Velazquez's palette

During his artistic career, Velazquez, didn't use that many different pigments, but would continually use the following throughout:

White: Lead White and Calcite
Yellow: Yellow Iron Oxide, Lead-Tin Yellow, and Naples Yellow
Orange: Orange Iron Oxide and Vermilion
Red: Red Iron Oxide, Vermilion, and Organic Red Lake
Blue: Azurite, Lapiz Lazuli, and Smalt
Brown: Brown Iron Oxide and Manganese Oxide
Black: Organic black of vegetal or animal origin
Green: Azurite, Iron Oxide, and Lead-Tin Yellow
Purple: Organic Red Lake and Azurite

These pigments were all ground in his workshop with binding oils that were carefully purified. There is also a great number of his paintings that contain calcite in the initial layers, which allowed for more transparent layers. The amount of oil used as the binder in his paints was also adjusted according to the desired transparency. The use of calcite also allowed him to paint quicker, which allowed him the freedom he was looking for. Velazquez was completely aware of the traditional formulas for painting, but found no use for them. He wanted to do away with the formulaic traditions that were restricting to his creativity. Of course, today we would say that his methods were more restricted than some used in modern painting. However, without Velazquez's search for a more free technique we would not have the freedom of expression seen today.

Information gathered from "Velazquez - The Technique of Genius," by Jonathan Brown and Carmen Garrido. Another great book worth looking up.