Introduction
Mixing watercolours doesn’t require dozens of tubes. In this exercise, I show how a limited palette can produce a wide, expressive range of colour while keeping your paintings harmonious and readable.This approach is ideal for urban sketching, travel painting, and any situation where simplicity matters.
Video coming soon — this lesson will include a full walkthrough once final edits are complete.
Tips video:
2–5 minutes
solves one problem
stands alone
What you’ll need
A small watercolour palette (3–5 colours)
Watercolour paper
A round brush
Clean water and mixing space
Step-by-step (3–5 steps)
Short steps, no waffle
Common mistake (1 short paragraph)
Adding new colours too quickly
Mixing muddy neutrals by overworking
Ignoring compatibility of colours in favour of “interesting” colour overload
Try this (one small exercise)
A 2-minute practice drill.
See how ‘this limited palette mixing exercise’ fits in with our structured guidance through all four stages of the process , start here: Art Courses