Titanium White
 
Yellow Mid Azo
 
Phthalo Blue
 
Matisse Red Light
 
Carbon Black
Approximate colour reference · screen calibration may vary

All colour begins somewhere. Five pigment families, a palette knife, and a surface: that is enough to start. Titanium White for light, Yellow Mid Azo for warmth, Phthalo Blue for depth, Matisse Red Light for energy, Carbon Black for weight and shadow. The Matisse Structure Intro Set puts these five foundations in your hands in 75ml studio tubes, enough paint to work seriously through colour mixing, complete multiple paintings, and build a real understanding of how these pigments behave. Made by Derivan in Sydney.

Art Shed Staff Tip
Phthalo Blue is very strong: use it in small amounts when mixing greens or purples, as it quickly dominates a mix. Start by loading your palette with Yellow Mid Azo or Matisse Red Light, then add Phthalo Blue a little at a time. Yellow Mid Azo is a mid-temperature yellow that sits between warm and cool, making it a flexible mixer for both greens and oranges. For rich, neutral darks without using Carbon Black, mix Matisse Red Light with Phthalo Blue and add a touch of Yellow Mid Azo.
Perfect For
Getting started with Matisse StructureColour mixing studiesBeginner paintersArt classes and workshopsLimited palette paintingStudio practice

What Makes This Set Different

AU
Origin
Made in Sydney
Derivan has been making Matisse in Chipping Norton, NSW since the 1960s. The same professional-grade formula used by Australian artists for over six decades.
x5
Coverage
Five Mixing Foundations
White, yellow, blue, red, black: the five pigment families from which a surprising range of colour can be mixed. A palette that teaches you to rely on what you mix, not what you buy.
▲
Formula
Heavy Body Structure
The same impasto heavy body formula used by professional artists. Holds brushmarks and palette knife texture. What you put down stays put. This is real artist-quality paint, not a student formula.
75
Format
75ml Studio Format
Five 75ml tubes: enough paint to work through colour mixing thoroughly, complete multiple studies, and build a genuine feel for how each pigment handles. The right size for serious studio practice.

What's in the Set

Colour Size
Titanium White 75ml
Yellow Mid Azo 75ml
Phthalo Blue 75ml
Matisse Red Light 75ml
Carbon Black 75ml

Each colour in this set was chosen because it does something the others cannot replace. Titanium White is the highest-opacity white in the Matisse range, essential for lightening mixes and building highlights. Yellow Mid Azo sits at a neutral temperature between warm and cool yellow, making it the most versatile yellow for mixing both greens and oranges without pulling either too warm or too cool. Phthalo Blue is one of the most powerful pigments in the acrylic range: a deep, transparent blue with a slightly green undertone that makes vivid greens when mixed with Yellow Mid Azo and rich, dark purples when pushed toward Matisse Red Light. Matisse Red Light is a bright, clear red that holds its vibrancy when mixed with white and yields clean warm oranges with yellow. Carbon Black provides the darkest value in the palette, used for shading, neutral grey mixed with Titanium White, and pushing other colours toward deep, complex darks. Five colours, enormous range.

Mixing Within the Set
What these five colours mix to:
 
Yellow Mid Azo + Phthalo Blue greens from bright yellow-green through to deep forest, shift ratio to move between them
 
Yellow Mid Azo + Matisse Red Light warm oranges, from golden amber to vivid cadmium-like orange
 
Matisse Red Light + Phthalo Blue purples and violets, use more red to push toward warm purple, more blue for dark blue-violet
 
Carbon Black + Titanium White neutral grey scale from near-white to near-black, add to any colour to shade or lighten

Why Matisse Structure is in Serious Australian Studios

  • Professional formula from the start. Matisse Structure is not a student paint. The same formula in this Intro Set is the same heavy body acrylic professional artists use in their studios. There is no ceiling to grow out of.
  • Heavy body for intuitive mixing. Thick paint shows you exactly what is happening in a mix. Colour changes are visible, blending is controlled, and your marks stay where you put them.
  • Consistent pigment quality. The blue you mix with today behaves the same as it will in your next tube. Matisse uses consistent pigment grades across the range so your mixing knowledge transfers.
  • Pairs with the full Matisse medium range. MM1 through MM7 are all compatible. Add Impasto Medium to build texture or Gel Medium to create transparent glazed layers as your technique develops.

About Matisse: Made in Australia Since the 1960s

Matisse is made by Derivan at their Chipping Norton, Sydney factory. Derivan is Australia's largest art material manufacturer, producing professional acrylic paint since the 1960s. The Matisse Structure range is used in art schools, workshops, and professional studios across Australia. Buying Matisse supports over 60 years of Australian art manufacturing.

What colours are in the Matisse Structure Intro Set?

The set contains five 75ml tubes of Matisse Structure heavy body acrylic: Titanium White, Yellow Mid Azo, Phthalo Blue, Matisse Red Light, and Carbon Black. No mediums are included. These five colours cover the primary mixing foundations: white, a mid-temperature yellow, a strong blue, a bright red, and black.

Is the Matisse Structure Intro Set good for beginners?

Yes. The Intro Set is designed as a starting point for artists who want to learn colour mixing with a professional-grade heavy body acrylic. The five colours cover the primary mixing families, and 75ml gives you enough paint to work through the palette properly across multiple paintings. Matisse Structure is also used by intermediate and advanced painters who prefer a limited primary palette or want to deepen their colour mixing practice.

What can I mix from just these five colours?

A wide range. Yellow Mid Azo and Phthalo Blue mix greens from bright lime through to deep forest. Yellow Mid Azo and Matisse Red Light mix oranges from pale golden amber to vivid orange-red. Matisse Red Light and Phthalo Blue mix purples and dark violets. Any colour lightened with Titanium White produces a range of tints. Carbon Black mixed with Titanium White gives a full neutral grey scale. The main colours that cannot be mixed from these five are naturally occurring earth tones such as raw umber and yellow ochre, and high-chroma colours such as vivid magenta or turquoise. These can be added as individual 75ml tubes once you know which directions your practice develops.

What is Yellow Mid Azo and why is it in the Intro Set?

Yellow Mid Azo (pigment PY74) is a mid-temperature yellow that sits between warm and cool on the colour temperature scale. Unlike a strongly warm yellow such as Yellow Deep Azo, it does not pull mixes toward orange when you add blue. Unlike a cool lemon yellow, it does not pull mixes toward green when you add red. This neutral position makes it the most versatile yellow for general colour mixing, producing cleaner greens, cleaner oranges, and cleaner tints than either extreme would. It is the yellow chosen for the Intro Set for exactly this reason: one yellow that works well in all directions.

Is Matisse Structure paint made in Australia?

Yes. Matisse is made by Derivan at their factory in Chipping Norton, Sydney, NSW. Derivan is Australia's largest art material manufacturer and has been producing professional-grade acrylic paint since the 1960s. The Matisse Structure formula is developed and manufactured entirely in Australia.

Art Shed Online is an authorised Australian stockist of Matisse acrylic paints. All Matisse products are sourced through official Derivan distribution channels. We ship Australia-wide.

Available at Art Shed Online, Australia's specialist art supply store, delivering Matisse Structure paint to artists across Australia with fast, tracked shipping. Can't decide between sets? Our team is happy to help: contact us at customerservice@artshedonline.com.au.

(1PMS05IN)

SKU 1PMS05IN
Barcode # 9310097020296
Brand Matisse
Shipping Weight 0.6550kg
Shipping Width 0.190m
Shipping Height 0.040m
Shipping Length 0.200m
Shipping Cubic 0.001520000m3

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