The Colors of Iceland: our anniversary watercolour palette
The Colors of Iceland
A little Iceland,
in your paintbox.
Eight watercolours. Three made from Icelandic earth. A palette we created with Kremer Pigmente to celebrate five years of our shop.
Explore the palette
A palette with a personal story
It began with a simple idea.
What if a little of Iceland could become part of the painting itself?
When we began putting together our first palette in 2024, that was the thought we kept coming back to. The yellow of dry grass, the red of exposed earth, the quiet greens of a hillside: we wanted a set that felt connected to the place we call home.
Working with Kremer Pigmente, we brought together eight colours, with three Icelandic earth pigments at the heart of the selection. The Colors of Iceland has since become one of the projects closest to us.
This third edition marks the fifth anniversary of Myndlistarvöruverslunin. It is our most personal edition yet, with a new colour selection and a travel brush carrying our shop’s name. A small way to celebrate five years of conversations, discoveries and paintings begun.
From Snæfellsnes to the page
Three colours.
A real connection to the land.
Heydalsvegur Yellow, Snæfellsjökull Red and Brimisvellir Green are made with earth pigments sourced on Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula.
There is something special about that connection when you paint. The landscape becomes both your subject and, in a small but very real way, part of your materials.
These three colours anchor the palette in warm yellow, reddish brown and muted green. They are a lovely place to begin a landscape—or simply to explore what happens when one colour meets another.
Inside the paintbox
Eight colours to get to know.
From the three Icelandic earth colours to pale Thulite and deep Indigo, each colour brings something different to the palette. Our hand-painted swatches let you look a little closer: at the richer passages, the palest washes and the texture left on the paper.
Heydalsvegur Yellow
Icelandic earth · Snæfellsnes
A gentle, earthy yellow that brings dry grasses and weathered hillsides to mind. Try it in a light wash, leaving some of the paper showing through.
Snæfellsjökull Red
Icelandic earth · Snæfellsnes
An Icelandic earth colour with a warm, reddish-brown hue, recalling rust and red soil. Try it in rocks and hillsides, or as a warm counterpoint to blues.
Brimisvellir Green
Icelandic earth · Snæfellsnes
A quiet, earthy green with an olive character. A starting point for moss, distant slopes and the subdued greens between brighter patches of vegetation.
Jarosite
A yellow companion to the gentler Heydalsvegur Yellow. Put them side by side and try each with a little blue.
Thulite
A delicate pink. Try a pale wash in a sky or a small passage of warmth beside the earth colours.
Cochineal Red
Carmine Naccarat
A vivid red that brings a lively accent to a painting built around quieter earth tones. Start with a small touch and see how it changes the balance.
Lapis Lazuli
A blue with visible texture in the painted swatch. Give it room on the paper and let the wash dry before deciding what to add.
Indigo
The deeper blue in the set. Explore it in shadow, dark water or the last few marks that give a small sketch its structure.
Hand-painted swatches from our shop. Colour appearance may vary with your screen, paper and the amount of water you use.
At the painting table
A palette made to be opened.
We love the moment a new paintbox stops being pristine. Colours find their way into the mixing wells, a few brushes gather beside it, and the first painting begins.
In these photographs, Lukas is working on a small landscape. There is plenty of white paper left in the sky, while blue washes and earthy greens suggest the land below. It is a good reminder that you do not need a large painting—or a large collection of colours—to begin exploring.
A small painting
to begin with
Choose one earth colour and one blue. Make a few washes on a scrap of watercolour paper, then paint a little landscape using only those two. Notice the changes as you add water, mix the colours or let one layer dry before adding another. Keep it small enough to finish without fuss.
Our fifth-anniversary edition
A little paintbox
to take with you.
The eight colours come together in a metal case with a travel brush specially marked with our shop’s name for this edition.
For a travelling painter, it is a way to bring a little of Iceland into a sketchbook. For someone painting at home, it is an invitation to spend time with an unusual selection of colours. And for a gift, it carries a story you can share with the person who opens it.
- Eight selected Kremer watercolours
- Three colours made with Icelandic earth pigments
- Metal case and custom travel brush
- Third edition, celebrating five years of our shop
25,999 ISKIncluding VAT
See The Colors of Iceland
Visiting Reykjavík?
A small shop worth
leaving downtown for.
Come and find us in Laugarnes, a Reykjavík neighbourhood away from the bustle of the city centre. Myndlistarvöruverslunin is our little art-supply shop, run by artists who enjoy talking about materials as much as choosing them.
We are Weronika and Lukas, the artists behind the shop. Together with our team, we have filled it with things we would like to paint and draw with ourselves: watercolours, papers, brushes and materials that invite a closer look.
If your idea of a good stop on a trip involves browsing paint colours and finding a new favourite brush, make a little time for us. See The Colors of Iceland in person, pick up the painted swatches and ask us about the colours. Whether you are an experienced painter or simply curious, you are welcome.
Myndlistarvöruverslunin · artsupplies.is
Laugarnes, Reykjavík
Opening hours & contact details
From our shop to your sketchbook
What will you paint with it?
A hillside, a passing cloud, a place you remember.
We would love to see where these colours take you.