Roz Wound Up

Reading List: Portrait Painting Books and DVDs

Starting in December I began to reorganize my "library." While that process included culling books to create more shelf space (and resulted in donations to various small libraries) it also involved going over my notes of books I've read over the years.  

Some of my upcoming posts will be about books focusing on a single artist, other "reading list" posts will be focus on techniques. I hope to put links to all of them on a page (which gets listed in the left-hand column of this blog), but we'll see how it goes. You could always get back to this post by searching "Portrait Painting," in the blog's search engine.

Obviously this is a topic that's important to me because I blogged about "Drawing Faces: Some Book Recommendations," in February 2009.

Some of those books may be on this list today, but others aren't because they seem to me to be better suited to appearing on a list of "Figure Drawing" books I'm also working on. Or perhaps for whatever reason I didn't think them as essential. Or I couldn't find them again or never owned them so they didn't show up in the library reorganization. I thought you'd appreciate a link to the original post so that you didn't have to wait for my list of figure painting books.

I have also listed videos and DVDs I've watched on this topic. Some libraries also carry them. Today there are so many YouTube videos documenting various drawing techniques that one could just surf through them, but I would have to say that watching the videos of artists whose work I've followed and whose books I've read has been very inspirational to me. I recommend that you focus your search for videos in a similar fashion. Often you can find short previews of an instructional video on YouTube and get a sense from it whether or not the teacher's approach appeals to you. I recently borrowed the Mary Whyte videos listed below and I could listen to her talk all day long.

A Travel Palette That's On Sale

I was looking through a year-old sale catalog from Cheap Joe's while cleaning yesterday (I know, I know, let's just gloss over that little admission) and found the Cotman Compact Palette on sale for $19.99. (I'm recommending this palette NOT THE PAINT IT CONTAINS, so keep reading.) I wondered what it would cost today, a year later—well it's still on sale for the same price on their website for the holidays. Since it's a holiday sale I don't know how long it will last and wanted to bring it to your attention before the end of the year.

Note: Something is screwy with my cable connection today or with Cheap Joe's site because when I went to get you the EXACT product link the product came up with my search for "Cotman Compact Case" along with a bunch of other products and when I clicked on the item it wouldn't go to the linked item but gave an error. Incidently the picture that came up today also showed it at $14.79! Which is an old price, which probably explains the broken link.

DO NOT GET THE Cotman palette which has "Watercolor Pocket Plus Traveler" in the title. It comes in a Cotman and a Winsor & Newton Artists' version too. It is a smaller palette without the same sturdiness and without the slide out mixing area and thumbhole present in the palette I'm suggesting above. That's why I included the photo so you could see it.

You might have to call Cheap Joe's and ask them for the product number on the phone, so you can check it out on your computer.

Also for some reason Typepad isn't letting me put paragraph breaks in my main text, but I've got to get going so you'll still get the idea, and maybe once it's posted they will magically appear.

You may remember me showing you this palette in the uncropped photo of my travel palettes in my October 22, 2008 post, "Travel Palettes for Watercolor and Gouache."

I've highlighted it in today's image so that you can see the exact palette I'm writing about.

When I first purchased this palette in the 1990s I paid $14.99.

I immediately unwrapped all the paints, tipped out the Cotman cakes (which are a student grade paint and not worth working with) and filled the pans with my own selection of colors from Daniel Smith Watercolor tubes. (Daniel Smith Watercolors have a heavy pigment load and they rewet wonderfully to deliver fully saturated color. You can't say the same about all brands of tube watercolor paint.)

This palette, which I don't carry daily, but do take on all my trips as well as on visits to the zoo and other extended painting trips, has now been with me for probably 15 years. It has been dropped on concrete, tile, and hardwood surfaces. It remains near perfect (the mixing well areas are of course a little more dingy than the first day I used it—but even that plastic has held up remarkably well considering all plastic surfaces stain over time, particularly with the use of staining colors. What you see in the photo is not staining, but actual puddles of pigment.)

I think that's a pretty good investment for $15. Considering that you can't get my favorite square metal box from Schmincke empty any longer (you have to buy it with factory selected pans that you might not be interested in using at a cost that last time I checked was over $100; and since Schmincke pan watercolors are an excellent product you aren't going to want to toss them—though you can add new pans). Even at $19.99 this means the Cotman palette shown above is still a great bargain.

