The Zorn palette
Anders Zorn's famous four colors (yellow ochre, a warm red, ivory black and white), why they work, and how to mix with them.
Anders Zorn (1860–1920) was a Swedish painter, etcher and sculptor, and one of the most sought-after portrait painters of his day in Europe and America. He's remembered for confident, fluid brushwork, glowing skin, and scenes of rural life around his home in Mora, Sweden.
The palette named after him is yellow ochre, a warm red (he used vermilion), ivory black and white. Zorn didn't always limit himself to these four, but many of his portraits show how much color they can suggest, and the palette has become a classic exercise.
Pick your four tubes
Why it works
Ivory black is a cool, slightly bluish black. Next to warm ochre and red it reads as a blue, so the palette behaves like a muted set of primaries: ochre and black make olive greens, black and white make blue-greys, red and white make pinks, and all three make an endless range of skin tones and browns.
Because every mixture shares the same few pigments, the colors always harmonize. And because none of them is very intense, you're pushed to get values and temperatures right, which is what makes a portrait read as real.
How the colors are chosen today
- Yellow ochre: natural ochre (PY43 Yellow Ochre / Raw Sienna (natural)) is slightly duller and softer; synthetic yellow oxide (PY42 Yellow Iron Oxide (Mars Yellow)) is cleaner and more opaque. Either works.
- Red: genuine vermilion (PR106 Vermilion) is expensive and contains mercury, so most painters use cadmium red light (PR108 Cadmium Red). For a cadmium-free version, pyrrole scarlet (PR255 Pyrrole Scarlet) is the closest.
- Black: ivory or bone black (PBk9 Ivory / Bone Black) is the traditional choice; it's transparent and cool in mixes. Mars black (PBk11 Mars Black (black iron oxide)) is more opaque and dries faster.
- White: Zorn used lead white (PW1 Lead White (Flake / Cremnitz)), which is warm and creamy. Titanium white (PW6 Titanium White) is far less toxic but cooler and stronger, so it can make skin tones chalky; a titanium-zinc white or a little ochre in the white helps.
Cadmium, lead and mercury are toxic metals. See safer pigments for handling and alternatives.
Mixing tips
- Start with a value scale: mix five steps from white to black, then the same with ochre and with red, to learn the range.
- Light skin: white + ochre + a touch of red. Cool it in the half-tones with a little black.
- Shadows: red + black, warmed with ochre; keep shadows thinner and warmer than the lights.
- Greens: ochre + black, lifted with white. They're soft olives, ideal for backgrounds and clothing.
- “Blues”: black + white. Placed next to warm skin they read as blue.
- Keep it clean: use separate brushes for warm and cool mixtures, and add black in tiny amounts; it overpowers quickly.
Variations
- Zorn plus blue: add ultramarine (PB29 Ultramarine Blue) for clearer blues and greens without losing the harmony.
- Cooler reds: swap in a crimson such as PR177 Anthraquinone Red for more pinks and violets.
- Earthier: add burnt sienna (PR101 Red Iron Oxide (Mars / Burnt Sienna)) for richer darks and warm browns.
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