Watercolor Tubes vs Pans

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[@TheScreamingFrog916]

I like to use a combination of pans and tubes. Mostly pans filled from tubes, but carry a few tubes of the colors that get used for large washes, and colors like yellow, that get used a lot and that are easy to contaminate. If I am going to do a large area or need some clean color, I squeeze a little from the tube into the pan that already has that color in it. No waste, as excess will dry in pan. Put palate in Ziploc bag to keep fresh. Use distilled water, to avoid mildew.

[@iraville]

ahhh, just found your channel and i find it super helpful!!! :D i already love your blog but now iam gonna love your channel too :D greetings from Germany

[@teohyc]

+iraville Thanks! I saw your Instagram page. Really nice artworks! I seldom see people do character designs with watercolours. Just posted your Instagram and KZbin page on my blog.

[@iraville]

+Teoh Yi Chie wow, thank you so much for the compliment and the blog bost. well i also do digital designs too but i switch more and more to watercolors because i often get problems with my wrist and underarm when i paint too much digital. and painting with a brush helps a lot to counteract . furthermore ist more fun for me painting with watercolors ^_^

[@teohyc]

+Judith A Rowland From personal experience, I see no visual difference between Winsor Newton pans and tubes in terms of colour vibrancy. HOWEVER, I've used a brand called QoR and their colours do appear to be less saturated when the tubes are dried, most likely because they use a different sort of binder. That's the only exception. Also, not all pigments dry well from tube, for example Viridian usually dried into a very hard surface that's almost impossible to rewet again. Thanks for the recommendation on Daniel Smith watercolour sticks. I've been wanting to try them for a long time. I'm a fan of Daniel Smith watercolours. Yeah, they do look economical from the price they are selling at.

[@yee6818]

Missi's Palette They usually dry in a few days. And you don’t need to sun dry it. And don’t try sun drying it, I’m pretty sure it won’t end up well.

[@monica69420]

this is incredibly informative. i've been getting into watercolors lately and I've been looking into making a skintone palette to keep the skintones consistent with the people I draw

[@maisecatx7341]

Excellent video, your is the 1st one I have come across where the differences between tube & pans are explained well. Now I understand why artists squeeze out tube paints into pans! Thanks!

[@Loupa57]

You make so informative and easily followed videos, thank you. Also I really like your art too.

[@pheapchin]

I think pans are easy transportation items for a quick paint. Pans I would suggest to get because it gives a better gradient when using it. And Tubes make it not really easy for a gradient

[@mahimakejriwal4167]

+wifidify I completely agree to u!

[@nenaw.3935]

Oh actually it's very easy to overcome the issue of not knowing how much you need to squeeze out of a tube. You can simply buy a palette in any kind of art store (just have to make sure that is has enough wells-small for the colors, and big to mix them in). Squeeze a good amount of paint out of your tubes (till the small wells are full or half-full. Your call) and...leave them here. All you will need to do in the future is wet them before use and voilà. I have seen many watercolors make up their own palette that way, and very few of them actually use the paint when straight out of the tube.

[@nenaw.3935]

+Nena W. watercolor artists* dang I'm really tired.

[@TheNovemberlight]

Isn't that exactly what he demonstrated when he was showing his compact set, where he had squeezed paint into empty pans, to store in his paint box..?

[@LadyIdle93]

+Nena W. in the end, wouldn't that be the same as if I buy a pan set? What's the advantage? (I have a student pan set and I would like to upgrade, I'm trying to figure out if I should buy pans or tubes and put them in a customized palette..)

[@kodaboyy]

+LadyIdle93 pans usually cost more and come in limited colors. Tubes come in larger sizes and a typical tube can make around 2-3 pans when dried. Many people tend to get the pan sets because they are already made, come with their own palette and are ready to use. Either way it'd be more economical to get tubes IMO.

[@LadyIdle93]

Thanks :) I bought a pan palette, but I think I'm gonna get tubes to refill!!!

