The Urban Sketching Handbook Working with Color

KEY IV

LIMITED COLOR

It seems odd to write a book about color and include a chapter about reducing the number of colors you use. But, despite having palettes filled with several dozen colors, I often severely limit my choices when I’m sketching.

Using a limited palette—and by that I mean narrowing your choices to one, two, or three pigments—immediately solves the perennial problem of which color best represents what you see. Limiting your palette also does three important things. First, it helps you focus on the all-important lights and darks. Second, it enables you to separate out or draw attention to a single area of your sketch. And, finally, it creates chromatic unity and harmony in your sketches.

Once you see the stunning results you get ...