I started wondering why my colors were so quick to get muddy, and I realized my yellow and red are both cadmium, which are much more opaque than my Phthalo Blue. So I grabbed some Payne�s Grey to give me more neutral darks, and Hansa Yellow, which is more transparent. I thjink these lend themselves much more to a beginner than the Ivory Black and Cadmiums. I still don�t have a transparent red, so that will be the next pigment I get.