[@2beastmanga240]

Nice! This helped since I just recently got into watercolor. I think I want to squeeze tubes into pans. Thanks! I subbed😊

[@JanLilyJing]

I'm buying watercolors tomorrow, and this is a great video that helped me decide which kind to buy! Thanks so much!

[@DavidLorellHoskins]

Great demonstration. Thanks Teoh

[@JamesWSmith-sj2zg]

Thank you for this video, was exactly the information I was looking for. Great!

[@inkylumine8967]

Should I just...make my own palate with the tubes?

[@teohyc]

Yes. It's cheaper in the long run

[@covid-19inthistogether96]

Thank you, this was very helpful!

[@Sooz-gh7fb]

Great tip regarding putting the tube paints into the pan :), thank you.x

[@cylenadee]

Thank you for the comparison! Very informative! Thank you 😊

[@amandajstar]

Excellent introduction. On to the next of your videos!

[@teohyc]

Thanks for your support :-)

[@33Jenesis]

I’ve thought about this for a long time before I committed to buy. My decision was tube paint. I like the flexibility to squeeze paint into empty full pans and just a drop of paint to a porcelain palette after deciding on what colors to use. I hardly ever draw or paint outside therefore mobile setup isn’t critical at this point.

[@biancamaego]

I love your videos! thanks for this

[@remochii]

Thank you so much! I love your channel ❤

[@nataliegardner3908]

I prefer pans because it's so easy for me to waste paint if I use it straight from the tube.

[@ComedyLoverGirl]

Indeed, and this paint is very expensive for someone who's starting out, so you don't want to waste.

[@ramchandraumrankar4457]

Yes and at times I just squeeze way more paint than I actually require.

[@DrxgonBxll]

Actually guys you can let tube paint dry and "reactivate" it by adding water so it's never a waste of paint

[@cherubicseraphim729]

Ezy Teri Reddy I don’t understand how your wasting it ? just let it dry on the pallet and wet then reuse it later, that’s what I do.

[@mikuenjoyerXD]

Its like, well i guess my next 5 artworks are going to all be in cadmium blue oops lol

[@EricSareyka]

Firstly in Germany the colours in tubes are less expensive than in pans. Secondly colours are after the production process so liquid as they are sold in tubes. So a sort of binding agent must be added, so that it hardens. I doubt that this additive, does not influence the quality of the colour pigments. Nevertheless an important video about watercolours. Thanks, Teoh!

[@teohyc]

+Eric Sareyka Yeah. I like buying tubes. They are so much less expensive.

[@higherground711]

+Eric Sareyka Are you saying if you want tube colors to harden in pans that you must add a binding agent yourself? Or are you saying that they add a binder for this purpose?

[@EricSareyka]

You don't have to do anything! In the process of the industrial production there are added special substances for expediting the drying time and extend the shelf life.

[@higherground711]

I understand now.

[@Purpleiris444]

Great video, great to know that out of the tubes vs pans are no difference. One question I have is how do you soften watercolor in a tube that has been hardened or dried out?

[@teohyc]

Add some water and glycerin

[@RollModel724]

I struggle with getting lots of pigment with the half pans, and so I end up always finding myself going over layers over and over to get a good saturation.

[@teohyc]

+Stickler Hudson It could be the paint you are using is not high quality enough. There could be more filler than pigment. That's why it is difficult to get saturated colours.

[@MminaMaclang]

I heard that Schminke pan sets take 4 months to make, because they fill the pans with the same formula as the tubed paints, let them dry out in a humidity-controlled room, and as the water evaporates, they keep filling it again, drying it again, so on and so forth until the pan is filled completely. But how much of the raw unevaporated paint equivalent are in those pans? We know that a half pan is around 2mL in volume (according to your own blog), but is it the equivalent of 2mL of tubed paint because it is wet?

[@juancalvo9762]

Very helpful and informative.

