In order to create pigments, Lin Yu-shan would go with his "old master" Tsai to Chinese apothecaries, hardware stores, and cosmetics shops to purchase such items as cinnabar, verdigris, and facial powder. They would then grind and mix these materials into pigments for painting. Lin worked hard to learn and remember everything, and the experience with making pigments no doubt contributed to his sharp sense of color.
而為了製造顏料，林玉山跟著老師傅到中藥鋪、五金行、或是化妝品店等，買來硃砂、銅綠、白粉等等原料加以研磨，林玉山都認真仔細地熟記與學習，無形中更增加他對色彩的敏銳度。