How to mix your own custom color palettes with handmade paints

Color is a language. And when you mix your own custom palettes, you're speaking in your own voice. Handmade watercolor paints—especially those with unique granulation or earthy undertones—offer endless possibilities for building deeply personal, soul-aligned palettes.

This guide is here to help you slow down, listen to your pigments, and create color combinations that feel like you.

Start with What You Love

Before you touch your palette, take a moment to reflect:

• What colors do you wear?
• What colors are in your home?
• What hues make you feel alive, soothed, or grounded?
• This intuitive start helps you build a palette that resonates emotionally—not just visually.

Tip: Don’t worry about “color theory” at first. Start from your senses.

Choose a Base Palette (3–6 Core Colors)

Limitations are freeing. Choose a small selection of handmade watercolor paints as your core. These should be:

• One warm and one cool version of each primary color
• A neutral like raw sienna or Payne’s gray
• An unusual or granulating pigment that excites you

From this small set, you can create dozens of nuanced tones by mixing.

Bonus tip: Make a color mixing chart. It’s both a reference and a form of creative meditation.

Build Mood-Based Palettes

Once you know your core set, try creating palettes based on feeling or season:

• Calm and gentle: soft pinks, neutrals, light greens
• Bold and expressive: magenta, ultramarine, deep gold
• Earthy and grounded: ochres, forest green, rust red
• Dreamy and fluid: lavender, teal, moonlight gray

Let your mood guide your choices. Let your brush reflect your energy.

Pay Attention to Pigment Personality

Handmade paints often behave differently from mass-produced ones. They might:

• Separate into two colors
• Create textured granulation
• Shift when dry

Get to know each pigment as a being—not just a color. This deepens your bond with your materials and helps you mix with more intention.

Want to take it deeper?
- Explore: What Makes Watercolor Unique?
- New to painting? Start here: A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Started