Creating the Perfect Botanical Paint Palette

Filling my Art Toolkit Folio palette with Holbein and Royal Talens Gouache

As I mentioned a while ago, Sinterklaas (an old man, similar to Santa, who brings gifts on the 5th of December) gifted me an Art Toolkit Folio palette. It could be that I had whispered a hint into his (read: my partner’s) ear. Anyway, I had this beautiful palette in my studio for two months, and I hadn't filled it with paints yet. This month, I finally got around to it, and I am immensely happy with it. After all, I love gouache, but to take them from the shelf, pick out colours, squeeze paint out of the tubes, and get all my other painting stuff ready....by the time I have it set up, I already have to pick up my kid from school or answer emails….

Insert this palette! It’s on my desk waiting for me, with my waterbrush next to it. It's super lightweight, and I definitely take it with me when I travel because it's a very flat palette that fits in your bag like it isn’t even there. The paint cracks a bit, but considering it's water-based gouache that doesn't matter, I can reactivate it any time.

I painted this crocus on the left page with the palette, and funnily enough, that purple was the one colour I felt I might not need when I put the palette together. It was the first colour I used.

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The colours in the palette, per row:

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G832 Iron Oxide Red

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G826 Amber

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G827 Light Ochre

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G848 Pine Tree Green

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G849 Elm Green

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G825 Aur Cork Yellow

• Royal Talens Designer Gouache 311 Vermillion

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G802 Safflower Red

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G835 Bark Brown

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G872 Peony

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G871 Bellflower

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G573 Smalt Blue

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G555 Ash Green

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G842 Seedling

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G863 Dayflower Blue

• Holbein Artists’ Watercolor W095 Verditer Blue

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G822 Canola Yellow

• Royal Talens Gouache 255 Naples Yellow

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G812 Pale Coral

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G883 Blue black

• Royal Talens Gouache 416 Sepia

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G574 Ash Blue

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G620 Grey No.1

• Royal Talens Gouache 100 White

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache G861 Mysotis Blue

If you have any questions about the colours, the paint, or anything else, please let me know!