How to Make Your Own Half Pans
Watercolor paint is available in tubes or pans. Some sets of paints designed for fieldwork use half pans of paint to make the kits smaller and lightweight. The pans need to be replaced at different times, depending on the artist's chosen palette. For example, large amounts of yellow are used to mix and lighten other colors, so it disappears quickly. Deeper, potent colors like pthalo blue are used in smaller amounts, so they last longer. It is more convenient and less expensive to make your own half pans than to purchase them, and you can include your personal favorite hues in your traveling palette.
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Things You'll Need
- Tubes of watercolor paint
- Clean half pans
- Palette knife or butter knife
- Paper towel
- Paper or plastic cover for work surface
Instructions
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Clean the half pans you intend to fill. Do not layer new paint from a tube on top of old paint, or you will end up with bits of dried paint mixed into your washes. New empty half pans are also available through online art supply retailers.
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Squeeze small amounts of a tube of watercolor paint into each corner of an empty half pan to prevent air from being trapped as the paint dries and shrinks. If this happens, the cake of paint may be loose in the pan when it dries, or water may collect there when the paint is wet. Continue to fill the pan to slightly overflowing. Smooth out and compress the wet paint into the pan with a palette knife or small butter knife. Pound the pan gently on the work surface to settle the paint and release trapped air. If necessary, wipe the lip of the pan clean with a damp paper towel.
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Allow newly filled pans to dry completely until the paint surface is dry and firm. This may take one or two days, depending on the climate. If shrinking has caused a depression in the center of the cake, re-apply the tube paint, and allow it to dry again.
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Tips & Warnings
One 15 ml tube of watercolor paint will fill eight half pans of paint.
It is wise to invest in artist grade paints, because they contain more pigment, produce stronger color and are more permanent.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit watercolor paints image by DLeonis from Fotolia.com