If you don't read my other post (linked above) about the various palettes you'll miss the one drawback of this palette—it only accepts Winsor & Newton pans. No other brand of pan (factory-full of paint or empty) that I've found fits in this box. Since you can easily get the paint out of the pans and put in your own tube color, however, this isn't a problem if you're looking for a palette to use with your tube colors.

I haven't looked at one of these for several years (I bought a spare a few years back when they had crept up in cost to $17) so they may have changed how they wrap the paints, but you should still be able to remove the paint without much effort and have a wonderful new palette for yourself.

But remember, the paint it comes with is not worth trying to use—not even for your kids, just don't frustrate anyone that way.

And don't be confused with the Winsor & Newton version of this palette they used to sell and may still sell. It contained W & N's artist quality pans, but I am not fond of that paint either, and you'd be throwing away a lot more money to get the exact same palette. (They also make a compact box complete with a waterbottle, water cup, and sponge in both a Cotman and Winsor & Newton variety, price being the only difference—though I seem to recall the plastic outer case on one might be blue and the other might be gray. It's a nifty multiple use of molds.)

So if you use tube watercolors and are looking for an affordable compact travel palette to fill and take with you check out this one. All you have to do is throw the paint that comes with it away!

You can of course fill the pans with your tube gouache and have a gouache travel palette. I recommend Schmincke Horadam Gouache or M. Graham Gouache if you are going to squeeze out gouache and let it dry and expect it to rewet well in the field. (Click on the category "gouache" to find out my thoughts on gouache and how I use it; use the blog's search engine for things like "gouache palette"; check out the "Gouache Compendium" page, for links to my favorite posts on gouache.)

Last Week's Snow Storm and My First Snow Pile Sketch of the 2012-13 Winter

Above: Looking out the side porch door, down the handicap ramp to the yard fence. In the distance you can see the houses across the alley, and of course, snow everywhere. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

On Sunday, December 9, 2012 a snow storm came through the Twin Cities. When it was over we had 12 inches of fresh snow (other areas had varying amounts). It was a weird snow for December—warm, wet, a definite spring type snow.

Of course I was worried that the weight of the snow would bring down electrical wires (and cable access) but that didn't happen in our area, so overall the storm was uneventful for us.

I'm not going to complain about the snow. We haven't had a lot of snow in Minneapolis the last couple of winters. I know we need moisture as we are in a drought. The river (that's the Mississippi) is very low.

Left: Looking out the side porch across the yard. Click on an image to view an enlargement.

But I will complain about the fact—evident everywhere on Monday—that people here have forgotten how to drive in the snow. I hope they get a clue soon!

On days like this looking at the yard I wish I were a landscape painter and could make something of the values, recesssion, and overlapping shapes. Instead I can show you these two photos, shot in the middle of the day (yes it was that dark). 

I did sketch one of our trees the next day, the first in this year's series of snow piles. (Several years ago my friend, artist Ken Avidor, got me interested in sketching snow piles. It keeps my mind off the fact that I can't be outside riding my bike!)

Left: My first Winter 2012-13 snow pile sketch. Pen and watercolor in an approx. 8 inch square journal made with Magnani Pescia light blue paper. I started the page by placing decorating masking tape in a frame. It was my cagey way of eliminating the need to draw any of the pine trees and fence behind the apple tree. (This sketch was posted on Facebook.) Click on the image to view an enlargement.

On days like Sunday I immediately remember how much fun it was to walk and train in such weather conditions with the girls. Snow storms like this, as long as the power doesn't go out and everyone stays home safe, are actually happy times for me.

I always loved the winter even before we had Malamutes. The memories of the girls help me recall all the things I loved about winter (no mosquitos is high on the list). And those memories in turn help me feel a little more balanced when I go up stairs to ride the bike on the trainer instead of the roads.

Great Low-Cost Paint Palettes for Watercolor and Gouache

Above: A selection of white, glazed ceramic plates from World Market. The smooth square one that is center top is approximately 8 inches square. Click on the image to view and enlargement.

Whether you have gifts to buy for an artist friend or are trying to stretch your own art supply budget there are great in-studio palettes to be found wherever discount china is sold.

On a recent trip to the World Market I found the above dishes. I have found similar dishes at Target, Pier One Imports, and similar stores. Go where the stores carry open stock. Look for plates with smooth glazed surfaces (so they won't absorb your paint). I get white, unpatterned dishes because they give me the maximum mixing space without any "visual interference" for when I'm blending colors.

I use these plates in the studio for my palettes all the time. You can see an example of an in-use palette here. It's the oblong sister to the square palette at the center of the above photo.

