dont touch that colour!

 I'm currently working out a method for a commission this week.  I had originally worked it in oils, but unsatisfied with the result, I am now attempting it in watercolour. This time I have a photo supplied by the client to work with and have a much clearer idea of what she's after.  

cardboard covers the untouchables!

One of the things I've been working out is how to paint the warmth without using yellow.  Typically I work with various yellows and reds to achieve this.   The painting will adorn the wall of a room that my client is decorating... yellow in the painting doesn't work in the room.  So, I've spent the morning testing various pigment combinations to come up with some solutions to the ' warmth without yellow' conundrum.  
The truth is, I am employing one little hint of pale yellow; naples yellow, which is very opaque.  As an under-wash I'm hoping it will give warmth to the consecutive washes applied on top of it.
I cut out little squares of cardboard to cover the other colours( lots of yellow tones) on my palette so I dont forget and dip into them!...easy to do when I get into the groove with the process.  The limited palette tones I've chosen for this project are: Scarlet Lake, Quinachridone Magenta, Cobalt Turquoise, Permanent Sap Green and Cobalt Blue.  All are very transparent and make nice greys and taupes when mixed in various combinations. I'll add a touch of Burnt Umber as I near the end to pick out darks.