Why Buying More Colours Is Not the Answer (Even Though It Feels Like It Should Be)

Okay I say this with a lot of love and zero judgment because I absolutely did this for years: buying more and more individual colours when your paintings aren't going the way you want is not the answer.

It feels like it should be. More colours means more options, more options means more chance of finding something that works. The logic is completely sound. It just doesn't play out that way in practice.

What actually happens when you have a huge collection of colours that were all bought individually because they looked nice is that you have a lot of things that don't particularly belong together. And making good choices from that collection is really hard, it requires colour knowledge most beginners don't have yet. So you end up cycling through the same few colours you trust while everything else sits in a drawer feeling vaguely accusatory.

More paint. Same problem. Plus a drawer full of guilt.

The thing that actually makes a difference (and this is one of those counter-intuitive things that's hard to believe until you experience it) is fewer colours that were specifically chosen to work as a set. A small, curated palette where everything harmonises gives you better results and a better experience than fifty random tubes ever will.

It's not about quantity. It's about the relationship between the colours.

Plinky Paints sets are built around this idea completely. Not huge ranges, just the right colours, chosen because they belong together. Everything in the set works with everything else. You can reach for anything and know it's going to be fine.

Stop adding to the collection. Start with something that was actually designed to work.

Find your perfect palette here!