Disk palette Buiko
Disc Palette
On this page, I would like to introduce a new tool for working with color — the Disc Palette
The Disc Palette is designed for color selection along the edge of its surface using the method of direct comparison
Color can be matched directly from life, as well as from a photograph or an image on an electronic device (tablet, phone, etc.).
Color can be matched directly from life, as well as from a photograph or an image on an electronic device (tablet, phone, etc.).
The tool is intended both for accurate color matching and for artistic reinterpretation.
The palette features exposure adjustment capability
The palette features exposure adjustment capability
The principle of the direct comparison method is to place a paint sample on the same line of sight as the subject and see both colors side by side and simultaneously.
The ability to position the selected color on the same line of sight as the reference, and to compare them directly under stable conditions, greatly simplifies color matching, as even the slightest difference becomes very noticeable.
The artist mixes an approximate color on the main palette and applies it to the edge of the disc palette for comparison. If necessary, the color is adjusted in the required direction until it fully matches.
The direct comparison method and this tool are especially useful in painting education.
The article about the direct comparison method can be found at this link.
The ability to position the selected color on the same line of sight as the reference, and to compare them directly under stable conditions, greatly simplifies color matching, as even the slightest difference becomes very noticeable.
The artist mixes an approximate color on the main palette and applies it to the edge of the disc palette for comparison. If necessary, the color is adjusted in the required direction until it fully matches.
The direct comparison method and this tool are especially useful in painting education.
The article about the direct comparison method can be found at this link.
How to use the tool
The Disc Palette is a rotating disk with multiple degrees of freedom.
The palette is a component of the reference holder (tablet mount). It can be connected in two ways — directly to the holder for working from a tablet, phone, or photograph, or to a pivoting clamp for working from life.
The palette is a component of the reference holder (tablet mount). It can be connected in two ways — directly to the holder for working from a tablet, phone, or photograph, or to a pivoting clamp for working from life.
The clamp can be attached to a canvas stretcher, an easel, or the lid of a plein air painting box.
It can also be used for tabletop work. See photos. (The clamp opening width is 52 mm, approximately 2 inches.)
It can also be used for tabletop work. See photos. (The clamp opening width is 52 mm, approximately 2 inches.)
The palette is easy to assemble and mount, both in the studio and outdoors.
The device is universal and allows for various mounting and usage options.
The device is universal and allows for various mounting and usage options.
Короткий фрагмент работы
The disk rotates and changes position using a convenient handle. The resistance of the disk's rotation, as well as all other joints of the tool, can be adjusted.
Colors are matched along the edge of the disk. Its diameter is sufficient for selecting and checking all the basic colors of the subject or photograph.
Colors are matched along the edge of the disk. Its diameter is sufficient for selecting and checking all the basic colors of the subject or photograph.
When working from life, the disc palette can be raised to the eye level for comparison or lowered when not in use.
The range of movement provided by the mounting system is wide enough to position the palette comfortably along the artist’s line of sight to the subject.
When it's not needed, the palette can be moved out of the way.
(The disc palette does not usually replace the artist’s main palette, but serves as an additional tool for checking color.)
The range of movement provided by the mounting system is wide enough to position the palette comfortably along the artist’s line of sight to the subject.
When it's not needed, the palette can be moved out of the way.
(The disc palette does not usually replace the artist’s main palette, but serves as an additional tool for checking color.)
Exposure Adjustment
The vertical position of the palette offers certain advantages — since the paint on the artwork and on the palette lies in the same plane, it makes comparisons easier.
In addition, the vertical orientation minimizes glare from overhead light sources (sky, sun, white ceiling, indoor lamps), which glossy surfaces of oil paint are particularly sensitive to.
In addition, the vertical orientation minimizes glare from overhead light sources (sky, sun, white ceiling, indoor lamps), which glossy surfaces of oil paint are particularly sensitive to.
A key feature of the tool is the ability to adjust the rotation of the palette surface relative to the light source, which allows the lightness of the paints on the palette to be synchronized with the colors of the subject.
Since the lighting of the artist’s workspace and the subject often differs, this adjustment is critically important.
