{"id":1422512,"date":"2021-03-16T17:39:35","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T17:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jacksonsart.com\/blog\/?p=1422512"},"modified":"2026-03-31T15:49:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:49:40","slug":"colour-mixing-two-palettes-without-primaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jacksonsart.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/16\/colour-mixing-two-palettes-without-primaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Colour Mixing: Two Palettes Without Primaries"},"content":{"rendered":"

By painting a picture with blue, red, and yellow on your palette, you are keeping your options relatively open with regard to the overall colour, temperature, or value of your finished painting. This is because when these three colours are evenly spaced on a colour wheel, the triad offers the ability to mix almost any colour you could wish for. But have you ever tried to create a palette without primaries? Here are two examples of complementary palettes without primaries – that is, a palette comprising green, orange, and violet (and white) – along with a demonstration of why the colour mixing possibilities are just as exciting.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Palettes<\/p>\n

Two Palettes Without Primaries<\/h2>\n

Orange, green, and violet are known as secondary or complementary colours – the mixes achieved with red and yellow, blue and red, and yellow and blue respectively. However, this is a colour theory observation and not an observation of pigments – it is possible to make single pigment complementary paints because orange, green and violet pigments exist. The good news about this is that your secondary colour palette needn\u2019t be \u2018secondary\u2019 in colour vibrancy. If you wish to work with a palette of colours that possess maximum colour vibrancy it is advisable to look for paints made with just one pigment (orange pigments have a code of PO + a number, green pigments have a code of PG + a number and violet pigments have a code of PV + a number, and this information will appear on colour charts and paint tube labels).<\/p>\n

The first palette I explored consisted of Phthalo Green, Orange\/Red and Ultramarine Violet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Palettes<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Phthalo Green<\/a><\/h2>\n

PG7, Transparent<\/p>\n

Phthalo Green has a cool blue undertone. From the tube it appears very dark, but when thinned with water it turns into a bottle-green hue. It is made from a single highly staining, synthetic pigment (more information can be found in this post<\/a>). As with all phthalo pigments, it is very powerful and is very influential in mixes, so it is often advisable to use it in small quantities.<\/p>\n

\"Palettes<\/p>\n

Orange\/Red<\/a><\/h2>\n

PO5, Transparent<\/p>\n

Orange\/Red is a fiery orange that is no way near as highly staining as any Phthalo pigment, from the tube it is mid-tone and intensely vibrant, but when diluted washes away into a gentle pinkish hue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

Ultramarine Violet<\/a><\/h2>\n

PB29 PB15:3 PW6, Semi-Transparent<\/p>\n

As the pigment codes indicate, this Ultramarine Violet is made from three pigments and is semi-transparent. From the tube it is as dark as Phthalo Green, and is only slightly less transparent. When watered down it bursts into a bright violet, and when more white is added takes on a slightly pink tint.<\/p>\n

An Explanation of the Mixes<\/h2>\n
\"Palettes
The Phthalo Green\/Orange-Red\/Ultramarine Violet Chart: The top row (the x axis) shows each of the colours neat from the tube and then thinned with increasing amounts of water; the column on the left (the y axis) shows the same. Within the table I have mixed combinations of 2 of the colours from each palette, and also show what happens to each mix when white is added. In all mixes I have put more of the colour that appears on the x axis than the colour that appears on the y axis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the table, I mixed combinations of two colours out of the three in the palette, and also showed in the bottom right-hand corner of each square what happens to the mix when white is added.<\/p>\n

Observations<\/strong><\/p>\n