Can using a limited palette take your painting skills to the next level? 

The short answer is yes. 

A limited palette forces you out of color-mixing habits. If you don’t have a color “grass green” you’ll have to mix it from scratch, and you’re more likely to get the right green that way. James Gurney

I have used my time off from my usual projects and teaching for the Christmas/New Year seasons to polish my painting skills more. Part of how I am doing this is reading some books and doing small studies using what I have learned. While a lot of what I read was review it is always good to go back to the basics. This is why I am using a limited palette. All the paintings below were done in my 5x8in Moleskin watercolor sketchbook. For reference I used photos I took on my phone. 

Later I will show more of my sketchbook paintings. Until then, enjoy and have a Happy New Year.