My Watercolour Brushes, Paints and Palette Review

[@marymcandrew7667]

The tip about using the rubber band and the longer stick, with the brushes, is brilliant! I have always clipped a small sturdy plastic pouch to the side of my plein air surface to hold my brushes. I work smaller than you so my brushes are smaller. But I totally agree about the weight, I'm always looking for ways to pare down. It might be easier for you to carry things while walking if you use a backpack. I have a medium sized cheap one that I keep kitted out ready to go. But I also keep several different kits ready depending on if I'm going for a walk with hubby and will try to sneak in a sketch, or it's a more dedicated session. Love your channel, new subscriber! I live in the Borders and you're inspiring me to get out more to paint. I've been focused on too many distractions!

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Mary, I’m so pleased that you’ve become a subscriber! Glad you liked the rubber band and stick trick, it does make a difference I’m also trying to pare down my equipment, I’ve just bought a compact tripod which is helping. The borders is a great place to paint. I must go down there much more often. Hope your painting is going well. Best wishes, James.

[@WimVeen]

That is an awesome review within a spectacular area. I don't think I buy that expensive palette, but I surely will keep on following you. With your paintings and along your trip. Thanks for this one James.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Wim, Glad you enjoyed the review. It is a pity that that Palette is so expensive. Glad you’re going to follow my travels and painting trips. The weather is always a challenge in Scotland. Best wishes, James

[@rhondaverma6358]

I wish I lived where this is. Beautiful. Thank you for this video.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Rhonda, The West Coast is a beautiful place to live. Great scenery everywhere if you could take the weather.! A lot of rain Best wishes, James

[@awatercolourist]

Thanks for making these videos! I love joining you on your travels 😊.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

My pleasure. At the moment I’m sitting in the van, looking out the window and all I can see is horizontal rain😂

[@awatercolourist]

@@JamesPotterAboutArt 😂

[@jimsmith3653]

Thanks for your thoughts on equipment James, I look forward to joining you and Tanya on your travels.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Jim, My pleasure. Glad you’re looking forward to the travels. Fingers crossed the weather will improve! Best wishes, James

[@michaelmilner4911]

Thank you James. Agree with your comment about spending money on your hobby, watercolour vs golf 😊

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Michael, Glad you agree with me on that. One of the other interesting parts of spending the money is that you commit to your hobby and you become more invested in it. I find that I have to paint if I spend so much money on it. Thanks for watching. Best wishes, James

[@stephenfoster1818]

Thanks James , again I learnt so much from your video. The brushes element was particularly good for me. It added yet another piece of my watercolour journey. Cheers Steve

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Steve, Glad you enjoyed looking around my painting gear. Hope your painting is going well. Best wishes, James

[@alisonwickett3156]

Really good tips about the plastic brush container with holes top and bottom so moisture can escape. Also the slightly longer stick to stop the paint brushes bending at the end Thank you James

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Alison, Glad you enjoyed the Video. The plastic containers are really useful And the holes are drilled just made sense. I hope you can modify your own kit. Best wishes, James

[@berolinastrassmann]

Thanks for this thorough tournif your paint kit. It was definitely very interesting! Have a great trip!

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Berolina, My pleasure glad you enjoyed the little tour. There’s a lot of rain at the moment in Scotland, making life more difficult than it could be.😊 Best wishes, James

[@berolinastrassmann]

@@JamesPotterAboutArt Thanks for your reply. I just saw Sarah Burns (who is in Scotland) mention that it's raining a lot over there. She has been painting from her car. You have a more comfortable option, if you are travelling in your camper. Staying warm and dry while on beautiful landscapes sounds like a good plan too. Nevertheless, I am sending sunny wishes your way so you can enjoy being outside ☺️☀️🔆🌞😎

[@baileythompson7040]

Thank you for sharing all the valuable information about your art tools. I'm very interested in your pallette . When you have a moment, would you please explain a bit more about why this pallette is better than the others you've had? Are they more comfortable to hold, or do they hold more paint, or have better mixing areas? etc. What makes it better? I also enjoy plein air painting and am interested in having a good pallette that will work well for me outside (anything to make it easier)😊. Any information would be very much appreciated. I'm so appreciating every one of your videos and look forward to each one as you post it. Best regards to you.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Bailey Thank you for comment, an interesting one. What I’ve decided to do is make a little video about it and chat over the benefits of the palette and why I think it’s better than others. Glad you enjoyed the videos. Best wishes, James

[@libellula3313]

Thanks, very useful to know what works for you. Jo in France 🇫🇷

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Thanks Libellula , Glad it helped. James

[@roberthoward3723]

Splendid dissertation on your “tools” I thoroughly enjoyed looking through your brushes paints and pallet box. I too have an expensive box a Fletcher Watson by Craig Young worth every penny. I was envious of your Raphael brushes. I look forward to your tour paintings. Thanks James.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Robert., Glad you enjoyed the video. Pleased to hear that you have such a lovely Watercolour box, when you actually own one of them you could really appreciate how good they are! I’ve just looked up the prices of my Raphael brushes and couldn’t believe how expensive they are now. I’m very glad I got a good deal on them! Best wishes, James

