R&F's Opaque Color Set: Working From A Limited Color Palette
Limiting your color palette can be a fun way to experiment with color mixing and has the added benefit of creating greater balance in your work.
In our newest demo video, we highlight the range of colors that can be created using the six encaustic paints that come in our Opaque Color Set: Ivory Black, Cobalt Blue, Chromium Oxide Green, Cadmium Red Medium, Cadmium Yellow Medium, and Titanium White.
A simple way to begin exploring color mixing with our Opaque Color Set is to take Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Chromium Oxide Green, and Cadmium Red Medium and add Titanium White to each of them. Adding white lightens and desaturates a color, creates tints. Tints are less intense and are often perceived as quieter or calmer. When mixing tints, you can add up to equal parts color and white.
Next, add a small amount of Ivory Black to each of your tints. These additions will lighten or darken your colors, reducing the saturation, and developing a variety of tones. It can be easy to quickly overdue the amount of black you add, so work gradually with just a little black adding more if necessary.
Next, take Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Chromium Oxide Green, and Cadmium Red Medium and add a small amount of Ivory Black to each color. This will give you an assortment of shades, which can be more intense, richer, and darker than your original colors.
In our color mixing demo video, we had fun exploring a variety color mixing techniques. Below you will find each of the colors and mixes listed in the order in which they appear in our demo.
Cobalt Blue
Cobalt Blue + Titanium White
Cobalt Blue + Titanium White + Ivory Black
Cadmium Red
Cadmium Red + Titanium White
Cadmium Red + Titanium White + Ivory Black
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Yellow Medium + Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow Medium + Titanium White + Ivory Black
Chromium Oxide Green
Chromium Oxide Green + Titanium White
Chromium Oxide Green + Titanium White + Ivory Black
Cadmium Yellow Medium + Chromium Oxide Green
Cadmium Red Medium + Cobalt Blue
Cadmium Red Medium + Cobalt Blue + Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cobalt Blue
Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cobalt Blue + Titanium White
Cadmium Red + Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Red + Cadmium Yellow Medium + Titanium White
Cadmium Red + Chromium Oxide Green
Titanium White + a “dirty” brush that had some light blue paint on it + Cadmium Red
Titanium White + a “dirty” brush that had some light blue paint on it + Cadmium Red + Cobalt Blue
Ivory Black
Ivory Black + Titanium White
Cobalt Blue + Titanium White + Cadmium Yellow Medium