[@joshuafuryon7874]

Great explanation of how to use both

[@gummyypeach]

ARE YOU FROM SG? HAHAHAHA the accent is v distinctive Anyway, I'm a watercolour beginner who's using tubes now. Thinking of whether I should switch to pans once my current supply runs out. But one thing I'm concerned with is, will mixing the colours straight from the pans easily result in contamination of the pans (like when you mixing colour A, then dropping the same brush into colour B). I have seen other youtubers done that before, and I'm just v puzzled, like aren't they worried?

[@teohyc]

+gummyypeach What? Singaporeans got accent? What? Whahahahhaahaaaa! You should just get tubes to replace the pans. It's more economical. Each half pan has a capacity of 2ml. Each 15ml tube can fill it 7 times. There will be contamination of colours definitely. Yellow is the easiest to contamination. Usually, I will use clean water to clean up yellow after painting. Or just take special notice to clean your brush before using yellow. Or instead of using a yellow pan, just a yellow tube instead. Other colours if contaminated aren't too bad. But yellow even when contaminated by a tiny bit will look like the colour has shifted.

[@gummyypeach]

+Teoh Yi Chie yeahhh as monotonous as Singaporeans may sound as compared to the other angmoh countries, it's still an accent by definition. There's no such thing as "no accent". And thanks for your answers! :) Will take note of those tips

[@AlliasEllie]

Thank you for that video, it was very helpful :)

[@teohyc]

+Ellie K Thanks!

[@juditharowland3461]

Hi Teoh, Once again thank you for a great demo. I respect your impartial critiques and would ask that you check out this video and tell us what you think. On KZbin, DickBlick has released a Winsor Newton demo on Pans vs. Tubes by Winsor Newton. And see what you think. WN states that the formula for Pans is a bit different. Pan paints are extruded. Tubes are meant to be used wet. When dried the moisture content alters so that when you rewet, you don't get the same effect as fresh color. Pans are just the opposite. That is why they are much harder. They are intended to work only after wetting and so don't loose freshness when dried. The only exception I know of is Schmincke who state that their pans contain the exact formula of their tubes.........But, they take between 3 and 6 months to be ready for sale after pouring. And cost a lot. Also, I'd like to suggest that you try some of the Daniel Smith watercolor sticks. They too are extruded BUT........for about $8-9 USD you get 3 times the paint in a full pan and it is their version of pan paint. The sticks are the same demanding quality of their tube paints. Very, very rich. You can cut them and add them to an empty pan or use them as you would a crayon. Other Watercolor sticks are usually of a lesser quality or much smaller. Winsor Newton's are rich and juicy and I love them but they are 2/3rd's smaller for the same price......You get 3 times the bang for your buck with Daniel Smith.......I have used some that are ten years old and they are perfect.

[@cello_user]

Thanks for the very informative comment. I've learned a lot from you. 😊

[@adriannamarszal]

I also heard before that if you intend to use pans (either pre-made or pouring tubes into them), it’s better to go with pre-made pans from W&N. And yes, I’ve heard the same about Schmincke - that their formula is exact same, so for this brand it doesn’t matter whether you pour the pans from tubes yourself. However, I’m curious how it is with other brands, e. g. Holbein 🧐

[@nigelcharlton1543]

Great video👍🏻

[@AsterHiggins]

this was helpful thank you ^-^

[@Nano.virus.2.0]

Thanks a lot! Nice review

[@alext9067]

Excellent video.

[@teohyc]

Thank you :-)

[@jhazell5180]

Thank you so much. I have been looking for precisely the info you provided and until your video, after watching several other videos I still could not make a decision. Thanks again. One QUESTION: How well do paints keep that use honey as their binder when they are in a plein aire set dried out full pans? Thanks Teoh. From John in Canada.

[@teohyc]

Those with honey may not dry completely. So if you have the option for non-honey pans, get those instead.

[@mahimakejriwal4167]

This was so helpful !

[@teohyc]

+Mahima Kejriwal Thank you 😁

[@angelorogado4445]

hi. very helpful video.. i have a question. im using winsor newton cotman 12 color, and I use lemon yellow much, what is the best tube to replace the lemon yellow?