[@martyncozens5654]

Great vidio James amazing views enjoy the rest of your trip.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Martyn , Glad you enjoyed the gear video. The weather has had a turn for the worse, so it makes everything a little bit tricky. Best wishes, James

[@anermila6325]

Enjoying everything here. That plastic portable container is clever （with the add ons customisation). I really dislike the cloth scroll for my brushes but I just never give it much thought and I believe I found a solution now! I’m still yearning for THAT palette😅. I did skip a beat when yours fell lol.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Anermila, Glad you enjoyed the video. I certainly get a lot out of those plastic brush containers they have a lot of uses. Luckily, the pallet fell on Heather, so it gave it a nice soft landing. Best wishes, James

[@blanejnasveschuk6351]

“Jumping across the pond” from the US, weight, always an issue. Have found ArtToolKit palettes compact, low weight, for smaller A5 and A6, pencil, pen, and watercolor sketches, while traveling. Usually, clip standard size palette to side of sketch book… where I’m not painting. However… I drool over the little brass box you’ve cited, now and again, for domestic en plein-air, where travel weight less critical. Using Escoda Versatil and Rosemary travel brushes, for their compactness and excellent protection on road or in city. Sometimes I go “mini” limited palette, using only one or two Pentel Aqua Brushes. Hey, mix and match components depending on needs, location and crowds. Thanks for sharing your “go to” road kit!

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Blane , It’s so interesting to hear other peoples solutions to plein air equipment,. It’s such a personal thing. Watercolour really is the travel painting medium . It’s so transportable and easy to set up. I do paint in oil as well and that’s whole different ballgame so much more stuff. Hope your painting is going well. Best wishes, James

[@leemarks4543]

Great video and amazing location too.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Thanks Lee, Scotland is a wonderful place. Hopefully the weather will get better! Best wishes, James

[@suel4269]

Jackson’s Art has a plastic version of your palette called Liz Deakin. Thanks for sharing!

[@frenchgrama]

I bought a couple of Liz Deakin’s palettes because I loved the design of them BUT they stained soooo badly that the stains distorted my perception of my watercolour mixes, I couldn’t clean them up no matter what I tried so I threw them away….

[@suel4269]

@@frenchgrama oh nooo! I haven’t even filled mine yet. I’ll definitely use non staining paints.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

The Liz Deakin palette is really good. It’s a good design. Hope your painting is going well. Best wishes, James

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

@@frenchgrama That was a bit sad, sorry that you had to throw them away. What are you using now? Best wishes, James

[@frenchgrama]

@@JamesPotterAboutArt Hi James, I now have 5 brass palettes!!! 3 of them I ended up with accidentally…. After many years of pondering if it was worth it I finally ordered a Craig Young palette. After waiting 18 months it finally arrived here in Australia - boy was I excited to get my hands on it, so you can imagine my disappointment when I opened the box and had a good look at it (I ordered the Robertson palette) and saw that it was very badly made and the paint finish was terrible… I paid soooo much money for that palette and I was really, REALLY upset about the lack of care and attention to the finished product - I couldn’t bring myself to use it because I got sooo upset every time I looked at it. I am a very tactile person and I loooove the feel of using beautiful materials whether painting, writing or cooking and I use my beautiful tools daily and take care of them. So, the Craig Young palette sat in the back of my cupboard and after a few months I tried again with another start up brass palette maker in Bulgaria and ordered a ‘Spanish’ brass palette, I received my palette rather quickly as he was just starting out but unfortunately the design I received didn’t match the one on his website which showed that when you open the palette the 2 deep mixing areas stayed flat on the table, whereas on the palette I received the inside mixing area didn’t lay flat on the table and the paint pooled in the deep slope. I contacted the maker telling him I’d send the palette back for him to modify. He insisted on me keeping that original palette and sent me a new palette with the inside mixing area laying flat on the table and AS well as sending me a new palette he also sent me the cutest little mini palette, for free as an apology, that contains 12 deep paint wells which you could lift out and clip to the side of the palette which then left me with 2 mixing areas - all 3 palettes came with a leather pouch. The painted/enamel surface on all 3 palettes are beautiful, the paint doesn’t pool and if they become stained I apply whitening toothpaste on the surfaces for about 30 minutes then wash it off and the stains are all gone - having said that I mostly clean the paint off my palettes as soon as I’m finished my painting. Now, while waiting for the replacement palette to arrive, which was going to take about 18 months (and not knowing I was going to receive the little mini palette), I ordered a Hoffman palette, exactly like the one Thomas Schaller uses as I realised the Spanish palette was a bit small for studio work but great for plein air painting and sketching which I do a lot of in the 3 months that it’s cool enough to be outdoors here in Brisbane - so I’d have a studio palette and an outdoor palette… While waiting for my replacement palette and my House of Hoffman palette I emailed Craig Young about one year after receiving my palette and told him how unhappy I was with my palette and included lots of photos. He very kindly apologised and told me that if I sent it back (I’d pay for postage) he’d give me a refund. Which I did… I really loved the design of the Robertson/Roberson palette and emailed John from the Brass Box company, telling him my story (I think Craig Young trained him????) and he told me that if I ordered a palette from him and paid for it he’d make my palette in his next run, which is exactly what happened and I received my new Robertson palette in about 4 weeks!!!!! It is beautifully made and is gorgeous… So, from only wanting one beautifully handcrafted brass palette I eventually ended up with 5 of them - but I use all of them. From the original Spanish palette I removed the inside mixing area, like you did on your palette, and use this palette, without the paint wells, alongside my mini palette so that I have plenty of mixing areas - unlike you, I rarely stand when I paint outdoors, I mostly sit and paint urban/city scenes. The Hoffman palette and my replacement Spanish palette are used in my study and my Robertson palette sits in my lounge/dining area so that I can paint at nights while my husband and I watch TV… Sorry this ended up being such a long story and hope it was worth the read. Cheers, Magdalena

