How to - Clear color charts
Topics covered in this article:
— Basic steps for How To Do the 13 MPG (8.5”x14”) sheets
— 3 methods for completing the TCG (8.5”x11”), Two Color Gradient sheets
— FAQ
© Copyright 2025. Mark Olivero. All rights reserved. This article is copyrighted and may not be copied or used without written permission from the author, Mark Olivero.
How To for the 13 clear color chart sheets
The following steps will guide you through completing the color/value exercises in the My Palette Graph system.
Items you may need in addition the color chart sheets are...
- 12 tube colors (or less) of your preference for a balanced palette
- A tube or two of white oil. I recommend Gamblin Flake White Replacement. It is made from Titanium White (PW6) — the most popular white — but dries faster than regular Titanium White (PW6). Using a faster drying white seems to work better on the clear sheets in the MPG kit.
- A drying medium of your preference. I use M. Graham’s Walnut Alkyd Oil. Galkyd is another good option.
- Disposable gloves (to minimize paint getting on hands)
- A 12x16 board (to temporarily secure MPG sheets while applying paint to the squares)
- A roll of 1” or 3/4” medium tac painter’s tape
- A small utility knife (to lift the corner of mask)
- A pair of tweezers (to pull up mask after lifting a corner)
- An 8x10 sheet of glass (if not using your existing glass palette)
- A palette knife (to mix and apply paint to the MPG squares). I use a 1” angle palette knife.
- A fine tip permanent marker (to write abbreviations below each color string)
For my own MPG set of color/value sheets I prefer using a 1" angled palette knife. For me I found the 1” angle tip easier for applying the paint to the squares on the MPG sheets. A brush for applying paint is also a possibility if you like the variation of texture and glaze produced by most brushes. In my own MPG set I wanted an even paint film which is simpler to achieve with a palette knife. A even paint film seems to work better for the clear nature of the MPG sheets. Either way, it’s your choice.
Step 1: If available there is preliminary info in the Cautions, Guidelines & Tips included in the MPG kit.
Also, for your own the MPG color/value system you will want to make the following to get started.
- 1 Grey Backer (8”x10”) for use under a glass palette (more info in Step 2).
- 13 pre-masked, primed 8.5x14 MPG sheets. The first one is the Master Color sheet which has room for up to 12 tube colors (more info in Step 4). The following 12 Color Dominant sheets will provide a way to work through the color/value exercises where one tubed pigment is dominant for that sheet in its mixtures (more info in Step 5).
- 1 black binder cover to hold your completed MPG sheets after they have fully cured (may take several weeks to cure).
- 1 pre-masked, primed Grayscale Card (more info in Step 3).
- 6 pre-masked, primed Two Color Gradient sheets (more info in Step 6).
It also may be helpful to read Chapter Eight in Richard Schmid’s book, Alla Prima II: Everything I Know About Painting…And More. Publisher’s page.
Above: Some completed sheets from own set of clear graphs along with the original Alla Prima and Alla Prima II in my growing library of art books
Step 2: Tape the 8x10 cardboard Gray Backer under a glass palette of any size or under an 8x10 sheet of glass. Tape the outer rim of glass with tape to avoid any sharp edge being exposed.
If you prefer to not use a glass palette it is recommended you use a palette for mixing that has a similar grey value as the grey primer on the MPG sheets. Using a palette with either the same grey value as the primer on the MPG sheets or similar will make it easier to match the values you want in a given color string. Early on I have used either a white or dark palette and found it harder to get a consistent string of values when applying the mixtures onto my own MPG sheets. That difficulty was solved for me by using the same grey value under my clear mixing surface as the grey value on the pre-primed MPG and Two Color Gradient sheets.
Step 3: Mix the shades of white to black for your Grayscale Card. Set aside to dry and cure.