[@teohyc]

Why not just use Lemon Yellow again? Another option is Hansa Yellow Light (Daniel Smith).

[@Drumaier]

Nice video from remotes times by now, but still all applicable to "modern times". I like to use watercolors fresh from the tube but the drawback of this is that you waste them more than necessary if you don't use it all, and they "run" a lot faster, but that is because you use more....you actually use what you really need instead of ending up with very weak pale paintings (which half pans invites to happen imo). I just ordered a 18 full pans palette from Jackson's to see if i can get used to them (i have only experience with half pans and they are too constraining for me). My idea is not to fill them to the top, but using the pans as a placeholder for a given color and leaving always place for fresh paint from the tube if the size of the painting calls for it. Will see. Anyhow!

[@adriannamarszal]

That sounds like a marvelous idea and a golden middle! Since your comment 2 years ago, how has this worked out for you? 🙂

[@art4u57]

What u think about postercolors

[@LadyIdle93]

I have a student pan set (Cotman 12, Winsor and Newton) and I would like to upgrade.. I'm trying to figure out wether I should buy pans or tubes and put them in a customized palette.. Still can't decide :( What are the advantages of putting tubes in a palette? Is it more convenient? Do they get dirty more easily? I think I'm gonna stick to my cotman set forever, I just can't make my mind LOL

[@teohyc]

+LadyIdle93 Some advantages of tubes include the option to choose your own colours, and it's cheaper in the long run. A small half pan has a capacity of 2ml. A 5ml tube can fill it two times and a bit. Pan colours do get dirty easier compared to tubes. However, I have not found that to be a big problem. The only problem is the colour yellow because it's the easiest colour to get dirty. So for yellow, you may want to keep it in a tube.

[@LadyIdle93]

That's a very good review, thank you... I found a very good deal on a winsor and newton 24 set (half of the price!!), so I think I'm gonna buy that and eventually, when i run out of colors, maybe try and fill them with tubes :)

[@shek7121]

I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL

[@teohyc]

Thanks :-)

[@sincostanian]

Great videos, I just subscribed! Are you using the White Nights(or St. Petersburg) as the example of full pans? If so, what do you think about them? Do you have a review? Thanks!

[@teohyc]

+hansbergolas I've not used them enough for a proper review yet. But so far so good. They are quite worth the money. The pigments are very intense, more so than I would expect from the price. And you can get them quite cheap on Ebay.

[@sincostanian]

+Teoh Yi Chie Thank you for the quick reply!

[@ikogan3753]

I am using a White nights 12 colors set for couple years , they are very good . Also they for sale on ebay for 2$ for a one full size pan .

[@MoMaryR]

I am curious as to why you completely fill an empty pan (or 1/2 pan) with tube paint. Wondering if just putting a small amount of the tube paint in, topping up as necessary, would not keep your tube paint fresher longer in it's tube as well as leaving more room for your brush? Maybe there is a good reason.

[@teohyc]

+Mo M It is so that I do not run out of paint.

[@MoMaryR]

Hi, ok but I think for studio use or even short plein air outings, it might be a good idea to use a small amount of tube paint but I see all the youtubers seem to fill up their pans. Thanks for responding and for video.

[@shaneleonard8681]

+Mo M one reason to squeeze out to fill up the whole pan is that the paint has much less contact/exposure to the air. Therefore it actually can stay fresher longer. With a small blob of paint, it is exposed on the sides and the top, whereas a full pan is only exposed on the top.

[@adriannamarszal]

@@shaneleonard8681 I also heard that it’s good practice to fill up pans 2-4 times in layers allowing each layer to dry in between. That’s what Schmincke and some other brands do when they pour pans. But maybe it depends on a brand and the paint’s chemical composition - I don’t know 🤔

[@sabrinatby]

Hi, if you squeeze the tube into pan (mine is plastic pan), how long does the paint took to dry ? Did you leave it open to dry or just close the panafter squeezing?? Thanks!

