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I sometimes get questions about my palette, so here is a version of my workshop materials list for those of you who may be interested.
 
I prefer Holbein paints for their consistency and quality. They are neither oily nor too stiff and that allows me to work without having to use excessive medium.  I prefer to keep my painting as 'dry' as possible, but if I do need brush flow, I will use a little Gamsol in the beginning stages of a painting.  When I do use medium, I prefer M. Graham & Co. Walnut Alkyd Medium.
 
This is my list of colors:
 
Cadmium Red Light or similar red
Terra Rosa (not necessary but sometimes helpful) 
Gold Ochre or Yellow Ochre - I usually use the gold ochre
Permanent Yellow Deep
Permanent Yellow Light
Permanent Orange
(the permanent colors are substitutes for cadmiums)
Terra verte
Viridian
Ultramarine Blue Deep
Mineral Violet
Crimson Lake (similar to Alizarin)
Burnt Sienna
Holbein Permanent White
 
If you want to try a few new colors on your palette, I recommend mineral violet (manganese violet in Gamblin and Vasari) and terra verte. Both colors play very well with others and both can be modified as warmer-cooler very easily. I use a mixture of mineral violet and gold ochre to start most of my paintings since it is fairly neutral but, depending on the mixture of the two, can go either warmer or cooler.
 
Terra verte is a green that does not go to yellow, but is not  blue-green like viridian. It's very useful for both portraits and landscapes. Mixed with mineral violet, it can also be a great 'grayish' color.
 
I use flat bristle brushes almost exclusively. Most are Robert Simmons Signet Series 40, sizes 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. I also use a smaller size synthetic round, e.g. 2 or 4, such as Rosemary Ivory Round or Princeton Aspen Round. Note: Robert Simmons brushes have been bought out by Princeton so I am not sure of their current status or availability.
 
For my workshop students I recommend linen panels, Claessens 15 or 66 canvas, or gessoed panels. I use two to three coats of Liquitex Professional Gesso for panels, and apply the gesso with a small foam roller. Hint: Never wash the foam roller out. Just wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap, drop it in a plastic bag and throw it in the freezer until next time. Extra hint: The plastic bag ensures your frozen foods will not have gesso on them. 

 
Beginnings
Here are a few images of how I start a painting. I am averse to outlines and the coloring book approach to painting. You can read more about this in the post Event boundaries, beginnings, and creativity.

Note on the robin painting: I should have left it right here. I, too, get caught up with the idea of 'finish'. I guess the moral of this painting is to not get caught up with someone else's expectations of what a painting should be.