By rotating the palette toward or away from the light source, the brightness of the paint can be adjusted, as its lightness will vary significantly depending on the exposure.
This adjustment has a fundamental impact on the overall tonal range of the future painting, allowing the artist to control lightness with precision
Since the lighting of the artist’s workspace and the subject often differs, this adjustment is critically important.
By rotating the palette toward or away from the light source, the brightness of the paint can be adjusted, as its lightness will vary significantly depending on the exposure.
This adjustment has a fundamental impact on the overall tonal range of the future painting, allowing the artist to control lightness with precision
In this case, a simple inverse relationship applies: more light on the palette — the painting turns out darker; less light on the palette — the painting turns out lighter.
That is, if the disc palette is rotated toward the light source, the final painting will be in darker tones. In this case, all paints will have to be darkened during comparison, because the palette is more brightly lit than the subject.
And vice versa — if the amount of light on the palette is reduced by rotating it away from the light source, the entire painting will be lighter.
Exposure can be adjusted even within a single painting session. For example, if you don’t like the very deep shadows in the subject, you can temporarily lower the palette’s exposure while working on those areas (by rotating it away from the light source). As a result, you’ll automatically have to lighten your shadow colors during comparison.
The same applies to overly bright areas in the subject. (More details in this video.)
That is, if the disc palette is rotated toward the light source, the final painting will be in darker tones. In this case, all paints will have to be darkened during comparison, because the palette is more brightly lit than the subject.
And vice versa — if the amount of light on the palette is reduced by rotating it away from the light source, the entire painting will be lighter.
Exposure can be adjusted even within a single painting session. For example, if you don’t like the very deep shadows in the subject, you can temporarily lower the palette’s exposure while working on those areas (by rotating it away from the light source). As a result, you’ll automatically have to lighten your shadow colors during comparison.
The same applies to overly bright areas in the subject. (More details in this video.)
Before starting work, apply a stroke of pure white paint to the disc palette. Then, by rotating the palette toward or away from the light source, adjust it so that the white matches — or is slightly brighter than — the lightest area of the subject. You can also hold a piece of white paper next to the subject and use it to set the exposure of the tool.
Once the white on the palette matches the bright areas of the subject, you can begin working — both tone and color can now be compared directly.
The range of our paints is sufficient to cover the entire tonal scale of the subject.
(If you prefer dense, dark painting, you can rotate the disc palette more toward the light source. In this case, you will automatically need to darken your entire painting)
Once the white on the palette matches the bright areas of the subject, you can begin working — both tone and color can now be compared directly.
The range of our paints is sufficient to cover the entire tonal scale of the subject.
(If you prefer dense, dark painting, you can rotate the disc palette more toward the light source. In this case, you will automatically need to darken your entire painting)
Working from Life
Working in the studio is generally straightforward — the paints and the subject are usually under similar lighting conditions.
However, sometimes your workspace may be more brightly lit than the subject — or vice versa.
In such cases, you can adjust the palette’s exposure:
If the subject is more brightly lit than your workspace, it is important to slightly increase the exposure of the tool (by rotating the palette’s plane toward the light source).
This will help prevent the painting from becoming overly bright.
Conversely, if your easel is more brightly lit than the subject, you can lower the exposure of the palette by slightly rotating it away from the light source.
In this case, you will naturally need to slightly increase the lightness of the paint during color matching, ensuring that the paint’s tonal values remain comparable to those of the subject.
When painting outdoors on a cloudy or overcast day, you should position yourself in a bright location.
There should be no shortage of light.
There should be open space behind you, and your workspace should be well lit.
In this case, it is easy to capture all tonal values with paint — except for the white sky, bright highlights, or very luminous objects.
Since paint cannot compete with such intense light sources, the brightest areas of nature will need to be painted one or two values darker — which is entirely natural for sound, well-constructed painting.
There should be no shortage of light.
There should be open space behind you, and your workspace should be well lit.
In this case, it is easy to capture all tonal values with paint — except for the white sky, bright highlights, or very luminous objects.
Since paint cannot compete with such intense light sources, the brightest areas of nature will need to be painted one or two values darker — which is entirely natural for sound, well-constructed painting.
