Written by The number three is a magical number. And this is a story of threes. Three artists chose three of their favorite colors from Da Vinci Paints and turned them into a Da Vinci Trio, three sets of three colors each. These Da Vinci Trios were then used to introduce a new line of 8 ml watercolor tubes.
The three fantastic artists who chose the colors are Charlie O’Shields, Jennifer McLean, and Tonya Lee. I own many colors by Da Vinci Paint Co. I’ve even bought colors that I already own in other brands because I love the strong color and even consistency. They’re wonderful to use right from the tube, but re-wet easily and dry to a nice consistency in a pan – not too wet, not too dry.
Each Da Vinci Trio set comes with a chart of the colors and the mixes you can achieve as well as a little bit about the artist that chose the colors.
The charts are good to have, but I always like to try mixing colors on my own, and I prefer to do this by actually painting something. I call it noodling, because I don’t get serious. I just play with the colors without worrying about technique.
To show you what you can do with these trios, for each one, I made a video of my noodling, a painting with the neutral mixes, and then a full out painting where I tried putting the colors (and myself) through their paces. Even though each artist chose the trios with a specific theme in mind, I wanted to show their flexibility as well.
So, let’s get started…
Charlie’s “Shiny” Da Vinci Trio
The colors in Charlie’s Trio are:
These are all single pigment colors which means you’ll be less likely to get muddy mixes. The surprise for me, in this trio, was Nickel Azo Yellow. Ugly out of the tube, it becomes a beautiful clear yellow when you paint on paper. Who knew that paints came in ugly ducklings?
Noodling Around
The minute I saw that chart, Charlie’s ‘shiny’ colors screamed Steampunk! at me. No. Make that ShinyPunk!
Playing with the Neutrals
Animals are a good way to trot out the neutrals, so I painted this Polish Draft Horse.
Really Cutting Loose
For my full painting, I wanted to capture light. This trio gave me a Portal to the Imagination.
Jennifer’s “Juicy” Da Vinci Trio
The colors in Jenn’s Trio are:
Another set of single pigment colors, all of which are highly transparent and staining. The surprise for me, in this trio, came from mixing Red Rose Deep and Phthalo Green. I expected brownish grays. Instead I got lovely purple grays.
Noodling Around
Jennifer’s trio brought florals to my mind. A rose is a rose is a rose, so of course that’s what I painted.
Playing with the Neutrals
Such bright colors, but ah! Those lovely purple-grays. I used this trio to paint a Percheron horse.
Really Cutting Loose
With this full painting I wanted to capture transparency. This trio gave me some Wild Peaches, and an array of yellows, oranges and pinks. Though I didn’t use them here, it’s equally easy to mix purples, greens and grays.
Tonya’s “Nature” Da Vinci Trio
The colors in Tonya’s Trio are:
This trio is great for deep, rich darks. It’s a convenience set that lets you capture the atmosphere of a scene quickly. The surprise for me with this trio was the way I could capture light.
Noodling Around
When most people see the rich greens you can mix with this trio, they think of landscapes, but me… I’m thinking Raptors, Dragons and Crocodiles!
Playing with the Neutrals
You can mix some truly dark neutrals with this set, so I painted this handsome black Shire horse.
Really Cutting Loose
With this full painting I wanted to capture dark and light. This trio gave me a Morning Glory.
Overall
The new 8 ml tubes from Da Vinci are a handy, economical size that come in trio sets and are currently exclusively available on the Da Vinci Paint Co. website. Though each artist chose their favorite colors with specific subjects in mind, the colors are flexible enough to paint a wide range of subjects.
My Tools
Da Vinci 8 ml watercolors / Hahnemühle Mixed Media Bamboo paper, Watercolour Postcards & William Turner Cold-Pressed Watercolour paper (not shown) / Princeton Snap Brush Size 6, Princeton Neptune Quill Size 4 (not shown) and Zebra Pen PM-701 Permanent Marker.
Learn More about this project and these artists by visiting this article: Introducing Da Vinci Watercolor Trios.
Disclaimer
I purchased all three of the Da Vinci trios with my own money. I received no considerations, though this post may contain affiliate links which help support Doodlewash. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.
Oh my word Sandra – you’re amazing! I love every piece you created throughout the entire process. Naturally, the flowers are my favourite. 😍❤️😍
Those baby palettes – love!!! Where did you find them, please?
Thank you, Yvonne! Are you asking about the little dishes? They are plastic dishes from a condiment set I picked up for a dollar at BiMart. They’ve come in so handy.
What a fantastic review Sandra. You made my trio look awesome. That rose and your beautiful horse show just how versatile that paint it. Every single piece is beautiful. Thank you my friend!
My pleasure, Jennifer! Thank you for choosing such lovely colors!
Great review and wonderful art. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Laura!
Amazing review, videos, paintings! Thanks for showing us all what these colors can do.
Thank you, Sharon! I had a terrific time doing these.
Those 3 sets are at the top of my wish list Just beautiful
Thank you! You can do some truly wonderful things with these sets!
Simply wonderful works!! You inspire me every day!
Thank you, Jean!
Your method of testing the color mixes of the paints is marvelous. Thanks for doing such an informative review! I love the horses, and well, the rest of your paintings too! lol
Thank you so much, Jill!
Love your review of the Trios! I liked that you created neutrals as well as full-out colourful paintings. Noodling around shows so much. You know I’m a fan of your art-loved all your wonderful paintings!
Thank you, Susan! I’m glad you enjoyed the noodling!
Love your review, my favorite the Peaches! Beautiful
Thank you, Dena!
Awesome review! I’m so glad to spread the word about #DaVinci and #Davincimoment , your work really showed the range, I especially loved the light in the trees!🤗