After a long hiatus I am thinking of getting back to painting. My old oil paints pretty much dried up. I can't even get the tops off of most of the tubes. Not wanting to spend a fortune on new paint, I don't want to get every color available but would rather get the basics with which I could dreate what colors I need. Considering that I usually paint fairly colorful subjects, such as Napoleonics, what colors would make a good starter palette?

Note: In the past I usually used Grumbacher or Winsor & Newton oils and am also considering using the water mixable variety.

Hello!

My palette comprises of the following (all W&N tubes): ivory black, titanium white, burnt umber, raw umber, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, alizarin crimson, scarlet lake, cadmium red, prussian blue & french ultramarine. You can get most shades by mixing these.

I hope this helps.

All the best,
Elia

I would also go along with Elia's list and would also include a tube of Naples Yellow.
I'm actually looking into my box of paints just now and thinking why did I buy all those. Keep it simple, not only does it keep costs down but you learn much more about colour mixing and light and shade.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Now it's time to go shopping!