New and Improved Pocket Palette Expeditionary Art’s Plus a Discount Code!

This is kind of timely news, as I'm planning to use this new piece of kit for #OneWeek100People2018.

Maria Coryell-Martin at ExpeditionaryArt.com recently sent me the next generation of her ultra-compact Pocket Palette.

The design remains the same as the original version, up-cycling pre-existing cases for 2x3" business cards, but this update makes improvements to the magnetic tins, which should eliminate a problem with the trays rusting.

But more importantly - she's introduced a super-cute square tin she calls a half-pan, which I find to be a perfect size.

The new mini-square holds just a dot of color, only a bit more than the cap of a watercolor tube.

I love the new tray size. It's perfect for what this palette is designed for. It's not about carrying a lot of paint. I doubt anyone's going to rely on this tiny kit as their only palette for a month-long vacation. This is more of an everyday-carry. Something discreet to bring to a live event, a cafe, or a museum.

In the end, I'd rather have tiny amounts of more colors, instead of larger pans of fewer, knowing I'll only be using this for a dab of color on a sketch, or maybe a postcard-sized piece. If I ever wanted the larger trays, I'd just bring my normal 3x5" kit.

Basically, these half-pans (which I'd personally call 1/8ths) allow me to approximate my standard palette in miniature. I don't have to change how I work.

You can see, in these yellow-green lorikeets, especially on the left, and upper right, exactly how I use my rows of color.

I'm placing touches of full strength pigments - Olive green, Perlyne green, Green Gold - then an accent such as the Turquoise - and of course the intense Pyrrol Orange on the breast - but never 'smudging', no manual blending - simply placing the colors right next to each other. I get a light-to-dark gradient by letting the strokes fuse on their own.

Yes, I could mix these colors - but by having three values of tubes in each row, I can make gradients faster, and get the wet-in-wet fusion I enjoy.

In fact, I used the larger rectangular pans for whites and blacks in this test setup, going forward I'll just get more mini-squares. I could add a few more specialty shades, such as Lunar Black, or Tyrian Purple.

I did these at the aquarium, but this little paint kit is perfect for any situation where space or weight is a concern. Sketching in the cafe, on a long flight, or taking a sketchbook backpacking. Whatever reason you find to go on an art expedition!

If you're interested in ordering a few of the new pans, or a complete ready-to-go kit, head over to the Expeditionary Arts store, and use the discount code: HOLMES at checkout time. Maria says this will be good for 15% off, from now until March 31st.

~marc