Continuing with a new week from the 2026 run through of Liz Steel’s watercolour course by doing the swatching exercises for four of our favourite colour mixing combinations.

Despite finalising my urban sketching watercolour palette in 2025, and vowing not to change it. I needed a replacement for New Gamboge, and did a pigment assessment of the other yellows I have on hand, to see if one of them would be a good replacement. Turns out Permanent Yellow Deep is a much better warm yellow to have in my palette, and here’s why.

Despite finalising my urban sketching watercolour palette in 2025, and vowing not to change it. I’m getting rid of my Phthalo Green and replacing it with a premixed green. But I wanted to make sure I could still create the beautiful bright turquoise that I love when mixing Phthalo Green and Phthalo Blue.

Kicking off a new run through of Liz Steel’s watercolour course by doing the first exercise, to create a swatch grid of every colour in my urban sketching palette in a watery wash, a juicy wash, and a pasty wash.

Refining my urban sketchers watercolour palette for 2026, by replacing Indigo Blue with Cobalt Blue. Exploring the way to mix replacements for my premixed greens. Discovering if I really have a use for my Phthalo Green.

An overview of the colours in my urban sketching palette and why they’re in there.

Here’s some tips and inspiration when you’re looking to refine your urban sketching watercolour palette to create a set that will be useful in any scenario. I worked with Jane Blundell a colour triad and watercolour mixing aficionado, to revamp my palette, and create one that would work for the subjects I like to paint.