The biggest advantage of the Portable Painter for me is that I can rest it on my leg without knocking it over. When I paint outside, I rarely have a table so I need a setup that works well without one.
Yes, yes, yes to being able to put it on your leg or on a table, etc! - and , for the way I paint, I need its larger water wells . You can now get additional paint wells that will expand it too.
While I love the idea of more mixing area, I still prefer the Portable Painter because I can use my own paints but most importantly when the water containers are attached to the palette I can set the whole thing on my knee while I’m sitting and be hands free to paint. Also, when I sit it on the ground the palette itself isn’t sitting directly on the ground which helps keep the palette clean.
I have owned one of these for many years. It's good and clever, but I prefer the portable painter's more sturdy setup and overall versatility. Both are nicely thought out designs. Try both !
oh! my first pallette! =) I think all those small cute pallettes shine when you are sketching stuff in your tiny cute watercolour sketchbook, where you don’t neet much water and paint to achieve something. I saw an advert in some social media about free online workshop and I rush towards the closest art supplies store - that’s how I got it. Without knowledge of colour theory - it’s hard to use that particular pallette as the colours look quite artificial and plastic-ish. And yes, what to do with the white one? 😅
Great review, I'm familiar with that box and very few people realize how expandable it is and what all the bits are. People just think it's an oddly fat palette without realizing all the benefits
I like the Cotman palette. It comes with a water bottle, way more mixing areas, you can set it on your leg (no idea why people are responding like you can’t), and you can use the colors provided or insert your own. Thanks for letting me know about it.
W&N has mastered a great beginner’s palette. My friend is just starting her Watercolor journey and got the W&N palette and she LOVES the colors. She feels there is just enough choice to let her feel she has a vast color selection… and any more would overwhelm her.
Agreed, the w&n is a better all around compact deal. Mainly because it's all inclusive. No need to grab anything else. Plenty if mixing space, water included, paints included. The pp is fun and i own both, but the w&n is a better buy. Glue a tripod mount to it and you need nothing more.
This is a good point. Unless you already have a huge supply of tube paints that are just waiting for a spot on your portable painter .. the W&N is a fantastic “whole package”. I would gift W&N before the portable painter.
I have both but have had the W&N palette for a really long timeand it has been my main go to travel palette since I got it. It has held up well, the pans are easily replaceable and you can get a lot of mileage out of the water container if your urban sketching or taking it to the beach, etc. I have tried multiple other travel palettes and keep coming back to this one
Nice comparison! I have the Cotman set and I do like it. But my bottle has a hole in it at the top, so it leaks water. Also the little loop broke off which keeps the lid attached, but that's a minor issue. So I would say quality wise, it's not the best. Haven't used it that much. The water bottle is pretty much unusable now, unless I find a way to fix the hole!
I have one of these! Had it for years. Replaced the brush with a W&N series 7 travel brush (I might need something a little bigger, wonder if Rosemary travel brushes fit?), started buying extra pans and filling them with other paint. It is kinda chunky and not as pocketable as other travel palettes, but the included water bottle is very handy and I tend to slot it into a sketching bag anyway. (Where, I hasten to add, a drinks bottle filled with water would not be so convenient) I like it very much. If I had any competence whatsoever with watercolours, I'd probably love it.
"If I had any competence whatsoever with watercolours, I'd probably love it.", i think it's the opposite, it's a palette very much geared towards absolute beginers
Just FYI, the Portable Palette now can come with additional wells if you wish to add more colors. As I mentioned earlier (? above on my screen) BOTH are nicely designed palettes. I haven't seen this W&N palette for sale in a number of years (maybe in Blick or Jerry's or Cheap Joe's?). If you can afford it, consider trying both.
Ohh wow that’s a new Winsor & Newton Palette that I have not seen yet. Definitely love 💕 the ides of the additional water bottle. I have got the Winsor & Newton 14 colors Field Set palette that came with paint. Thanks for sharing this wonderful informational video with us!
For the cotman brand It’d be nice if the well that the water bottle came out of could be used as a brush cleaning well. Also if we can pour the water back into the bottle after painting. Sometimes there’s no place to discard dirty water. Thank you for the comparison.
