Start with a feeling
Before choosing a particular green, I ask what kind of light belongs in the picture. Is it the clear light after rain, the soft warmth of late afternoon, or the strange silver of a moonlit garden? That single question narrows an overwhelming box of colors into a more manageable conversation.
Choose an anchor
Pick one color you know you want. It might be moss green for the leaves, faded teal for the glass, or a muted mauve for petals. Make a small swatch on scrap paper. Then add two companions: a quieter color that supports the anchor, and a contrasting color that gives the eye a place to rest. Three colors are enough to start; you can invite others later.
Think in proportions
A palette feels more coherent when every color does not demand equal attention. Let one family occupy much of the scene, another offer variety, and a third appear only in small moments. Warm lantern amber, for example, becomes more luminous when it is reserved for a few windows or flames rather than spread across every object.
Keep a door open
Test your colors beside one another, not in isolation. A pencil that looks gray in its tin may look lavender next to olive. Keep a neutral paper tone visible if it helps the page breathe. And if a fourth color suddenly seems essential, use it. A palette is a beginning, not a rulebook.