Having options is a bad thing. That's right, I said it. 

I can hear you scoffing under your breath. Yep, you did that out loud. I'm going to choose to ignore it. 

Just hear me out. When you're standing in an art store and all those tubes of paint are just staring at you, panic can set in. Why? 

Too many options.

You either end up buying lots of paint colors you don't need and will probably never use or you walk out empty-handed. Oh, you promise yourself next time you'll have researched exactly what you need before paint shopping. But you won't. 

What would you say if I told you all you'll ever need to get started is 3 tubes of paint? 

Now I'm not saying you won't add more colors in the future, but all you need to start is a red, yellow, and blue (primary colors). 

This is called a limited palette. 

Theoretically, you can mix all the colors you'll ever need from red, yellow, and blue. In reality, it isn't quite that simple. There are paints made with synthetic pigments and other pigments that can't be duplicated by mixing the primaries. 

But we aren't going to worry about those because we can still get an amazing array of colors just form the three primary colors. In the video above I mixed a whole bunch of them in less than 10 minutes and I only scratched the surface. There are tons more you can get by mixing the 3 primary colors in different amounts. 

Why should you use a limited palette?

• You can really get to know how each color behaves and interacts with other colors
• You'll have color harmony in your paintings and avoid the muddy look
• You'll work faster because you'll have fewer color decisions to make
• You'll save money, instead of wasting it on colors you may never use  

What Types Of Limited Palettes Are There? 

• 3 color primary palette- red, blue, yellow
• 3 color primary palette +2 convenience colors
• Expanded Primary Palette- 2 reds, 2 blues, 2 yellows

Still not sure what colors to buy? I mean there are a gajillion reds and 5 jillion blues and don't even get me started on yellows. No worries. I've got you covered.

I put together a 3 page PDF just for you. It has valuable tips on which colors to include in your palette and why some colors look vibrant when mixed together and some look like mud. Along with the tips, I give examples of the 3 basic types of limited palettes along with the actual paint colors you should include in each. It's a great resource if you're just starting out or if you just need a little refresher on color choices.

Just click below to download your Free Limited Palette Guide.