Cotmans are absolutely terrible paints. I literally use my Cotman set as a doorstop for my studio, they are just awful…..hard to rewet (ruins your brushes), poor lightfastness, cheap pigments, loaded with fillers to make the paint stretch further, brighteners to try to make up for using poor pigments, dispersants to reduce milling time…all of which leaves you with a dilute paint that dries very flat and chalky-looking. Yuck!🤮
@@snomanfpv306 undoubtedly you can “make it work”. I could use yesterday’s coffee and my neighbor’s dogsh*t on a brush and make it work. Actually, that might make a better painting than Cotmans🤔
Thanks for the chuckle. I respect your opinion but I will make my own opinions from here on out. So if you use coffee and poop...is that a "Poopcosso" painting?? Lol.
cotman is just winsor and newton's student grade line of paints. they work fine as you are learning and for quick travel paints. as you paint more you can upgrade to the regular winsor and newton line, or another professional line of watercolors and refill the palette. you mostly buy travel palettes if you like the shape and accessories anyway.
I just use water brushes on the go, so I only need a regular palette, a sponge or paper towel for wiping, and a pipette to refill the brush from any water source.
Oh, I didn't know that this palette had a water bottle and cups. I use a palette that I made myself from a cigarette box and since it's very thin I can clip it to my sketchbook. Sometimes I may use just a water brush with it. Other times a spray bottle and I also have a small plastic jar with a lid filled with water in my bag, just in case I want to use it.
I have the Cotman and really like it. I don't like the way the Portable Painter is supposed to stand. There are ways to make the Cotman sit because it clicks in place, it's hard to explain unless you have one but it doesn't move around. If needed you could superglue magnets to the bottom to secure to a metal surface. I have used it outdoors and just strap it to my sketchbook with fine cord, like for travelers notebooks.
Thanks for this! I would love to try the W&N after seeing how similar they are in size when closed. I have the Portable painter...but two things bother me. The metal clip can always get lost (even if I have the silicone band) and the whole thingis unstable if I put the cups on the side and let it rest on the table. I do not use on my knees. Plus, the plastic mixing areas bead a lot. Lastly, the PP does not carry standard half pans, only cthe ones theat come with it. I like how compactit is, nevertheless, and the chance to rest the brushes on the top of thewater cups.The W&N seems well contained and compact, has tons of mixng areas and the plasric looks sturdy. I would replace the cotman paints (as I already have one) and replace withmy own colours. Thanks for this review. I will definitely give this Field Box Plus a go.
I would never use the portable painter, I do not like its design, it would not work for me. The Cotman palette probably would. I have the older Cotman very simple palette and would just add a small recycled water bottle instead of this.. though if by chance one came my way I would give it a try. I guess I am not a fan of hook on water cups and really like my palettes to be separate from my water source. Also I like to get in there when mixing paint and not just dip my brush on top whether in the pan or on the palette. So these cup things become an obstacle! A collapsible pot is useful. I have a couple of plastic ones, and a stainless steel one. Out of the two you have compared the Cotman for certain, but I want solid and sturdy. In the hand as a first requirement……😊
while it looks pretty neat, good value for your money at first sight, i think most of the time it's better to have something with less gimmicks that solves a particular necesity really really well, rather than something with identity issues. The portable painter is stable outside, fits good on your knee (inteligent design, rather than eyeflashing), and would you really extend all those transformer-like trays if you are doing urban sketching/plen air etc? you would have to wait for them to dry too if you truly are using it on the go, or carry some extra paper towels, etc, and more of a hazzle to clean too. you would rather go for something like the portable painter (or the sennelier aqua mini if you really want to push for as small a palette as posible haha), or just go the other route and plan ahead to get yourself installed somewhere to paint, bring a little backpack with you, whathever backpack this cotman palette fits in, i'm sure a regular good old palette would fit too, since this isn't as small as to, for example, fit in your pocket, or be it's own backpack (along the line sof like, the derwent carry all let's say) . the paint being included is kind of a nice bonus at first, but it will always be better to chose pigments on their own. And what it brings is cotman, not winsor and newton, so is this something for students? but then, skip the gimicky eye flashing plastic trays all together, get a generic metal palette, no mijello or anything fancy, choose mindfully a double primary palette, get to read some info on the pigments don't just take in what comes in the set (sets almost never are a good investment over picking colors separetely, not money wise, nor pigment wise. the closest you'll get is picking sets individually curated by people like themindofwatercolor, but that's because they themselves follow the exact guidelines i'm laying out here haha, if you were new to the medium you wouldn't know that) get some empty pans and make some intelligent pigment choices yourself to learn about pigment properties, get to read on handprint or wet canvas, there are plenty of sources, and get a ceramic plate to mix. Also, the bottle seems so central to the design in practical terms, that the moment it starts having a leak for example, the whole palette is rendered a bit mut, you'll have to keep it there just for the sake of the palette being able to close properly lol. The brush included, sure, does the job, but then again, skip the paint and the brushes and any gimmicky trays altogether, give us a genuinly outdoor-designed palette, invest the cost in that rather than in eye catching extras haha That's just my opinion! I'll say this, it's eyecatching for sure, i can see why they went for those magical extending trays and cotman watercolors lol. a proffessional painter would know better haha, it's the kind of thing to trap a beginer or hobbyst with. Not to say that if a relative were to gift this set to someone looking to paint in watercolor that it wouldn't be a nice gift, but it wouldn't be the best money investment beyond the gimmick if the person plans to stick with the medium beyond a temporary, casual hobby.