A short fragment of the work is shown here
Working in Sunlight
If you are painting a landscape illuminated by sunlight, the disc palette must also be lit by sunlight.
In this case, your paints will cover almost the entire tonal range of the landscape.
On a sunny day, the contrasts are at their highest.
If you do not like deep black shadows, you can rotate the disc palette slightly away from the light while working on them.
As a result, you will automatically need to lighten the dark areas, and your painting will appear softer, without heavy shadow drop-offs.
As is well known, the sun moves quickly and clouds can interfere, but the most important thing is to capture several key color relationships correctly.
After that, you can continue working calmly even in the shade.
It is impossible to work with direct comparison under backlit sunlight conditions due to pure physical limitations.
However, there is a solution — you can photograph the subject and continue working in the studio from the photograph or from a computer screen.
In this case, the palette will still reliably and accurately cover the entire tonal range of the scene.
If you do not like deep black shadows, you can rotate the disc palette slightly away from the light while working on them.
As a result, you will automatically need to lighten the dark areas, and your painting will appear softer, without heavy shadow drop-offs.
As is well known, the sun moves quickly and clouds can interfere, but the most important thing is to capture several key color relationships correctly.
After that, you can continue working calmly even in the shade.
It is impossible to work with direct comparison under backlit sunlight conditions due to pure physical limitations.
However, there is a solution — you can photograph the subject and continue working in the studio from the photograph or from a computer screen.
In this case, the palette will still reliably and accurately cover the entire tonal range of the scene.
Working from a Screen
When working from a tablet or phone screen, using the tool is especially convenient. In this case, exposure adjustment of the palette is not required. It’s enough to set the screen brightness to match the desired tonal range of the future painting.
One essential condition — disable the device’s auto-brightness and any other settings that automatically alter screen color.
Also, make sure that the pure white on the screen is not brighter than the white paint on the palette.
One essential condition — disable the device’s auto-brightness and any other settings that automatically alter screen color.
Also, make sure that the pure white on the screen is not brighter than the white paint on the palette.
The white on the screen may have a bluish tint — that doesn’t matter — but it must not be brighter than your white paint.
In this case, the paints will easily cover the full tonal range of the image.
And of course, the photo can be edited beforehand if needed, to enhance the visual impact of the painting.
In this case, the paints will easily cover the full tonal range of the image.
And of course, the photo can be edited beforehand if needed, to enhance the visual impact of the painting.
Working from a Printed Photograph
When working from a standard printed photograph, everything is as simple as possible.
The photo is placed on the tablet holder, the surface is positioned perpendicular to the line of sight, and the color is selected on the disc palette by placing the disc directly next to the area of the photograph whose color needs to be matched.
The photo is placed on the tablet holder, the surface is positioned perpendicular to the line of sight, and the color is selected on the disc palette by placing the disc directly next to the area of the photograph whose color needs to be matched.
A short fragment of the work is shown here
The pigments in printed photographs are similar to those in oil paints, so color matching is straightforward and, if needed, can be brought very close to the original.
Creative Color Interpretation
The disc palette can be used for all described painting scenarios in three main modes:
One of the key advantages of the direct comparison method is that it allows the artist not only to match color precisely, but also to transform it creatively — making color decisions more conscious and artistic.
When using a traditional palette, it’s often difficult to evaluate a color’s effectiveness. The paint is perceived in isolation — affected by simultaneous contrast, color constancy, and other cognitive distortions (more on this in The Method of Direct Comparison). This creates uncertainty: it’s hard to know how the paint will look on the canvas and whether it will fit into the painting.
The first brushstrokes don’t make things clearer either — surrounded by the white canvas, colors appear separate and ambiguous, especially for an inexperienced painter.
As a result, the brain tends to choose the safe route — simply repeating the colors of nature or of a reference photo exactly as they appear, without interpretation or feeling. It’s easier, and feels safer.
Direct comparison removes that uncertainty. Even a beginner can immediately sense how to “nudge” a color to make it more expressive — to brighten it so it resonates more, or to mute it to let something else take the lead. That hesitation disappears, and the painting process becomes alive, conscious, and intuitive.