The Grayscale Card gives you 10 spaces to mix paint values from white to black (or deep gray). Note: If you prefer to work with 9 values instead of 10 you can leave one space blank. The short side of these spaces is the same dimension as the height of the squares on the 13 MPG sheets. Once you have mixed the series of values for the Grayscale Card you can use the Grayscale Card to determine the values of the mixtures on the 13 MPG sheets as well as the Two Color Gradient sheets. The Grayscale Card is a key piece in the MPG color/value system since it helps you see -- from your own set of tubed pigments -- BOTH their tinting interactions and values. No doubt it is helpful to use printed color wheels, color cards or fan decks. The ideal tools for an artist are those made from the actual tubed pigments we use in our own palette. Thus, the Grayscale Card is the primary reference tool in the MPG system that helps us in gauging values.
I recommend that you secure the Grayscale Card to a board or table before applying the mixtures. You can use medium tac painter's tape along the top long edge and bottom long edge to secure the card to a hard surface such as a board or table. Once you have completed the Grayscale Card it will be easier to remove the center masking while the painter's tape holds the card to the board or table.
Next, you will want to determine whether to have the grays to go from black to white in a left to right row or in a right to left row. If we assume that the gray primed edge is positioned on the bottom (as in the pic above), then the the black should be on the right if you want your mixtures on MPG sheets to go from darkest on the bottom to lightest on the top of each column or darkest on top of the column to lightest on bottom of the column. This latter format is what Richard Schmid used on his color charts. In my own MPG 13 sheets I mixed them with darkest on the bottom of the column to lightest on top. This is decision is vital for how you will later use the Grayscale Card to gauge values of mixtures when holding the Grayscale Card next to a column of mixtures. Also, you may want to consider how you will hold the completed Grayscale Card if you are right handed or left handed as to how to run the series of grays from light to right or right to left.
Next, you will want to choose the white you plan to use throughout the whole project of completing the 13 MPG. Apply the tubed white to one end of the Grayscale Card. I mixed a drier medium (like M. Graham's Alkyd Walnut Oil or Gamblin's Alkyd Medium) with the white I used when doing my Grayscale Card as well as all the mixtures for the 13 MPG sheets. This addition help speed up the cure time of these mixtures. Even with adding a drier medium the mixtures after applied to the MPG kit sheet can take several weeks to cure. This extended cure time is likely due to the non-porous surface of the clear sheets.
Next, you can choose which black or deep gray you plan to use throughout the whole project. In my own art work I do not use black, but if so sparingly. I prefer to use a deep charcoal grey. Whether you use a black (or a dark gray) you will place that mixture at the other end of the Grayscale card from the white. Again, you can determine which space to put this black (or dark gray) on based upon your preference for a 10 value scale or a 9 value scale.
Next, I recommend that you mix the value string that will go between the white and black (or dark gray) of the Grayscale Card before placing the mixtures on the Grayscale Card. Mix the string with all these grays in piles (8 or 7) on your palette. That way you can adjust their shades so they appear to move evenly from darkest to light. Then, once you are satisfied with this string of gray mixtures you can apply them to the Grayscale Card. It is possible to adjust them further after they have been applied, but not nearly as convenient as mixing on your palette beforehand. If I find I need to adjust a gray space then I use a palette knife to scrap off that paint, place it back onto the mixing palette and adjust as needed.
Once you have decided the string of gray mixes is complete on the card you can remove the center masking from one end of the card to the other. The small utility knife you purchased separately can be used to start peeling a corner of the center mask. Then, the tweezers you purchased separately can be used to pull up the center masking off the card. It is recommended that artists use disposable gloves when working with oil paints. Using gloves may help keep paint off your fingers when peeling mask. If you can peel the masking off without getting paint on your fingers all the artists who do will esteem you with great admiration — me included. After the center masking, painter's tape and top masking strip is removed you can set the Grayscale Card aside to dry and cure. As noted in the Cautions, Guidelines & Tips you will want to avoid storing it near a heat source, in a hot vehicle or in direct sunlight. Since this card and the other sheets in the MPG system are a kind of clear plastic it is best not to store any of them in direct sunlight, near a heat source or in a hot vehicle.
KEY TERMINOLOGY: If you are in the learning phase of color theory it is useful to have a working knowledge of key terms about the mixture of pigments. Here is a short list that will give you the basics.
Hue - A color in his technical placement on a typical color wheel or schema such as the primary or secondary colors, Red, Blue, Yellow or Green, Purple, Orange, Blue-Purple, Yellow-Orange, etc.