I use the smaller dishes (which have a slight depression) for mixing a large wash of a certain color that I might want to save over the course of a painting. If I want to keep the moisture content of the paint high when I stop for the day I will place the small dishes is a long, flat Rubbermaid™ container into which I've also placed a small square of folded wet paper towel (just in one of the corners). When I open the container the next morning the paints are still close to the same consistency and I start painting right away—the moist paper towel keeps moisture in the closed box and keeps the paint fresh.

Important Caveat Placed in the Middle of the Post so You Don't Miss It: 
NEVER, EVER, use a plate that has been in contact with paint for food, even if you wash it. Glazes are porus, even if they don't look like it. Keep your dishes segregated. I don't even put my palette dishes anywhere in the kitchen, and never in the dishwasher. 

I have found sushi dishes that are long with 3 sections. These are great for keeping my colors organized, reds, blues, yellows. I then use a larger plate for actually mixing colors. 

I haven't used the "ying-yang" plates at the bottom right yet but they are a great configuration for monochromatic palettes. (Downside: they don't stack well—always check that if it matters to you.)

The best thing about all of these plates—they were inexpensive. I think the large square one was about 3 dollars. The small dishes were only 99 cents each.

I have a stack of similar plates in the bathroom (on a rack where I keep such things). So there is always a fresh plate to start a new palette.

People at my November 26, 2012 gouache demo saw both a used square palette, and a fresh rectangular palette that I laid out just for the demo. If I'm going to use a lot of colors I will put my colors out along the edges of the plate in a color wheel formation. If I am working with a limited palette I will just put out a couple colors. Over time additional colors added may get a bit jumbled so it's good to keep the color wheel in mind even then (though I admit that I don't).

For people just starting with gouache I would recommend that you keep your whites on a separate plate. When and if you put them on the main plate I recommend that you place them apart from each other to keep them straight. I keep titanium white at the top of my plate (defined by how I usually work with my color wheel) and the zinc white goes at the bottom (so it's alphabetical for the whites). You can of course tell them apart by look, but sometimes I'm painting in rather poor lighting conditions and if they were closer together I might inadvertently pick the wrong one. It's just been easier for me to have a habit.

Stephen Quiller recommends using titanium white in his books and places two blobs of that white on his palette. One blob is on the cool side of the palette, the other is on the warm side. He then only mixes his cool colors with the blob on that half of the palette and vice versa. I think this is a great way to keep from inadvertently contaminating your cool and warm pigments. (I use only one blob of any white I'm using and tend to pull from one side or the other of that blob, and ultimately live with some contamination or put out new white blobs in a new place on the palette.)

I am a bit of a klutz yet I can say that in 20 years of using ceramic plates for in-studio palettes (before that I used plastic palettes divided into wells, with covers that never sealed properly) I have never broken a palette. If I were to, however, it would be a quick clean up, and an inexpensive loss.

I have also found that using palettes like these plates takes up less workspace on my drawing board or desk than the large plastic palettes I once used. The mixing areas of these china plate palettes are easier to clean. Ultimately I find that I I have wasted less paint, so not only are these plates inexpensive but over time they provide additional savings I can put back into purchasing more paint.

The one disadvantage to these palettes is that they are not useful for field work, only studio painting sessions. But that doesn't bother me a bit. I love my portable travel palettes.

Advantages To Using Inexpensive China Plates as Paint Palettes for Gouache and Watercolor Summed Up:

1. Inexpensive, readily available, many sizes and configurations to suit your needs. (That's really 3 reasons in one.)

2. Easily replaceable if broken.

3. Easy to clean (whether it is just a quick clearing of some of the washes that have pooled on the plate or you want to start over and clean the plate completely). (Plastic palettes get scratched easily and take on stains from the pigments, potentially making it more difficult for you to judge your color mix.)

4. Plates like this for are also useful palettes for fluid acrylics. Some plates (if there are some imperfections) can be more difficult to clean, but typically the dried paint scrapes off easily. (For tube acrylics I use a Masterson Sta-Wet Palette.)

The WASH-OFF at Bloomington Theatre and Art Center

Above: Sketch ©2012 Amber Sausen—The artists work on the "Wash-Off" stage with a large screen above them projecting the work at one artist (rotating). 

