Paint Smarter, Not Harder: Why Pre-Mixing Colors Can Transform Your Art Process with Debra Huse

Imagine starting your painting session with every color you need already perfectly placed on your palette. No frantic mixing in the middle of your process. No struggling to recreate that perfect shade of orange or green.

That’s how Debra Huse, Ep.98, approaches her palette setup.

Huse organizes her colors in a color wheel, working from yellow on the left and moving around to end in greens. But here’s the twist: Debra doesn’t always rely solely on tube colors—she sometimes uses custom-mixed paints.

And you can too, even without a custom paint manufacturer at your fingertips.

As artists, we’re often taught to squeeze paint straight from the tube and mix on the fly. But what if you could save time and effort by prepping some of your colors ahead of time?

Have you ever found yourself interrupting the flow of your painting to mix a secondary or tertiary color? Or struggled to match a color you mixed earlier in the session? These challenges can slow you down and disrupt your creativity.

By pre-mixing certain colors—like secondary or dark tones—you can streamline your process and focus more on the joy of painting.

Put it to Practice:

Here’s how you can apply Debra Huse’s practical palette tips to your own painting process:

Think Beyond the Tube: There’s no rule saying your palette must only include pure tube colors. Pre-mixing your secondary or tertiary colors can make your painting process smoother and more enjoyable.

Set Up Your Palette Like a Color Wheel: Organize your colors in the order of a color wheel, starting with yellow on the left and moving through warm tones, cool tones, and ending with greens. This logical setup helps you see relationships between colors and simplifies mixing on the go.

Pre-Mix Secondaries and Darks: If you know you’ll need specific secondary colors (like a vibrant orange or a rich purple), mix them ahead of time and place them on your palette.

For example, blend your red and yellow to create an orange and give it its own spot.

You’ll still adjust colors as you go, but by premixing the main colors and organizing them ahead of time, you’ll save you time during the painting process, create visual consistency across your work, and it helps keep you in the creative flow once you start the painting itself. (Because you have to pause less to deal with technical issues like mixing colors.)

By preparing a few key colors in advance, you can maximize the versatility of your setup and focus on building the painting instead of mixing mid-session.

Setting up your palette doesn’t have to be rigid or traditional. By organizing your colors thoughtfully and pre-mixing key hues, you can streamline your painting process and make your sessions more productive.

Take inspiration from Debra Huse’s approach and customize it to fit your needs. The next time you start a painting, spend a few extra minutes pre-mixing colors and see how it transforms your experience.

What colors will you pre-mix for your next piece? Share your results and join the conversation with fellow artists—we’d love to hear about your experience!