Chroma - The intensity of a given hue or mixture.
Value - The degree of darkness or lightness of any tube paint or color mixture. Values are often visualized on a grayscale in either 9 or 10 values from white to black with gradients of gray in between.
Temperature: The degree warmth or coolness of color mixture. The temperature of a color mixture will vary not only in relation to its technical hue, but also when it is placed next to other mixtures.
Tint - A mixture of a color when adding white
Tone - A mixture of a color when adding some degree or value of gray.
Shade - A mixture of a color when adding black.
Neutral - A mixture of colors that lands in the grey zone. Of course, due to color relativity, a color may appear grey next to certain colors and more vibrant next to others.
Halftone - A patch of color with a value in the middle of the values range of the painting or a patch of color that is between a dark value and a lighter value. Halftones help give shapes their form.
Mud - A bland mixture from adding too many other colors that ends up looking like mud. Fun times!
Step 4: Remove the Master Color (first sheet) from the MPG binder, if you have one. If there is a tissue sheet underneath it you will want to dispose of it. The tissue sheet would have been placed there for transporting the clear sheets. It is not advised to reuse the tissue between completed clear sheets since the tissue will likely adhere to the paint.
The Master Color sheet will help you see how your chosen palette of tubed pigments look when mixed with white. The above pic is of my completed Master Color sheet. The following info gives you suggestions for getting started with your own Master Color sheet. Again, it is best to use the same white throughout the whole project of working on your 13 MPG graphs. You may later decide to vary the white(s) you use when working through various mixtures for the Two Color Gradient sheets. Using the same white, the same pigments and their corresponding manufacturers throughout the 13 MPG sheets will give a consistency to the completed set. This consistency will make the MPG set a great reference tool. Experimenting later in comparison to the MPG as a reference tool with expand the value of this color/value set.
To begin, write abbreviations for pigments and brand under each color column. For example: Raw Umber from Winsor Newton would be RU/WN. I used a fine tip permanent marker to write these abbreviations on the gray section at the bottom of each sheet.
As with the Grayscale Card it is recommended you temporarily secure the card to a hard surface such as canvas board, gesso board or table. I used an 12x16 gesso board and medium tac painter's tape. The painter's tape may be placed around the edges of all four side of the sheet, but you may find that securing a sheet on the top and bottom will work. There is a 1/4' band of masking along the top edge which is a separate piece of masking from the masking for each column. Place the painter's tape on this top band of masking without covering the column masking so that it will be easier to remove the column masking as you work on completing each MPG sheet.
Once, you have finished applying the mixtures to a column it is best to remove the masking for that column the same day. Waiting can cause the paint film to have a torn or uneven edge if the masking is removed after the paint film has started to dry or even when cured. The small utility knife is helpful for getting a corner of the masking up and the tweezer is helpful for removing it from a column.
NOTE: If you happen to get paint on clear area around a completed square or squares it is best to wait until the whole sheet has fully cured to address this matter. When the sheet is fully cured you may want to use a rounded edge tool (such as a new palette knife) or non-cutting edge tool to gently remove the stray paint. There is also the possibility that may be some bleed-through from the primer which can happened to masked surfaces. If so it is also best to wait till the sheet has fully cured and the same rounded, soft edge tool can be used to gently remove the primer.
When the Master Color sheet is complete and masking removed you can set it aside to dry and cure in dry place away from direct sunlight and away from a heat source or vent. I set up a rack from which I hung my completed sheets so they could cure in my garage area away from airborne dust and direct sunlight. Cure times will vary depending on the thickness of the paint film, whether you use a drier medium or not, the pigments, the climate and time of year (for example, Summer vs Winter).
Step 5: Begin the same process for each of the 12 Color Dominant sheets.
1) Temporarily secure the sheet to board or hard surface with medium tac painter's tape
2) Label the sheet with the name of color dominant for that sheet
3) Apply color out of the tube to the larger square at the bottom right
4) Remove masking for that outer column
5) Mix a small pile of paint for the next column to the left of the main column. In this process for each column you will want to mix the color dominant pigment in greater proportion to the others. Of course, this proportion will be easier to notice and determine when mixing a darker pigment with a lighter pigment. In the case of two pigments close in value -- whether darker with darker or lighter with lighter -- you may want to experiment so a difference in dominance mixtures will be even slightly noticeable from one sheet to the next.
