Please see the attached photo that shows a complete brush, both open and closed. A smaller brush head is stored in the back end of the larger brush. It is quite a tight fit. To open, firmly grasp the body of the main brush and the end of the smaller brush insert, then twist and pull. Both parts will separate and the double brush can be assembled.

Watercolor artists are typically very particular about the specific colors they use. They often use different color palette selections depending on the subject they plan to paint. For instance, in Hawaii, the palette may lean more towards blues and greens, whereas in the desert southwest, it’s more likely that reds and earth-tones will predominate. Palettes that are sold commercially pre-filled, also typically include black and white. While useful on occasion, most artists would not include them as part of their color palette. This is why an empty palette is a welcome sight! The Portable Painter Classic includes 12 half-pans (W&N) size so that artists can easily interchange them and customize their palette. We now also offer special Expansion Pans that are engineered to fit in the brush slot of the Classic. These allow it to hold 15, 16 or even 18 colors, with no increase in size or weight! The pans can be secured with reusable adhesive disks that are included. Once installed they look and feel like the original equipment.

Please visit our RESOURCES section of our site. You will find useful recommendations from professional artists, on color choices, pigment types, watercolor papers and other handy tips.

Small disks of re-usable adhesive are provided for the half-pans. They fix the pans in the palette, but can still be removed: Just slip a butter knife or dull table knife down the edge of the half-pan and the adhesive seal will be broken. The pans can then be removed and re-attached as needed.

The half-pans in the original Portable Painter Classic are W&N size, which is smaller than most generic half-pans. We offer extra sets of our half-pans for artists who need them to customize their color palettes. The sets of twelve come complete with re-usable adhesive disks.

* Please note that pans for the Portable Painter Micro will not fit in the original Portable Painter Classic.

The original Portable Painter Classic comes complete with a silicone band. This can be used to retain the aluminum clasp when the palette is in use. The clasp can be inserted under or snapped onto the band. The band can also attach brushes, pens and pencils to the water containers while the palette is in use.

Our optional neoprene pouch was originally developed as standard packaging for our palette in France. The thin, wetsuit material protects the palette and also allows additional items such as travel brushes, pencils etc. to be carried alongside it.