Today I'm excited to share a guest post with you. Amber Sausen atttended the September 22, 2012 Wash-Off at Bloomington Theatre and Art Center. She sent me an email introducing herself and providing links to sketches she did at the event. I loved her sketches and I asked her to write about the event. Below is Amber's account. Please use the provided link to visit Amber Sausen's Flickr account and see more of her sketches and art. Thank you Amber!

The National Watercolor Society Traveling Exhibition just wrapped up its stop at the Bloomington Theatre and Art Center (BTAC). In conjunction with the exhibit, The BTAC Watercolor Festival hosted a Wash-Off.

[Record scratch. Huh???]

A what? A Wash-Off.

What’s a Wash-Off? It’s an Iron Chef-style competition where three artists get one hour to paint the same still life. In Iron Chef the cameras zoom around the kitchen watching the chefs cook-off to create a meal incorporating a secret ingredient. It’s intense and appears to be barely-controlled chaos. The watercolor wash-off had less frantic action, but was no less entertaining.

The theater was a great setting for the event with cameras capturing the action and projecting it onto the large screen for the audience to see. So what if the projection was in black in white; it was a good test to verify that everyone’s color vision was still in working order!

The artists’ approaches varied greatly and their intensity was exciting to witness. Pat Undis kept layering on the glazes while managing to answer many audience questions at the same time. Dan Wiemer was the first to dig in with a big, fat brush for a quick value study before tackling the real deal with drippy abandon. Jim Turner managed enough witticisms to engage the audience while keeping a cool focus.

Emcee Roz Stendahl channeled Alton Brown, the host of Iron Chef America, with her extensive knowledge of the history and materials of watercolor. No one could have walked out of the event without having learned something new or having been inspired by the artists to try a new technique.

Left: ©2012 Amber Sausen—sketched Roz Stendahl, Dan Wiemer, and Pat Undis (at work painting) using a pencil technique she learned from Nina Johansson. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

My sketches of the event tackled the full theatre and the black and white video projection (no irony intended in my grayscale sketch, really!) and the energy of the artists through use of a crazy pencil, inspired by Nina Johansson. 

I don’t even know which artist won the Wash-Off. But I suppose the winners were really all of us who were able to come together for such a fun and informative event.

[Editor's Note: Over 200 people attended this exciting event. There was a problem with the digital projector so the overhead view was in black and white—however the artists quickly and joyfully compensated by lifting their paintings up and turning them to the audience from time to time. Artist Jim Turner does not have a website. Dan Wiemer's painting was voted the fan favorite on the day. Three lucky audience members won the raffle and took home the framed paintings!]

Update on Jake Winkle Review Posted Yesterday

If the above video doesn't work view it on YouTube.

I was right it is fun to watch him paint!

Last night at the MCBA Visual Journal Collective meeting member Thomas Winterstein gave us the heads up that there were trailers of Jake Winkle's DVD on Youtube.

(Yesterday I wrote that I couldn't recommend his book except for the images, but suggested his advertised DVD, listed at the back of the book, might be worth a look because he can obviously paint.)

The short 2 minute video I found thanks to Thomas makes me totally excited and eager to see Winkle's full DVD. There's enthusiasm in his voice and his brushstrokes are fun to watch. Check out the video trailers.

Here's another short taste of his approach to watercolor.

If you like the trailers I recommend you skip his book and go right to the DVD!

A Meeting Reminder, a Book Review, and a Watercolor Teacher Recommendation

Meeting Reminder:

Tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. is the September meeting of the MCBA Visual Journal Collective. The topic will be "Favorite Journaling and Art-How-To Books." 

Be sure to bring your three favorite books and a paragraph description about each stating why you like it. It would be great if you also bring along a piece of artwork in your journal that was inspired by the work in one of your example books. But whether or not you've put the instructions to the test still bring your journals to share at the end of the meeting.

In keeping with tonight's theme of book reviews I have a "I can't recommend this book" review. I'll be bringing the book along tonight so you can take a look at it, because the paintings are lovely, but here's the deal…

Book Review:

Light and Movement in Watercolour, by Jake Winkle and Robin Capon, Batsford, ISBN 978-184994-027-6

I bought this book because I saw the cover on Amazon and loved the image of the fighting or dancing rabbits (I don't know much about rabbits).

Jake Winkle creates delightful images full of vibrant colors and calligraphic passages and energy—that's not in dispute. Unfortunately he is not a good writer and the person with whom he wrote his book didn't do him any favors.

