I am often asked which colours I use for my watercolor paintings.

I will share my Watercolor Palette for my Flowers and Rose Paintings. The colours on my palette are from Schmincke,  Winsor and Newton and Daniel Smith

But please have in mind that as excample Indian Yellow from Schmincke is not the same as Indian yellow from another supplier. For a similar warm yellow (as I use Indian Yellow from Schmincke) I would suggest using New Gamboge from Winsor and Newton.

Colours on my Watercolor Palette

My Watercolor palette for my flower and rose paintings contains the following colors:

  • Aureolin
  • Indian Yellow
  • Translucent Orange
  • Scarlet Red
  • Anthraquinoid Red from Daniel Smith
  • Permanent Rose from W&N
  • Purple Magenta
  • Phthalo Blue or Cobalt Blue
  • Sap Green
  • Phthalo Green
  • Paynes Grey Bluish

I have warm and cool colours on my palette. Having these colors on your watercolor palette you can create every painting.

But …  I also love the following colours for my leaves and backgrounds in my flower and rose paintings:

  • Olive Green (a beautiful dark rich green)
  • Heliocoelin
  • Phthalo Turquoise
  • Paynes Grey (not the bluish version) OR
  • Indigo
  • Burnt Sienna

Please note: I do not use the flower watercolor palette for my figurative paintings. For skin tones I like different colors.

Transparent Colours for Rose and Flower Paintings

I paint with transparent watercolors to make sure that I can create luminous and glowing colours. Petals of Roses and Flowers are so delicate and I love to portray them in the most beautiful way. This is only with transparent colours possible. This also means that I paint in layers to build up the richness of colours but to make also sure that the first layers shine through the next layers. Try it out, it is simply amazing.

Look at this WIP of my Rose Painting “After the Rain”.
You can view the complete painting in my Art Gallery. Prints of this rose painting are available.

Do you see how the colours do swing and sing? The colours are glowing and the shadows are dancing.

To see my colours in action just have a look on my free Art Lessons and on my available DVDs and online videos.