- Accurate replication of the colors observed in nature
- Selective interpretation — enhancing or muting certain hues
- Complete artistic transformation — creating an original color scheme
One of the key advantages of the direct comparison method is that it allows the artist not only to match color precisely, but also to transform it creatively — making color decisions more conscious and artistic.
When using a traditional palette, it’s often difficult to evaluate a color’s effectiveness. The paint is perceived in isolation — affected by simultaneous contrast, color constancy, and other cognitive distortions (more on this in The Method of Direct Comparison). This creates uncertainty: it’s hard to know how the paint will look on the canvas and whether it will fit into the painting.
The first brushstrokes don’t make things clearer either — surrounded by the white canvas, colors appear separate and ambiguous, especially for an inexperienced painter.
As a result, the brain tends to choose the safe route — simply repeating the colors of nature or of a reference photo exactly as they appear, without interpretation or feeling. It’s easier, and feels safer.
Direct comparison removes that uncertainty. Even a beginner can immediately sense how to “nudge” a color to make it more expressive — to brighten it so it resonates more, or to mute it to let something else take the lead. That hesitation disappears, and the painting process becomes alive, conscious, and intuitive.
Creative Color Interpretation from a Photograph — Work in Progress
In this approach, the colors of nature serve only as a starting point — the final palette may differ significantly.
Direct comparison allows the artist to experiment with changes to these colors, discovering more interesting solutions.
When the paint sample is placed directly in line with the subject, the artist can immediately sense whether the hue will work in the painting — much like a musician intuitively recognizing the right note in a melody. Some colors feel natural, while others are clearly out of place. This becomes especially apparent in the moment of direct comparison.
The tool helps the artist choose colors deliberately and confidently, even if they don’t match the subject exactly. Sometimes an unexpected hue — one that might seem odd on its own — turns out to resonate beautifully in the context of the painting, adding depth and expressiveness.
This approach allows the artist not just to copy nature, but to work consciously with color — to intuitively discover color solutions that make the painting more vivid and cohesive.
Direct comparison allows the artist to experiment with changes to these colors, discovering more interesting solutions.
When the paint sample is placed directly in line with the subject, the artist can immediately sense whether the hue will work in the painting — much like a musician intuitively recognizing the right note in a melody. Some colors feel natural, while others are clearly out of place. This becomes especially apparent in the moment of direct comparison.
The tool helps the artist choose colors deliberately and confidently, even if they don’t match the subject exactly. Sometimes an unexpected hue — one that might seem odd on its own — turns out to resonate beautifully in the context of the painting, adding depth and expressiveness.
This approach allows the artist not just to copy nature, but to work consciously with color — to intuitively discover color solutions that make the painting more vivid and cohesive.
The disk palette operates on the same principle as the Chromastik
Both tools are based on the same foundation — the method of direct comparison.
However, their functionality differs slightly. The disk palette is designed to be used directly with a brush. Chromastik, as an independent and versatile tool, allows the artist to create larger paint mixtures on the palette, blend tones, and immediately compare them with the subject.
The disk palette is particularly convenient for working from a screen, while Chromastik is equally effective when working either from a screen or directly from life.
The disk palette is a professional-grade tool suitable for artists of any level.
It is made from high-quality beechwood and is patented as an innovative solution for precise color matching.
Both tools are based on the same foundation — the method of direct comparison.
However, their functionality differs slightly. The disk palette is designed to be used directly with a brush. Chromastik, as an independent and versatile tool, allows the artist to create larger paint mixtures on the palette, blend tones, and immediately compare them with the subject.
The disk palette is particularly convenient for working from a screen, while Chromastik is equally effective when working either from a screen or directly from life.
The disk palette is a professional-grade tool suitable for artists of any level.
It is made from high-quality beechwood and is patented as an innovative solution for precise color matching.
How to assemble and adjust the palette upon receipt.
Patent Pending
Friends, I’ll be glad if my tools and the Direct Comparison Method help you unlock your potential in clear and expressive painting.
Wishing you success in your art — and all the very best!
Wishing you success in your art — and all the very best!
