Quite often I will prepare a palette for the coming season, but I suddenly realized that we’re running out of winter and I haven’t done a winter palette yet! But today it’s still cold as balls, the outdoors coated in snow and ice, so it still feels relevant.
For context, I’ve put together a 14-color seasonal palette nearly every season since Summer 2022. Previous winter palettes:
You can tell from the titles of these posts that I had the idea that I would eventually come up with a perfect canonical seasonal palette. But I’ve come to realize that the journey is the destination and I will always iterate. So I’ve decided to start naming them with the current year instead of a version number, and think of them less as “the ultimate palette” for a given season, but more as a record and reflection of my current interests in the moment.
The Palette
Top Row
- DS Nickel Azo Yellow (PY150)
- DV Quin Red (PR209)
- HO Permanent Alizarin Crimson (PV19, PBr25)
- WN Cobalt Violet (PV14)
- DV Ultramarine Blue (PB29)
- DV Cerulean Blue (PB36)
- SH Cobalt Turquoise (PG50)
Bottom Row
- WN Naples Yellow Deep (PBr24)
- DV Raw Sienna (PBr7)
- DV Terra Cotta (PR102)
- HO Perylene Maroon (PR179)
- DS Indanthrone Blue (PB60)
- HO Phthalo Blue Red Shade (PB15)
- DS Phthalo Green Blue Shade (PG7)
Current Fads
Cobalt Violet
I tried Cobalt Violet for the first time this winter! It immediately struck me as an interesting winter color with its granulation and cool, violety hue. I used it in my snow shadow mixes.
That said, I’m already getting over my brief fascination with this color; it’s so weak that it’s out of step with my other colors.
Terra Cotta
I liked Da Vinci Terra Cotta last time I tried it; this January I tried it again and found the new version different, but also very useful. It’s less granulating than it used to be, but it’s a really useful and beautiful shade of mid-chroma earth orange fading to peach. It is strong, has a nice texture, and mixes gorgeously. I’m experimenting using it in place of my usual fave TRO. Again, this is not necessarily a permanent replacement or a color I’m sure is better for winter, as much as an experiment to explore my current interests.
Perylene Maroon
Another re-try! Historically I don’t like Perylene Maroon at all, but in January I retried Holbein’s version and found I liked it a lot better than the last time I’d tried it. It has a rich, deep color. In winter, Perylene Maroon is especially useful for muting blues and greens, and for things like red dogwood bushes.
Other notes
- I considered doing a bright yellow, but found I rarely use it this season; I use Nickel Azo Yellow for mixing and Naples Yellow Deep for sunsets.
- Naples Yellow Deep and Quin Coral give me options for intense, winter sunsets. Violets can also be made from PAC and Cobalt Violet. I’m not totally sold on this combo, as I don’t have a Quin Red/Rose which is an easier way to make some of these sky shades.
- Considered putting in my usual favorite MANS, but decided to split it into specialists: Naples Yellow Deep for sunsets and DV Raw Sienna for sticks and dry grass.
- Snow shadows can be mixed from various combinations of Cobalt Turquoise, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Violet, Permanent Alizarin, Indanthrone Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Perylene Maroon… nearly everything tbh.