest; click on the slot name to find my list of suggested paints in this slot for substitutions. Click on the paint name to find my Color Spotlight for that paint.
My Totally Subjective Review
Wow, this is a lot of colors! I find this to be a large palette especially for field journaling, where space is usually at a premium. I think the reason for having so many is for the convenience of not having to mix in the field, but I personally find that sorting through so many colors is at least as mentally taxing as mixing, and anyway mixing in the field is inevitable (you so rarely want to use a straight color without altering it at least a little, so why not a lot?)
I am especially perplexed by the inclusion of mixed colors that are mixes of two other colors already in the palette. For example, Undersea Green is just Ultramarine Blue + Quin Gold. Granted, Ultramarine Blue was not in the original 30-color palette, but the CWP added it without bumping Undersea Green. Many of DS’s greens are mixes of Quin Gold + something, and I acknowledge that is a great way to mix green, but since Quin Gold is in the palette it seems like it makes sense to include the mixer rather than the mix for more variability.
I hesitate to do things like say “this is how I would change the palette” because I inevitably just end up rebuilding my own palette, so instead I will point out things that are different from my palette that I think make a lot of sense for the context:
- Inclusion of Buff Titanium. This is not a color I like but JWL uses it for painting animals, like birds, which often have buffy-colored parts. It is quite convenient for that.
- White gouache is also useful in a nature field kit, especially if you use toned paper as JWL sometimes does.
- JWL likes purplish-gray shadows (he suggests that if you only own one colored pencil, it should be Prismacolor Black Grape), so it makes total sense for his signature shadow color to be Shadow Violet. I don’t think you need to run out and buy Shadow Violet, but I just like a person with a signature color.
Which version book are you using? The 2016 ed by heyday books on page 83 he says it’s Pthalo Blue (Green Shade) PB15… right after the Pthalo Yellow Green that blew my mind!
I am curious about the art toolkit folio palette BUT can’t justify it. (I instead have a hacked magnetic empty Derwent pencil tin with removable tray, with full sized paint pans and my paint selection. Best way to manage my larger brushes and still travel. Holds a ridiculous number of pans or pans/brushes or pans/pens/pencils or whatever layout my Lego-minded brain desires…!)
Phthalo sorry autocorrect doesn’t like that word (eyeroll)
Ahh, I might have gotten an older one out of the library or just missed it.
Why did Phthalo Yellow Green blow your mind??
Phthalo Yellow Green is a convenience mix I probably should’ve started with first! Ah well. (Several green paint tubes to use up before I can justify buying another XD )