Paint for Landscape Painting

I use paint in large tubes, Utrect is an inexpensive very good paint. It is what I use if I can't afford Gamblin which I feel is the best.What is more expensive than Gamblin is usually in small tubes and one really has to know what it is that one feels is best. So I wouldn't splurge.

If you use small tubes you might want to have at least 2 tubes of Ultramarine Blue, Green Oxide, and Yellow Ochre , Black and White or the 150ml large tubes, if you plan on painting continuously .

Gamblin is more expensive and are good for landscape. One can only slightly tell the difference from Utrect, I can't really tell any difference. Some colors are more saturated meaning they don't disappear into a stronger color when mixing. This is the main way of telling if it is "better".

The below are just guidelines. I might disagree myself if questioned on some of these things. One needs to decide for ones self.

I try to use the most basic colors. These are arranged in an order on my pallette.






1. Utrect White,  is Titanium/ Zinc mixed

Titanium yellows by itself, and zinc is too transparent and cool by itself, a mixture is good.


2. Burnt Sienna, and Burnt Umber, must have both colors.

3. Yellow Ochre, these are simple earth colors pretty basic.


4. Alizarin Crimson

You only need a small tube goes a long way you will never use a whole tube before it dries up.


5. Cadmium Red "Hue" (not real cadmium), or Permanent Red, sometimes Napthol Red. A red red like Cad Rd Lt. I've tried not to use real Cadmium as it is expensive and poisonous. I use real cadmium if I am making something really red, as it is very saturated. But in small use I use a replacement, hue meaning it is made of other less expensive and less poisonous pigments. If you buy pure Cadmium use the Red Light. Cadmium is very poisonous so keep it off your bare skin.





6. Cerulean Blue Hue, a mixture of modern phthalocyanine pigment and white. Here the phthalocyanine is ok, but question any other tube of paint with this pigment. The pure Cerulean is expensive and greyer.

7. Ultramarine Blue You will use alot of this. The Ochre and Green Oxide also so have large tubes of these or at least two small.

( Pure phthalocyanine is a modern dye in alot of other blues and greens and is very powerful so it is cut with white in most cases, as it is in some blues like Prussian Blue, I would stay away from it in a pure state it is too strong on its own but nice in the Cerulean the Hue mix. Hue means that this is mixed to simulate the Real pigment usually very expensive or a poisonous pigment. I use the Hues in most cases.

8. Utrect Chromium Oxide Green, a greyish Green. I use this as a main green that I change with yellows and blues. It should be a grey green, sometimes called Green Earth, or Terra Verte.

(Watch out for the phthalocyanine in Permanent Green and Viridian, these colors easily make a beginners painting have a over green cast as it bleeds strongly into other colors.)

9. Permanent Green or Utrect Green, very bright green, small tube. No way to mix these intense colors but hardly used. This has phthalocyanine and why it is so strong-- can over take other colors in mixing.

10. Viridian, blue green like tropical ocean wave, small tube.

These last two greens can be mixed but are hard to get the intensity of Permanent green like sun on a lawn, or Viridian the sun on a transparent ocean wave.

Watch again these two greens have  phthalocyanine, Viridian and Permanent Green, it is very strong pigment which overwhelms other colors if one does not know how to use it. Why I use mainly  Utrect Chromium Oxide Green.

11. Cadmium Yellow Hue, or Hansa Yellow medium, is a modern yellow substitute for Cadmium Yellow Pure, one can use white to get the Lt Yellow.Hue means substitute for Pure Cadmium.

12. I use Pure Cadmium Yellow Medium, as that color is not as good in any substitute, and it is the strongest yellow. This is the one cadmium you might want to have.

Strong or saturated meaning it doesn't disappear into the other color as one mixes it. Can be small tube.


13. Mars/ Ivory mix Black Mars is very blue black and heavy.  Ivory Black, is warm and light weight. Like the white above it is best mixed I feel.

14. also Dioxazine Purple I hardly use it but sometimes-- small tube.

Two hints, these most popular colors below can be mixed better, I would not buy them.

Sap Green is transparent and not permanent, One can mix black and yellow to get this color.

Paynes Grey is Black and White and Ultramarine. Funny that these are the novice's favorite colors.


One always has a color here or there which one adds,

Or maybe you might have a whole different idea, it's possible, but take my advice above if you don't have a better idea for yourself you will evolve your own materials in time.