I like the little Mijello best. I don’t need a water bottle but I do need the 2 cups. I bring drinking water ALWAYS. So, I think the whole built in water flesk is unnecessary. I’ll stick with my portable painter … I DO, however, like that little Mijello palette.
The way my eyes POPPED when those extra trays came out XD holy cow! That’s just so cool.
Yes that was cool. Also it all just snapped in lickety split.
The biggest advantage of the Portable Painter for me is that I can rest it on my leg without knocking it over. When I paint outside, I rarely have a table so I need a setup that works well without one.
That's a very good point! Thank you for stopping by!
I agree!
Yes, yes, yes to being able to put it on your leg or on a table, etc! - and , for the way I paint, I need its larger water wells . You can now get additional paint wells that will expand it too.
Agreed! That is a unique feature.
While I love the idea of more mixing area, I still prefer the Portable Painter because I can use my own paints but most importantly when the water containers are attached to the palette I can set the whole thing on my knee while I’m sitting and be hands free to paint. Also, when I sit it on the ground the palette itself isn’t sitting directly on the ground which helps keep the palette clean.
This is a brilliantly designed little set. I love that it comes with a little reservoir and two cups.
I have owned one of these for many years. It's good and clever, but I prefer the portable
painter's more sturdy setup and overall versatility. Both are nicely thought out designs. Try both !
oh! my first pallette! =) I think all those small cute pallettes shine when you are sketching stuff in your tiny cute watercolour sketchbook, where you don’t neet much water and paint to achieve something. I saw an advert in some social media about free online workshop and I rush towards the closest art supplies store - that’s how I got it. Without knowledge of colour theory - it’s hard to use that particular pallette as the colours look quite artificial and plastic-ish. And yes, what to do with the white one? 😅
Great review, I'm familiar with that box and very few people realize how expandable it is and what all the bits are. People just think it's an oddly fat palette without realizing all the benefits
I like the Cotman palette. It comes with a water bottle, way more mixing areas, you can set it on your leg (no idea why people are responding like you can’t), and you can use the colors provided or insert your own. Thanks for letting me know about it.
W&N has mastered a great beginner’s palette. My friend is just starting her Watercolor journey and got the W&N palette and she LOVES the colors. She feels there is just enough choice to let her feel she has a vast color selection… and any more would overwhelm her.
Agreed, the w&n is a better all around compact deal. Mainly because it's all inclusive. No need to grab anything else. Plenty if mixing space, water included, paints included. The pp is fun and i own both, but the w&n is a better buy. Glue a tripod mount to it and you need nothing more.
This is a good point. Unless you already have a huge supply of tube paints that are just waiting for a spot on your portable painter .. the W&N is a fantastic “whole package”. I would gift W&N before the portable painter.
I have both but have had the W&N palette for a really long timeand it has been my main go to travel palette since I got it. It has held up well, the pans are easily replaceable and you can get a lot of mileage out of the water container if your urban sketching or taking it to the beach, etc. I have tried multiple other travel palettes and keep coming back to this one
I have this palette and absolutely love it. It’s so convenient to have everything needed in one box.
Nice comparison! I have the Cotman set and I do like it. But my bottle has a hole in it at the top, so it leaks water. Also the little loop broke off which keeps the lid attached, but that's a minor issue. So I would say quality wise, it's not the best. Haven't used it that much. The water bottle is pretty much unusable now, unless I find a way to fix the hole!
Oh that's sad... Maybe some cyanoacrylate glue or silicone glue could do the trick?
Try milliput epoxyputty.
You can try flexseal it seals all kinds of leaks really well .