The text is repetitive, returning to topics already dismissed so many times that it becomes confusing and disjointed. After awhile I put the book down in disgust and called a friend to discuss it. She suggested that perhaps the book was an oral interview that had been changed into a written text and that's the most generous explanation that comes to mind.

Over the course of the book one is only sure of one thing: Winkle doesn't believe a focal point is necessary. (He states this repeatedly and sadly some of his paintings suffer for this belief.) In other areas of discussion we are left to wonder if he understands the difference between drawing freehand and drawing from life; if he understands that Arches is actually not a soft paper but one of the most heavily sized papers on the market made soft by his unspecified soaking method. 

Details matter and too much of the book skirts around essential details.

He does make an interesting distinction between wet-into-wet and wet-up-to-wet. The first is adding more wet paint into a wet wash. It will have its own particular results depending on the water ratio, but most likely will result in dilution of color. (Again he's not specific enough about that.) The second is painting a wet wash right up to the edge of another wet wash, where they are allowed to bleed a little together for interesting and less diluted effects (though again water will play a factor here as the laws of physics will always favor the passage of water pushing those pigments out of the way or sucking color this way and that).

It's obvious that he can paint but his communication of his approach and technique will leave beginning artists frustrated and confused while experienced artists will be irritated to the point of hair pulling at his inability to communicate.

Instead of reading this book I would recommend that you seek out the film he made of this book—Light and Movement in Watercolour, from Town House Films (www.townhousefilms.co.uk). 

I haven't seen the film, but since it is obvious this guy can paint I think you'll be better off watching him do just that than trying to discipher what it is he's trying to explain in writing.

By the time I finished the book I had 10 pages of notes on confused descriptions, incorrect information, and poorly explained information—but because he can paint I'll save you my laundry list of problems: just seek out the film. If he turns out to be annoying when talking, turn off the sound—as I said, he can obviously paint.

And what did I learn from reading this book: Don't buy a book because you love the cover image (unless of course all you want is the cover image—I've done that before). 

I believe that watching an accomplished painter paint is more valuable than reading an accomplished painter's confused text. Not every painter is a writer. 

Watercolor Teacher Recommendation:

If you are frustrated about where to turn for excellent watercolor instruction—seek out a class with Andy Evansen. In August Andy gave a fantastic demo at Wet Paint in St. Paul.

While I haven't taken a class from Andy I've seen Andy do painting demonstrations at the Minnesota Watercolor Society (he is a past president) and the Northstar Watercolor Society. (I know many members of both societies who have taken his workshops and rave about the experience.)

Each demonstration I've seen has been easy to follow, inspiring, and packed with information. Andy also has an easy-going demeanor and a great sense of humor. 

You can see Andy talking about his career over a background of his work, in this 6-minute documentary by two UW-Stout students—"Andy Evansen: A Documentary."

You can find a listing of his workshops on his website at this link. (If you do decide to seek him out as an instructor sign up early, I see his December workshop is already filled.)

Spending your time and money on an experience that isn't going to leave you confused is always the better deal.

Need A Book To Read Right Now and Can't Attend Tonight's Meeting?

At some point I'll try to put together a list of books that people recommend at tonight's meeting. It may take me a while, but I'll let you know when it's ready. If you need to have some books to read right away you can see our compiled list of recommendations from 2011 here—Summer Reading List: The MCBA Visual Journal Collective Recommends Books.

Watercolor "Wash-Off" at the Bloomington Theatre and Art Center's Watercolor Festival

Right now through September 28, 2012 at the Bloomington Theatre and Art Center you can see the 91st Annual National Watercolor Society Traveling Exhibition. The show includes works from 30 artists from 14 states and Australia.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 22, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

It's a Watercolor "Wash-Off" at the Bloomington Theatre and Art Center's Schneider Theatre.

Think "Iron Chef" for painters!

I will be emcee for the event. (That's right I get to be Alton Brown for painters—you know I'm grinning from ear to ear!)

Watch as watercolorists Pat Undis, Jim Turner, and Dan Weimer vie to create the most successful painting of the same subject in front of a live audience!

Not only will you see great artists working, you'll learn fun and interesting facts as I provide color commentary about all things watercolor (brushes, paper, paints…).

Audience members will select the winner, and all three paintings will be raffled off at the end of the event.

Come out for this fun and unique event!

Sometimes Demos Work Really Well…

Above 7.5 x 11 inch white sheet of Richeson recycled watercolor paper and gouache demo painting of a plum in my Color Theory workshop travel journal. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

When you teach you have to demo. Happily I enjoy demonstrating techniques and concepts. I like to show people through my enthusiasm of a medium, why they should consider using it or how they can consider approaching it. I like providing options.