[@sararamer-dean7846]

Enjoy your trip! Thanks for sharing.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Sara, Thank you. I have my fingers crossed that the weather is going to get better, but Scotland is never that reliable. Many thanks, James

[@awatercolourist]

4:43 Oil brushes are indeed very good for cleaning pallets. They are also very good at picking up paint from paints that are difficult to rewet.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

They are so useful. A couple of times they’ve been a problem for me, sometimes they get a little bit greasy and they can put a film of oil on the Palette. Every so often I have to wash them out in white spirits to clean them up.

[@awatercolourist]

@@JamesPotterAboutArt I only paint in watercolours so my brushes don’t get greasy. I still wash the oil brushes with olive oil soap every so often. I originally bought them for stippling and rough textures, but I didn’t like the results.

[@noelnicholls3622]

Thanks James, another helpful video. Is the Scottish tourist board financing your wonderful tour?!! Love Scotland . Many years ago we spent a week on Iona, and did the touristy bus trip around other parts of Scotland. Unfortunately I wasn’t painting in those days but do have some good photos.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Noel Glad you enjoyed that video. I always find it interesting to see what artist use. It’s such a personal decision. I wish the Scottish tourist board was financing me, that would make life much easier Hopefully I’ll be going to Iona this summer. It’s an amazing place with so many landscape opportunities. Hopefully your photos are Iona will inspire you to do some new painting. Best wishes, James

[@mikepreston6048]

Interesting to hear your views about equipment. For me it has been a two edged sword as I inherited most of the painting equipment from my mum, but consequently I make do with what I have got. I suppose my question is, do you think that equipment or talent is the major factor. Only asking because I am always wondering which I should focus on to progress my painting journey ? Thanks.

[@awatercolourist]

Hi Mike! When I was a beginner a few years ago (I still am 😄), I found that cotton paper and soft brushes made such a difference. My two watercolour epiphanies were when I first used cotton paper, and again when I used my first sable. What a huge difference that was. The paper was old and yellowing at the edges, but it was 100% cotton and engrossing to paint on. It was very, very cheap too. The sable brush is kolinsky and is expensive for the country I live in, but it is still cheaper than in Europe and America. It was made by Arches. I still remember how enthralled I was to paint with it; the softness is amazing. You don’t have to buy natural hair brushes, look for very, very soft synthetics. Note that most, but not all, brushes that are marketed as synthetic squirrel actually behave like natural kolinsky, not natural squirrel hair. Natural squirrel hair is softer than sable and is rather limp. I think the Tintoretto synthetic vajo kazan (synthetic kazan squirrel) might be the closest to natural squirrel. I hope this helps.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Mike, It’s always good to inherit lots of painting gear. I think equipment does matter, I’ve seen students using paints and brushes that would make Watercolour painting Incredibly difficult to do. So having good quality paints is at the top of the list. And then good brushes would be next. After that, it’s the person holding the brush that’s the biggest factor in painting. So I would say for you, the most important thing to do is to understand what you’re doing. If you can understand Watercolour, then that would be the best way to improve. Hope this helps. Best wishes, James

[@mikepreston6048]

@@JamesPotterAboutArt Thanks for your advice. Still going through my mums art equipment to understand what I have and then what I need to improve and continue my art.

[@sunnawathen8955]

Hi James. Have you tried the Roberson's style palette from the Little Brass Box co.? I love mine. I am thinking of getting yours. So well worth it

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi Sunna, I haven’t tried the Roberson’s style Palette yet, although I’d really love to have one, it looks amazing. These brass pallets are so good I’m glad you’re enjoying yours. Let me know if you buy one like mine. I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it. Best wishes, James

[@awatercolourist]

Hello 👋🏼. 4:07 Is this a Winsor and Newton Sable brush or a Cass Art Synthetic? I’m confused 🙂.

[@JamesPotterAboutArt]

Hi, you’re quite right. Made the best of that one. I did say it correctly though, so just ignore the text. Thanks, James

[@awatercolourist]

@@JamesPotterAboutArt Thanks for the clarification! W&N sable it is 🙂.