Viviva Colorsheets Burnt Umber much like most brands of Burnt Umber, has it unique characteristics, this one being warmer and redder than some other brands. There just does not seem to be a lot of consistency, one brand to the next to what constitutes burnt umber, or for that matter burnt sienna. In this case, burnt umber is inching closer to what other brands might call burnt sienna. Nonetheless, this is a beautiful warm brown and its transparency and range of values makes it a nice addition to a nature sketchbook palette.

Viviva Colorsheets' Yellow Ochre is much closer to a very transparent warm yellow like New Gamboge. It has much less resemblance to most yellow ochre's in that they often only semi-transparent if not opaque. This yellow ochre does ride in the range of raw siennas and ochre with the addition of a warm orange component and the added benefit of the ability to wash way down to a very bright clear yellow. This Yellow Ochre and yesterday's Chrome Yellow with the different characteristics they exhibit remind me of the characteristic differences in the Evening Grosbeak and the Grosbeak, cleaner, cooler, brighter yellow, or warmer, more burnt orange yellow. 

Viviva's Chrome Yellow Colorsheet is reminiscent of New Gamboge and a lovely portion of their 16 Color Palette. It is transparent, vibrant and a stainer. It does lift with some effort but the yellow ghost it leaves does not go unnoticed. Just plan for that and it will be your best friend for a warm yellow when you are out in the field. 
Every year, for a couple of days in May, we get a great visitation from a number of Evening Grosbeaks. What a lovely, sunshine yellow treat.

Dusk Orange by Viviva in their "Original" Colorsheets Set is the yellow end of the spectrum when it comes to the reds and oranges in their sets. It is, then, a nice compliment to their offering and necessary to allow for a full range of color in a set that can be taken on a hike at a moments notice. This orange was exactly what I needed to make this little butterfly take flight.

Falling somewhere between Transparent Pyrrol Orange and Perinone Orange, this warm reddish orange pigment infused sheet from the Original Set of Viviva Colorsheets is stunning. A few years ago, a flaming orange dragon fly choose to land on my care antennae, and "hung out" with my granddaughters, daughter-in-law and I as a sort of gift after the recent passing of my daughter-in-laws father. That special visit has remained in our hearts and minds ever since. Painting the messenger today brought back many of the same emotions.

Viviva Colorsheet, Deep Pink is fairly similar to their Crimson, maybe just a tiny it more blue but not much. But like I said yesterday, I love red and this is beautiful. And yes, there really is a deep pink slug. Of course it is found in Australia, like many other very interesting, and sometimes deadly critters. This one, the Mount Kaputar Pink Slug, is about 8" long. 

Crimson is the first color in the "Original" set of Colorsheets by Viviva. I love red, but this red is gorgeous. And the berries were the perfect image to play with Crimson. It is a vibrant red similar to Cadmium Red Deep and delivers a full range of values.

Viviva's Metallic Sky Blue, the last of the Spring Collection, is again the interesting blend of iridescence and transparency. I experimented with layering Metallic Sky Blue over Slate Black, from the Viviva Colorsheets original set of colors to create this image of one of the gazing balls in the Chihully Garden and Glass exhibit at the Seattle Center. Had my watercolor skills been better, it may have been very successful, but in a quick sketch, this was a challenge outside my reach. Yet I learned a little more about painting glass along the way and this challenge is about learning, trying new colors, pushing my limits. With that in mind I would say this was a useful experiment with a fun color, Metallic Sky Blue.

Another of Viviva's Metallic Colorsheets in the Spring Collection, Metallic Light green also delivers a uniquely transparent metallic color that seems to float its iridescence on top of the color while allowing for a view to the layer underneath. The result is a not too sparkly but still dewy looking yellow green that made this little frog hiding in the grass fun to paint.

Viviva Colorsheets Metallic Baby Pink is a unique mix of iridescence and transparency that delivers a wide range of pinks from soft and delicate to intense nearly quinacridone rose. This was a fun one and a good excuse to paint a pink lilac.