In choosing between different greens and green-mixing yellows for my main palette and for various seasonal palettes, I found myself making a gallery of foliage photos I’ve taken in different seasons, and I thought I’d share it with you! I took these photos mostly in eastern Massachusetts or the surrounding area; one is from Nova Scotia. The colors of the seasons are very localized by region, but if you live in northeastern North America, or you don’t live here but still wish to paint this region, this might be helpful!
Spring
Here in Massachusetts, spring greens are extremely cool, nearly neon.
Best Convenience Green Mixes: Light yellow-greens such as DV Leaf Green and SH May Green.
Best Yellows for Mixing: Cool lemon yellows mix wonderful bold greens for spring.
Best Greens for Mixing: The brightest spring greens are mixed from a yellow and a Phthalo Green. PG Blue Shade (PG7) is a bit cooler which I like for spring, but PG Yellow Shade (PG36) mixes almost exactly the same.
Summer
As I noted in my summer palette prep, summer is a time of greens, greens, and more greens! Foliage tends to be bold and intense, but not as bright or neon-y as spring. There’s also a lot of sunlight all the time, and when the green foliage catches the light, it can look very yellow. Finally, summer is a high-contrast time, so it’s important to have enough dark values in the palette.
Best Convenience Greens: I think Hooker’s Green is great for summer, especially the glowing Holbein one. Perylene Green (PBk31) is a possibility for dark values, though it’s not my favorite – I think dark greens mixed from blue are nicer.
Best Yellows for Mixing: Middle yellows are great mixers, creating bright greens that are less neon than the lemon yellows of spring. Nickel Azo Yellow (PY150) is my favorite; it’s wonderful for the glowing sun look.
Best Greens/Blues for Mixing: Phthalo Turquoise (PB16) is my favorite blue-green for mixing summer greens, a bit more deep than the Phthalo Green mixes but still really bright. For darker values, don’t forget a dark blue such as Indigo, Indanthrone, or Prussian.
Fall
Foliage in the fall is classically not green here; deciduous trees famously turn bright yellow, orange, and red! But at any point when some of the leaves are colorful, others are still green, or partially green. Foliage greens are not as bright as they were in summer. Non-deciduous tree foliage, e.g. evergreens and grass, are also still green.
While the yellowing leaves kind of resemble the yellow-greens of spring, the yellows tend to be warmer and so I don’t think the same colors should necessarily be used.
Best Convenience Greens: Warm, rich, semi-muted Sap Greens might be useful, though I prefer DIY mixes.
Best Yellows for Mixing: You’ll want a bright primary middle yellow for yellow leaves as well as for mixing the bolder greens mixed in with them. I think bold middle yellows like Imidazolone Yellow (PY154) or Hansa Yellow Medium (PY97) are ideal. Warm yellows such as Hansa Yellow Deep (PY65) are also handy for mixing oranges as well as more muted sap greens.
Best Greens/Blues for Mixing: Contextually these greens look bright-ish, but not wildly bright. I think these greens are best mixed from middle blues, my favorite being Phthalo Blue Red Shade (which is also useful for crisp autumn skies). Evergreen colors can be mixed from Perylene Green or dark blues.
Winter
Green is much more scarce in the winter landscape. Grass and other foliage tends to be brown and died-back. Evergreens come into their own without being blocked by deciduous foliage, though they are dark, often muted, and don’t necessarily need to be green – they could be painted with dark blue or gray in the right shapes, with or without gold highlights. Moss and lichen may seem to glow more without competing greens.
Best Convenience Greens: Maybe Perylene Green (PBk31) if desired for evergreens, or a muted green mix, such as Undersea Green; though generally I think it’s best to leave green off the palette in winter.
Best Yellows for Mixing: Winter’s the season where I think Rich Green Gold (PY129) comes into its own, to keep the mixes muted enough and to depict those green-gold mosses! Raw Sienna is a crucial winter earth yellow, which can also be used to mix up muted greens. In my January 2021 nature spots, I found that for the rare (relatively) bold green, such as dogwood shrub stems, a primary yellow was nice to have.
Best Blues for Mixing: Dark blues as noted above, especially moody and violet-toned Indanthrone, are useful for lots of value-setting and evergreen mixes. I also like Ultramarine Blue both for the crisp violet-y skies of winter and for making very dull green mixes. For the very occasional bright green and/or brilliantly clear sky, I do like to keep Phthalo Blue RS around.
Conclusion
In a seasonal climate, every season requires its own specific greens. This is good to remember whenever I’m weeding out the ol’ palette box: just because I haven’t used a particular green, blue, or yellow lately, it doesn’t mean it’s never useful! I love being able to get, not just a generic green, but the exact green that captures a specific season.