Because I pretty much have to talk the entire time the demonstration lasts the results are often oddly interesting (i.e., "well I see what you mean but that's kind of ugly").

On this day, with very few minutes of the 4-day workshop remaining one of my students asked me about using paint to capture a plum—to get those shadow colors, to get some dimension, to use complementary colors. 

I grabbed a piece of paper and the gouache palette which was sitting on my table, positioned the plum on a white napkin, painted the outline of the plum with some diluted blue paint from the palette, laid in the full shape with a midtone wash, went back in with a darker mix around the shadow areas adding and mixing paint on the paper, restated the darkest dark at the plum "stem" area (because the paper was now dry enough). Then I diluted the paint on my brush by adding a touch of water and swooshing the brush tip on my palette, to mix. I quickly touched in a shadow to the wet edge of the plum base. And I stopped. About 2 minutes. 

Of course when I was holding it up the wash was still wet so it ran—but I love that drip too.

It's just burnt sienna (you can see a bit peeking through in the top right) and Indanthrone blue (you can see a bit peeking through in the top left) mixed on the paper. (The light was pretty flat in the room so there wasn't a great highlight, but if there had been I could have added a bit of white in, or painted around a highlight area.)

Is it a great painting of a plum? Nope. But it is a fun painting of a plum, and it isn't fussed over (sometimes I talk so much in my demos that certain bits get over developed because I'm trying to get one point across).

And the students were happy, seeing the possibilities. 

Maybe you don't have to demo today, maybe you aren't explaining how to blend paint and water, maybe all you have is a piece of fruit you're staring at today.

Well take a moment to really stare at it, think about how you can balance using two complementary colors to capture that piece of fruit. Let your eye go over that fruit and see the shape. Then draw and paint as fast as you can, without fussing. Restrain yourself if you feel the urge to fuss. Really break down your process into a few simple steps and strokes. All of this, including observation should take only a few minutes.

Then set your piece aside, go out and go for a walk. Think about what you did, how you would do things differently. Ask questions about your process.

The next time you have to paint anything that rushes by you quickly you'll be better able to notice important points. But you'll also be able to slow down (but not doddle, because that might lead to fussing) and paint with a purpose.

Don't get hung up on the results. Enjoy the process and focus on that purpose. It's like mixing sprint training into your distance work—when you need that little bit of kick you can call on it. 

The Whiskey Painters Standard Palette—A Product Review

If the above video doesn't play see The Whiskey Painters Standard Palette on YouTube.

The other day I was in Wet Paint (my local independent art supply store) and they showed me these new travel palette boxes that replace the former ones I've been using in this size: 3-3/16 x 2-3/8 inches approximately when closed. 

I LOVE it. As you can see from the video, it is still very compact, but it now has half pans that are easily switched out. It's very ingenious and well-made. I'm totally in love with it and had to show you as soon as I could so I didn't even set up lights and a tripod (apologies for the shaky video, but you get to see what is important).

Currently my palette is filled with a selection of M. Graham and Daniel Smith watercolors. But because the little pressure plates are simple to remove I can change my mind in a moment. I can simply take out the pressure plates that lock in the pans, switch out the pans I don't want to use, put in ones I want to use, lock it up and go. 

Note: If you're a fan of Schmincke's Pan Watercolors I tried inserting them in this box. They also fit. (That's the only brand of factory-made pans I use so I can't help you with info about other brands.)

With the old box this size made in China, that wasn't an option. While I have this flexibility with my larger travel palettes sometimes you just don't want to take a full box. This makes it very simple to have just a few pans of color that you really want.

So if you like to travel light you might want to check this palette box out. I am not commercially connected to the makers or sellers of this palette. I'm just a happy customer. I paid $30 for mine.

If you would like to know the gouache colors I have in my old palette, shown in the video, you can see the palette and a diagram of colors in "Project 640 Tubes: Selecting A Gouache Palette."

If you would like to see a selection of my watercolor and gouache travel palettes (including the old Chinese box when it was empty) you can go to Travel Palettes for Watercolor and Gouache. The small kids palettes that you see in that image are palettes that I carry with me every day, regardless of where I'm going or for how long. The larger travel palettes are for when I'm going to a specific destination or on a road trip. The old Chinese palette was something I carried for special trips to the zoo, or day destinations, when I wanted more color. Now I have an even better option.