[@teohyc]

The surface should take a day to dry and after that it should not move much. But some paints are more liquid compared to others and even if the surface dries, they will still move. E.g. Cerulean. If you want the paint to dry faster, after putting in the pan, close the box (but leave a gap) and put the box under the sun. Or if you have a hot monitor, place it on top of the monitor. Basically, place the pan and paint somewhere hot to dry it quicker.

[@jasneskis]

What is the 12 full pan set of color you show in your video. It looks like you put tube paint in it. I need a good box. That one had a water container and bottle.

[@shadesofgray5476]

Jasneskis, Looks like it's been a while since you posted your question but I thought I would give you a response anyway. The one with the water container and bottle that Teoh Ye Chie uses looks like a Winsor and Newton Bijou box. I don't think you can get a new one anymore but you might be able to get one on Ebay. I think Schmincke makes a very similar box that I've seen on Amazon.... Found it: "SCHMINCKE Schmincke Horadam Half Pan 8 Color Set." Amazon has lots of different brands that have the small metal boxes with tracks that will accept the fullsize pans. The Schmincke and Rembrandt travel sets come to mind. Some of my facebook artist friends are going crazy over the "Confections" boxes you can get on Amazon. There are three different sets (The Classics, Tropicals, and Decadent Pies) offered that you can order, and the prices are very reasonable--you can get all three for what some of the other boxes cost. Even if you don't like the paint, the boxes they come in make them worth the price. (*Prima Marketing Watercolor Confections). The only complaint I've seen is that some people think the paint is slightly too opaque. Finally, you can order full pans or empty full pans and a nice metal box from Kremer Pigments in New York. They have good prices and quality materials.

[@VoaArt]

I’m used to use tube still🌸

[@paulbamber7488]

I liked your tips I'm new by

[@lukaivanisevic5212]

If you put tube watercolor and it dry can you refresh it with water and use it like a watercolor pan

[@teohyc]

+L Art Most colours can be activated again by water and re-wet well. A few will dry hard as rock.

[@lukaivanisevic5212]

Teoh Yi Chie thank you

[@leodoz1016]

Heh, I think the WN Cadmium Orange is actually Cadmium Yellow Deep

[@louibabia7791]

Is it good to use a sakura koi,watercolor or do you have a recomendation? Thank you

[@teohyc]

+Loui Babia I'm not sure about Sakura Koi as I've not used it before. If you want a budget beginner set, I would recommend the Winsor & Newton Cotman series, the one with plastic white box of 12 pan colours.

[@g.rodriguez7445]

The Daler Rowney Aquafine set is comparable to the Cotman's and I think they make a better overall travel set...(Price is similar and you may get a few more colors with Aquafine set (18 colors ) too). I have both. The paint quality is about the same--Very good "Student" quality. I like the mixing wells better with the Cotman set, but that maybe because I've owned them a lot longer than the Aquafine.

[@isabelladiez8305]

what brands were used in this video ??

[@teohyc]

+Isabella Diez Daniel Smith and Winsor & Newton.

[@lilitupai7379]

If we keep moisturizing with water everytime before using them, will it make the colour on the pan fading away?

[@teohyc]

No. The colours won't fade by adding water.

[@lilitupai7379]

@@teohyc Thank you for the reply. Anyway, how is it possible? Isn't adding water (e.g. moisturizing) will make the colours lighten? I'm a newbie, I learnt that to make light colour gradation is simply to add more water, so how come it won't affect the colours on the pan gradually?

[@teohyc]

@@lilitupai7379 I didn't quite get what you asked the first time. Adding water will make the colours lighter, as in look more diluted. If you add water into the pan of paint, it's not going to make the colour lighter because the pan colours are incredibly intense. To dilute the colours, you should pick some paint out onto the mixing well, then add water there.

