There are two common misnomers about Monet. The first is that, as an Impressionist, Monet's paintings were done spontaneously. In fact, Monet studied his subjects intently, planned his paintings, and worked hard to achieve his results. He often painted a series of the same subject to capture the changing effects of the light, swapping canvases as the day progressed.
The second is that all of Monet's his paintings were done on location. In fact, many were painted or finished back in his studio. Monet is quoted as saying: "Whether my cathedral views, my views of London and other canvases are painted from life or not is nobody's business and of no importance whatsoever." 1
Colors in Monet's Palette
Monet used quite a limited palette, banishing browns and earth colors and, by 1886, black had also disappeared. Asked in 1905 what colors he used, Monet said: "The point is to know how to use the colors, the choice of which is, when all's said and done, a matter of habit. Anyway, I use flake white, cadmium yellow, vermilion, deep madder, cobalt blue, emerald green, and that's all." 2
According to James Heard in his book Paint Like Monet, analysis of Monet's paintings show Monet used these nine colors:
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Lead white (modern equivalent = titanium white)
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Chrome yellow (modern equivalent = cadmium yellow light)
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Cadmium yellow
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Viridian green
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Emerald green
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French ultramarine
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Cobalt blue
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Madder red (modern equivalent = alizarin crimson)
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Vermilion
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Ivory black (but only if you're copying a Monet from before 1886)
So, equip yourself with a white, an intense yellow and red, a bright blue and green, and get painting! (For more on the colors the Impressionists used for shadows
