Don't know if you've heard of this product, but there's a nifty little travel palette on the market. Created by Steve Padden (an industrial engineer with a degree in Fine Arts), this little palette is smaller than my Holbein and looks more travel-worthy. I was sent a sample by Steve's publicist, Lorna Garano, and said I would give it an honest review. So here goes...
Arriving in a nice little box, this travel palette is just sized 1" x 3" x 5.5" = as small as some smartphones!
The metal nameplate in the middle slides off and on, holding the two black water containers to the palette, keeping everything secure when not in use. There is a thick rubber band at the bottom that comes off and can hold pencils, brushes, etc. to the side of a water container when it's all set up.
Just slide the metal bar off, then slide off the black ends (the water containers) and the palette is shown.
Open it up and you have a nice little plastic palette in white with 12 open wells for your own choice of pigments.
The hardest part for me was choosing just 12 colors! So I was glad I received the sample that comes with 12 extra wells - that way, you can change out color or, as I did, use the included glue dots to glue extra wells into a small tin = perfect!
The palette also comes with it's own double-headed brush, but I found the synthetic brush wasn't to my liking so I will use my own travel brushes with this.
So, the water containers slide onto the sides of the palette and you're ready to roll.
You can see what colors I finally chose to add to the 12 wells of the palette.
You can see the extra wells (with glue dots included) in the bag here, the open palette used with the included brush and a small painting (not great but I can do better).
With the addition of your favorite watercolor sketchbook and some paper towels or a small cloth towel, you are ready to roll.
My take on this Portable Painter palette?
1) I'm not too keen on the brush included so use your own travel brushes. I like a softer brush and have 6 travel brushes, some by Daniel Smith, some by Winsor Newton, all easy to fit in a small bag with this palette when I take it with me.
2) I would like more wells but worked about that by getting an Altoids tin and adding a few extra wells to it. That also can pack into a bag with this set to travel.
3) As with most plastic palettes, the initial mixing areas are very slick and the paint just pools in funny blobs on it. That was fixed by using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (original white, not the newer perfumed ones) and roughing up the mixing areas a bit so the paint will flow better.
That's it! At it's small size (1" x 3" x 5.5") it's handy to take with you in a small bag and it's made to be sturdy when out in the field by placing the water containers on each side. This makes the bottom flat so you can hold it draped over your knee - or the containers filled with water keep it sturdy enough when placed on any uneven surfaces you find outside. Guys, it's small enough you can put it in a pocket and take out with you!
I recommend it enough to say it will now replace my beloved Holbein travel palette for road-trips or just days out. If you're interested in purchasing one for yourself or a watercolor friend, just go to
https://www.portablepainter.com/shop
The Original Portable Painter (12 half-pan wells) is $29.95. The Portable Painter with 12 extra half-pans and adhesive disks is $35.95.
I will use it more as the spring days go by and give you updates about durability, transportability, leakage, etc.
You can learn more by checking out The Portable Painter web site, find it on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. There are other bloggers who've used it an given reviews and you can find them from the main web site.
Thanks, Lorna, for sending this very cool new item to add to my watercolor toolbox! And thanks, Steve, for imagining and creating this new travel palette!
Arriving in a nice little box, this travel palette is just sized 1" x 3" x 5.5" = as small as some smartphones!
The metal nameplate in the middle slides off and on, holding the two black water containers to the palette, keeping everything secure when not in use. There is a thick rubber band at the bottom that comes off and can hold pencils, brushes, etc. to the side of a water container when it's all set up.
Just slide the metal bar off, then slide off the black ends (the water containers) and the palette is shown.
Open it up and you have a nice little plastic palette in white with 12 open wells for your own choice of pigments.
The hardest part for me was choosing just 12 colors! So I was glad I received the sample that comes with 12 extra wells - that way, you can change out color or, as I did, use the included glue dots to glue extra wells into a small tin = perfect!
The palette also comes with it's own double-headed brush, but I found the synthetic brush wasn't to my liking so I will use my own travel brushes with this.
So, the water containers slide onto the sides of the palette and you're ready to roll.
You can see what colors I finally chose to add to the 12 wells of the palette.
You can see the extra wells (with glue dots included) in the bag here, the open palette used with the included brush and a small painting (not great but I can do better).
With the addition of your favorite watercolor sketchbook and some paper towels or a small cloth towel, you are ready to roll.
My take on this Portable Painter palette?
1) I'm not too keen on the brush included so use your own travel brushes. I like a softer brush and have 6 travel brushes, some by Daniel Smith, some by Winsor Newton, all easy to fit in a small bag with this palette when I take it with me.
2) I would like more wells but worked about that by getting an Altoids tin and adding a few extra wells to it. That also can pack into a bag with this set to travel.
3) As with most plastic palettes, the initial mixing areas are very slick and the paint just pools in funny blobs on it. That was fixed by using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (original white, not the newer perfumed ones) and roughing up the mixing areas a bit so the paint will flow better.
That's it! At it's small size (1" x 3" x 5.5") it's handy to take with you in a small bag and it's made to be sturdy when out in the field by placing the water containers on each side. This makes the bottom flat so you can hold it draped over your knee - or the containers filled with water keep it sturdy enough when placed on any uneven surfaces you find outside. Guys, it's small enough you can put it in a pocket and take out with you!
I recommend it enough to say it will now replace my beloved Holbein travel palette for road-trips or just days out. If you're interested in purchasing one for yourself or a watercolor friend, just go to
https://www.portablepainter.com/shop
The Original Portable Painter (12 half-pan wells) is $29.95. The Portable Painter with 12 extra half-pans and adhesive disks is $35.95.
I will use it more as the spring days go by and give you updates about durability, transportability, leakage, etc.
You can learn more by checking out The Portable Painter web site, find it on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. There are other bloggers who've used it an given reviews and you can find them from the main web site.
Thanks, Lorna, for sending this very cool new item to add to my watercolor toolbox! And thanks, Steve, for imagining and creating this new travel palette!
4 comments:
oh that is lovely,, I like that you filled them yourself,, I have an Altoids tin travel palette too lol,, I used a chicklet gum container for the wells lol, that was a lovely product to try !
Rhonda I think this palette looks great. The ideal of using Altoids tin travel for a palette is one that I certainly am going to try. Thanks for sharing your review on the Portable Painter. BTW love your floral sketch. Have a super week.
its so tiny
too tiny for me to use, i like too many colours lol
Yes, the little half-pans come empty so you can put your own paints in there, choosing your palette for yourself, Laurie.
Thanks, Debbie. I think it’s big enough to carry around outside or pack on a trip - I don’t really need as much as I always have on hand in my little art room.
Jennifer, yes, small, but with the addition of the tin and extra half-pans, you could get 24 colors - that’s not enough? I know I could pare my choices down to about 12 if I really tried!
Post a Comment