A Trio of Triads

Hi, friends! I’m here at Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon, and I have a trio of triads I’ve been using lately to share, along with ways to combine both the Small (originally released in 2024) and Large Triad Templates that I co-designed with Art Toolkit!

Hope these spark ideas for you—wherever you live!

Triad #1: It’s All About the Greens

When I was planning my palette for an artist residency at Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, one of the most biologically diverse places in North America, I knew I’d be mixing greens nonstop.

A hand holds a circular color wheel with various watercolor paint swatches arranged in a rainbow spectrum, against a blurred background of vibrant green and yellow foliage. — Go-to green triad: Rich Green Gold, Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet, and Phthalo Blue (RS).

A dirt path winds through a lush forest filled with tall trees and vibrant green underbrush under a clear blue sky. — So many greens along the Green Mountain Loop, part of the PCT!

Lush green meadow in the foreground leads to rolling mountains in the background under a mostly blue sky with scattered clouds. — Pilot Rock in the distance, a Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument landmark.

A hand holds an open sketchbook featuring a watercolor landscape of rolling mountains and pine trees under a blue sky with fluffy clouds. The page is marked with a date and location, indicating it was created at the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon. — Putting the green triad to use in a field sketch of Pilot Rock.

I started exploring some options and hit upon Rich Green Gold (PY129) as a “base” green. Adding Phthalo Blue (Red Shade) gives the perfect green for conifers glowing in the light, and Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet neutralizes the mixes for a good green shadow color, forming a nontraditional triad! (You can also try Deep Scarlet in place of Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet for this one.)

A majestic snow-capped mountain rises in the distance, surrounded by rolling hills and dense forests under a clear blue sky. Green trees dominate the foreground, adding depth to the landscape. — There are so many different greens in this landscape, from conifers to lichens!

Rich Green Gold plus a little Hansa Yellow Medium were perfect for lichens in the fog.

Highlights from the trail!

I love these greens so much, and I think Rich Green Gold is going to become a palette staple!

Triad #2: Spectacular Sunsets

The sunsets here at the Monument have been spectacular, and I wanted to create a triad with Quinacridone Coral as the red—it’s my go-to red for sunsets. So in this triad, I used Hansa Yellow Medium as my yellow, and Cerulean Blue for those cool blues and purples that peek out of the clouds.

A watercolor palette featuring a color wheel sits beside a paintbrush and a protractor on a wooden surface. An open sketchbook displays a vibrant sunset landscape painted in watercolors. — A triad for sunsets!

A serene lake at sunset, reflecting vibrant shades of pink, orange, and blue in the water. Silhouetted trees line the horizon against a colorful sky. — See the coral tones?

A vibrant sunset paints the sky in shades of pink, purple, and orange over a calm lake. The shoreline is lined with lush greenery, and silhouettes of trees can be seen in the background against the colorful reflection on the water. — Another spectacular sunset at Hyatt Lake, starring Quinacridone Coral!

A serene watercolor landscape depicting a calm river at sunset. Silhouetted trees line the riverbank, with vibrant colors of orange, pink, and purple reflecting on the water's surface. Soft hues in the sky create a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere. — A larger painting with first two triads!

I love how Cerulean Blue and Quinacridone Coral combine to create a dusky purple, perfect for those wispy sunset clouds. In fact, I love having Quinacridone Coral on my palette so much for sunsets, I built a triad around it! Then, I tested the triad with a sketch in my 100% Cotton Hahnemühle Book.

Triad #3: Tints and Shades

For this third triad, I used a traditional CMY (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow) made up of Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Rose, and Phthalo Blue (Green Shade)—but with a twist: I stacked the Small and Large Triad Templates to add extra spots to explore tints and shades.

Two color wheel templates are displayed on textured white paper. The left wheel showcases various shades of pinks, reds, and purples, while the right wheel features greens, blues, yellows, and oranges. Both wheels have a circular design with black measurement markers around the edges. — I stacked the Small and Large Triad Templates together to add extra spots to explore tints (on the left) and shades (on the right). The inner ring has the traditional CMY triad.

Stacking the Triads

Here’s one way to stack the two Triad Templates together.

A circular tria template with radial markings, resting on a cross-section of a tree trunk that shows growth rings. — Stacking two Triad Templates creates concentric circles and mixing sections to explore more mixes with one triad!

A circular diagram divided into six segments, with angles marked at 60, 120, and 240 degrees highlighted in yellow. Red arcs connect the segments to indicate divisions. — Pencil outline of templates plus a ring to divide pigment from tint/shade mix (red) and lines to split complementary color mixes (yellow).

First trace the Large Triad Template as usual, making sure to add the center registration hole.
Place the Small Triad Template on top, lining up the center registration holes and the dividing lines.
Make tick marks at the 60º, 180º, and 300º marks. Use a ruler to line up the tick mark with the center hole and draw a connecting line—see the yellow line in the example. This will divide the space vertically in half.
Trace around the Small Triad Template to divide the sections in half lengthwise—see the red line in the example.

Now you’re ready to explore color!

Two color wheel charts held up against a tree trunk. One wheel features bright, vibrant colors, while the other displays darker, more muted tones. Both are set on textured white paper. — Exploring tints (left) and shades (right)!

Exploring Tints

A tint is a lighter version of a color, and while we normally add water in watercolor to lighten, I wanted to play with using white paint instead. Here I’m using Chinese White, as it makes really neat patterns in juicy mixes. One thing to note is that adding white increases your mix’s opacity and makes it cooler in temperature.

Exploring Shades

A shade is a darker version of a color; traditionally, shades are made with black or Neutral Tint. Here I used Indigo to see what would happen, since Indigo is a combination of Indanthrone Blue and Lamp Black. Note the surprising green when it’s added to yellow!

A wooden table outdoors displays three watercolor wheel paintings surrounded by paint swatches. A color wheel guide and a paintbrush are also present. — A trio of triads exploring the greens of the forest, the pinks of sunset, and tint and shade.

I’m so excited to hold the Large Triad Template in my hands—it’s been a dream to collaborate with the Art Toolkit Team on these templates. Hope these triads inspired you to play with color, and happy painting!

— Lisa