6) Use the Grayscale Card to help you see the pigment mixtures in relation to a series of values. This added step of noticing values as well as tinting actions of the tube paints will be a vital process is mastering your own palette of pigments.
7) You may also want to journal your observations about that sheet before moving to the next MPG sheet. I have found this a very good step in getting know my pigments and how the tinting strengths vary, how they react when mixed with white or even later how they will be react when mixed with shades of gray. Keeping a written record of your impressions about this process can speed up your master of practical color usage.
3 Methods — Two Color Gradient sheets
The Two Color Gradient sheets are where the power of the MPG color/value system shows its power. The Two Color Gradient sheets will expand your ability to see nuances in color and their values in relation to one another.
Malcom Gladwell’s 10,000 hours is well know as the boundary point where a student goes from amateur to master. However, exercises such as these may help shorten that time frame. With both the MPG sheets and the TCG sheets you will learn how to mix specific shades of color with your tube paints. Have you ever had the experience of mixing and mixing and mixing until it somehow it finally comes out right? We know what it’s like to do the hit or miss approach to painting. This color/value system gives the artist a precise method to get the same shade of color each time.
The purpose of the Two Color Gradient sheets is to give artist an additional layer of experience is the range and versatility of his chosen pigments. You’ll notice that a Two Color Gradient sheet has an upper field and lower field. Thus, each TCG sheet has room for two color/value exercises. Here are a 3 methods you can use to learn further how your tubed pigments interact with one another.
A. Gradients of 2 pigments plus degrees of white
1) Temporarily secure with painter's tape the sheet to a board or hard surface.
2) Write abbreviations of the tubed pigments to be used, one on left side and the other on the right side.
3) Across the top row of a field mix 2 tubed colors in degrees of tinting strength from one to the other.
4) You will need to mix piles of each gradient large enough to then mix later with white. Add a drier medium according to your preference and manufacturers recommendations.
5) Mix these gradient piles in varying degrees with white from darkest to lightest
6) Try to do one field in one sitting or in one day so that the mixtures will be consistent throughout the field.
6) Then, remove the masking from the field the same day it is completed. This masking is different than that pre-masked for you on the 13 MPG sheets. It has been applied all in one piece and should be removed with a tweezers from one corner to the next.
B. Gradient of 2 pigments plus degrees of gray *
* Begin with 1) and 2) as above in option A
3) Choose 1 pigments to mix and a gray of your choice .
4) Then, mix just these 2 pigments with a gray of your choice to result in a neutral of these two pigments. Some paint manufacturers make pre-mixed neutrals or grays in their line of tubed paints. For example, Williamsburg Paints offers a set, Gamblin offers its own set, Portland Grey, and other grays are available from paint manufacturers such as Michael Harding, Utrecht, Creative Mark, Winsor Newton, etc.
4) Many accomplished artists speak of how important it is to have a mastery of neutrals. A common way to achieve vibrant neutrals that don't end up like mud is to learn how to mix them in proper proportions to degrees of gray.
5) Once, you have mixed the 2 pigments with gray across the top row you can then add white in varying degree to each of those piles to then fill in the rest of the squares in the field.
6) Keep testing or experimenting with various ways to achieve neutrals which will work well with your own painting style and subject matter.
C. Gradients of 1 pigment and gray plus white **
** As with items 1) and 2) above in option A begin this version of the Two Color Gradient sheet
3) Choose 2 pigments to mix which will later be applied to the top row.
Thank you for taking time to read this list of suggestions. We present these will the intent to help you succeed in color mastery of your own palette. We an indeed learn a great deal from watching how other artist use their pigments. Yet, it is when you enter into a the experience of using your own in their many combinations that you will enjoy the pleasures of color mastery.
This information is provided from the experience and research of the artist Mark Olivero with Olivero Artworks and MyPalletteGraph. Thanks for stopping by.
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