[@lilitupai7379]

@@teohyc Your explanation truly enlightening. Thank you so much! I just got into watercolouring and getting the pan watercolour set. This method (moisturizing) kind of scared me, but now everything is clear. Keep up making good videos. I LOVE your channel and hope it will keep growing and growing for it's deserved it. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@lifeismusicparnadonkers]

I love to use water colour paint from the tubes. I paint whit oil paint from the tube so i am use to qweesing it out off the tube. My brand is Pebeo for my oils and my watercolour paints. I queese my pant on myself self made grey pallet. I am a biginner drawer and painter

[@olgaurueta542]

Thank you

[@peggy8519]

Thank you for sharing this video!!

[@teohyc]

+Peggy Yang Thanks :-)

[@davidanddenisemulkey6147]

Do you have any problems with tubes going dry? That's my biggest worry---paying for a nice tube of paint and then not using it before it dries out.

[@teohyc]

Just make sure you cap the tubes properly. You might want to get a small air tight container to store all the tubes too.

[@davidanddenisemulkey6147]

Thanks for the tip.

[@ciabatte59]

thank you very useful

[@teohyc]

+ciabatte59 Thanks!

[@toradoraa]

I went out today, bought a bunch of water colour paint brushes, some water colour paints (could only find tube versions) and a water colour pad. Let's see how this goes 🥴. P.s I don't have a single drop of artistic skill so this should be fun.

[@adriannamarszal]

maybe you’ll discover your artistic skills on the way! and learn more and more over time 😊

[@toradoraa]

@@adriannamarszal thank you! 🤧🤍

[@katherinecalacday2620]

I have noticed a slight dulling of Artist watercolor when rewetted again in the water mixture. . This might be an explanation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYjVoYqwj62DsLs (last part where he is selling large watercolor pans). But this slight dulling is not noticeable when painting watercolor paintings. putting watercolor tubes in pans to dry is more convenient and more economical than putting it out from a tube when doing a painting. Majority of the people would not notice the difference.

[@katherinecalacday2620]

+Katherine Calacday Maybe the dust collected during the air exposure contribute to the dulling. I will just think of a way to cover the watercolor paints cleanly.

[@higherground711]

I'd take a Ziploc bag and cut to the shape of the box. Then use a small strip of double sided tape on the three outer edges of the box to hold it in place.

[@katherinecalacday2620]

Thanks! Innovative idea!

[@lanadelthee2568]

what us the small metal box with 12 color called

[@teohyc]

+lana del thee The smallest box? It's a Bijou box. www.parkablogs.com/content/review-winsor-newton-watercolour-bijou-box

[@lanadelthee2568]

+Teoh Yi Chie its not available anymore , i ordered the rembrandt watercolor set because it is on sale for 30 euro and normal it is 74 euro

[@teohyc]

+lana del thee That's a good deal!

[@malaficentt2839]

hey, how long do watercolor pans last?

[@teohyc]

Difficult to say. Depends on how often you use them, and your favourite colours. For example, I use up yellows and blues (French Ultramarine more than Phthalo Blue) more then reds.

[@malaficentt2839]

thankss, but I mean does watercolor expire? :D

[@prismaticj5431]

what do you mean by dissolve?

[@teohyc]

Tube paints dissolve and mix more easily because they are softer.

[@prismaticj5431]

thanks!

[@Omarcomics911]

So tube doesn't get dry

[@gachabear2535]

Hello! I’m just saying but, some people had mold in there paints. I’m very worried about my paints now!!

[@teohyc]

Just make sure you dry your paint properly after each painting session. I always leave my box open to ventilate. Mold grows well in damp and dark places.

[@mydogeatspuke]

"They" don't call the pans "cakes." The hard cube-like shape inside a pre-prepared pan is in fact called a cake. The pan is the container a cake comes in.

[@clashroyale-sw1qc]

I have full set tube

[@andig.9344]

Benefits of pans vs tubes in watercolor

[@clashroyale-sw1qc]

I have full set

[@luisemel9182]

*when I realized he messed up between cadium yellow and orange