In this lesson, Steve Huston explores two influential approaches to limited color. He demonstrates the Zorn palette of white, black, red, and yellow ochre, as well as the Brown School method, showing how master figure painters achieved a wide range of effects with a restricted set of pigments. This lesson reveals how a limited palette can serve as a powerful tool for unity and expression in figure painting.

This lesson belongs to the course Constructive Figure Painting I. In this 8-week course, master painter Steve Huston will lead you through the essentials of constructive figure painting. You will begin with the foundations of gesture and structure in drawing, then progress into painting through black-and-white studies, limited palettes, and expanded color. Each lesson builds sequentially, showing you how to organize values, simplify complex forms, and balance design with expressive brushwork. By the end of the course, you will have developed a strong foundation in gesture, structure, value, and color harmony that will prepare you for more advanced figure painting.

Throughout this course, you’ll have access to the NMA community for feedback and critiques to improve your work as you progress.