Exploring Explore Palettes in the Desert

Let’s explore the new Explore Palettes together! I was super excited to receive mine and couldn’t wait to get my brush in that fresh paint.

Start by Swatching

A black sketchbook with a sticker of Smokey Bear stating "ONLY YOU." Next to it are two watercolor palettes with vibrant colors and a brush, placed on a textured stone surface. — My sketchbook, with a sticker on it from the Smokey Bear Museum in Capitan, New Mexico, plus the two Explore Palettes.

Whenever I get a new palette the first thing I do is swatch out the colors. So I grabbed my Hahnemühle 100% Cotton Watercolor Book and sketched the palettes, then swatched the paints.

Tip: Trace the outline of the palette first so you get the proportions right, then sketch the rest in like Maria demonstrated in this video. Art Toolkit invites you to submit yours via this form—they may share another blog post in the future!

Watercolor palette swatches on a sketchbook open to two pages. One page features vibrant color swatches labeled with shades like "oranges," "purples," and "grays," while the opposite page shows a detailed watercolor kit with organized paints. The sketchbook is placed in front of a large, spiky green plant. — I perched my sketchbook on an agave for this photo!

After that I wanted to explore mixing secondary colors plus gray, mixing them both on the palette and on the paper. Here are the colors that I used, all from the Demi Explore Palette:

Orange: I tried mixing Hansa Yellow Medium with Permanent Red and Red Rose Deep so that I could see the variations — love them all!
Purple: My favorite mix here was Ultramarine Blue plus Red Rose Deep. Cerulean Blue Hue and Red Rose Deep is also pretty sweet.
Green: Both palettes come with Sap Green, which is a really nice base green. I tried adding bits of Hansa Yellow Medium, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue Hue, and Payne’s Gray to it to modify the base green — so many great greens!
Gray: My go-to gray mix — if I don’t have “palette gray” on my palette, meaning a grungy gray that you get by mixing whatever is on your palette — is Ultramarine Blue plus Burnt Sienna. I also tried mixing Burnt Sienna with Payne’s Gray and I love that one too!

Convenience Color Mixing Challenge!

I wanted to explore the Explore Palette more since it has four extra convenience colors, and I tried challenging myself to mix them with only the colors that are in the Demi Explore Palette.

A hand holds an open sketchbook showing color swatches and notes about watercolors. The background features rugged, mountainous terrain with desert vegetation. The left page lists qualities of a good palette, while the right page displays various watercolor swatches labeled with names. — Convenience color mixing challenge!

Yellow Ochre - I mixed a pretty close match to this using Hansa Yellow Medium and Burnt Sienna. When I’m sketching in the desert having Yellow Ochre on my palette is a must-have!
Da Vinci Violet - for this one I mixed Red Rose Deep plus Ultramarine Blue. I love this mix since the Ultramarine gives it a bit of granulation!
Burnt Umber - this one was mixed with Burnt Sienna plus a little Payne’s Gray.
Perylene Green - Payne’s Gray came to the rescue here again! Mixed with a little Sap Green it gives a pretty close approximation to Perylene Green.

I’ve really come to appreciate working with these colors! The palettes are so well put-together.

Adventure Sketching

Next, I took the palettes on some mountain adventures! I tested the paints on a mix of papers that I frequently use and was super impressed by how they performed. Highly recommend testing your paint on the papers you use the most.

Sierra Blanca Peak

I started out with a little landscape study of Sierra Blanca Peak on a scrap of Arches cold press paper near where we were camped in Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico. There were so many mountains all around us that I had a hard time choosing just one!

A hand holds a watercolor painting depicting a scenic landscape with rolling hills, a blue sky, and a distant mountain on a sunny day. — Sierra Blanca landscape study by Lisa Spangler.

A dry, hilly landscape with scattered trees and shrubs, showcasing golden grasses under a clear blue sky. In the distance, a mountain range is visible. — There were so many mountains around camp!

Can’t wait to turn this into a larger piece.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Next I took the Demi Explore Palette on a hike in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas and sketched some trail treasures.

My favorite sketch was totally unexpected! While stopped for a snack in the shade of a madrone tree I discovered the most gorgeous claret cup cactus — so of course I had to sketch it.

A vast desert landscape features rolling hills and rocky mountains under a clear blue sky. Sparse vegetation dots the dry terrain, creating a natural valley between the hills. — GUMO is the short name for Guadalupe Mountains 😄

A sketchbook resting on the ground with watercolor illustrations of flowers and a Texas outline. Nearby, a set of watercolor paints and a water brush. Bright red cactus flowers are in the background, surrounded by dry leaves and branches. — Trail treasures at Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Vibrant orange flowers bloom atop green cacti, surrounded by dried foliage and spiky thorns. — Claret cup blooming by the trail.

A rocky trail winds through a desert landscape dotted with shrubs and small trees, leading towards a mountainous backdrop under a clear blue sky. — Following the trail in Gumo.

Pro tip: Stamp your sketchbook with the park stamp before setting off on a hike in case the Visitor Center is closed when you get back!

Big Bend National Park

Last but not least, I took the Explore Palette and my Stillman & Birn Beta Series Softcover Sketchbook on The Window Trail at Big Bend National Park in Texas. Big Bend is one of my happy places, y’all!

The “window” is the gap formed by two mountains, and when you hike all the way to the end there’s a pour-off and an amazing view to the desert floor below. I just had to sketch it!

A watercolor sketchbook is held open, displaying a vibrant landscape with mountains and colorful plants. The background features a blurred view of a mountainous area under a clear blue sky. Sunlight filters through trees, creating a serene atmosphere. — My sketch of The Window.

A sketchbook and art supplies are placed on a rock in a desert landscape. The background features rugged mountains and lush greenery under a clear sky. — BIBE is short for Big Bend 😊

There’s nothing better than sitting on a rock and sketching with birdsong and a gentle breeze, amiright?

Thanks for coming along on my adventures — and never stop exploring color!

~ Lisa

A sketchbook open to pages titled "Exploring the New" and "Explore," featuring colorful watercolor swatches in orange and purple hues. A watercolor palette sits nearby, along with a pen. The background is textured and earthy. — Mixing secondary colors and neutrals with the Demi Explore Palette.

A person sits on a log in a rocky desert landscape, holding a framed picture. Behind them is a large rock formation with an arch and remnants of an ancient structure. Blue skies with some clouds are visible above. — Lisa holds a painting while seated on a fallen tree in the desert.