I have this Cotman set. I switched out the colours for som Winsor and Newton professional ones, and I like it a lot.
I have one of these! Had it for years. Replaced the brush with a W&N series 7 travel brush (I might need something a little bigger, wonder if Rosemary travel brushes fit?), started buying extra pans and filling them with other paint. It is kinda chunky and not as pocketable as other travel palettes, but the included water bottle is very handy and I tend to slot it into a sketching bag anyway. (Where, I hasten to add, a drinks bottle filled with water would not be so convenient) I like it very much. If I had any competence whatsoever with watercolours, I'd probably love it.
I love W&N series 7 brushes.
"If I had any competence whatsoever with watercolours, I'd probably love it.", i think it's the opposite, it's a palette very much geared towards absolute beginers
This looks fantastic, watched and enjoyed till the end ☺☺
Thank you so much 😊
Just FYI, the Portable Palette now can come with additional wells if you wish to add more colors. As I mentioned earlier (? above on my screen) BOTH are nicely designed palettes. I haven't seen this W&N palette for sale in a number of years (maybe in Blick or Jerry's or Cheap Joe's?). If you can afford it, consider trying both.
I got those and they are so cute! TINY TINY. Bring a small sketchbook 😁
Ohh wow that’s a new Winsor & Newton Palette that I have not seen yet. Definitely love 💕 the ides of the additional water bottle. I have got the Winsor & Newton 14 colors Field Set palette that came with paint. Thanks for sharing this wonderful informational video with us!
W&N is my portable and I love it. Big mixing trays, generous water container and easy to clean
For the cotman brand It’d be nice if the well that the water bottle came out of could be used as a brush cleaning well. Also if we can pour the water back into the bottle after painting. Sometimes there’s no place to discard dirty water. Thank you for the comparison.
Cotman is now on my Amazon wishlist! Extra water bottle sold me.
Cotmans are absolutely terrible paints. I literally use my Cotman set as a doorstop for my studio, they are just awful…..hard to rewet (ruins your brushes), poor lightfastness, cheap pigments, loaded with fillers to make the paint stretch further, brighteners to try to make up for using poor pigments, dispersants to reduce milling time…all of which leaves you with a dilute paint that dries very flat and chalky-looking. Yuck!🤮
Diannsmith...who whizzed in your cheerios today??? What do you expect for $30? I am a rookie and I am sure I will make it work.
@@snomanfpv306 undoubtedly you can “make it work”. I could use yesterday’s coffee and my neighbor’s dogsh*t on a brush and make it work. Actually, that might make a better painting than Cotmans🤔
Thanks for the chuckle. I respect your opinion but I will make my own opinions from here on out. So if you use coffee and poop...is that a "Poopcosso" painting?? Lol.
cotman is just winsor and newton's student grade line of paints. they work fine as you are learning and for quick travel paints. as you paint more you can upgrade to the regular winsor and newton line, or another professional line of watercolors and refill the palette. you mostly buy travel palettes if you like the shape and accessories anyway.
Excellent review. I was all for the Portable Painter until you transformed the W&N - very well designed portable palette!
That’s a pretty cool trick, isn’t it?!
Great W&N Set. Thanks for sharing.
I like the new W&N better, I think. I prefer the extra mixing area vs larger water cups.
Lookin at newer palette verses the old has me sold with the extra mixing trays as long as you are able to replace paints🤔. Thank you🙂
I just use water brushes on the go, so I only need a regular palette, a sponge or paper towel for wiping, and a pipette to refill the brush from any water source.
Pretty cool - Amazon doesn’t have it yet - will keep checking. Thank you for sharing 🙏😊
You can check the affiliate link in the description, if you’re in the USA you’ll find it there :)
Oh, I didn't know that this palette had a water bottle and cups. I use a palette that I made myself from a cigarette box and since it's very thin I can clip it to my sketchbook. Sometimes I may use just a water brush with it. Other times a spray bottle and I also have a small plastic jar with a lid filled with water in my bag, just in case I want to use it.
That's a great idea!
never seen this! thank you for reviewing!
I have the Cotman and really like it. I don't like the way the Portable Painter is supposed to stand. There are ways to make the Cotman sit because it clicks in place, it's hard to explain unless you have one but it doesn't move around. If needed you could superglue magnets to the bottom to secure to a metal surface. I have used it outdoors and just strap it to my sketchbook with fine cord, like for travelers notebooks.
Thanks for this! I would love to try the W&N after seeing how similar they are in size when closed. I have the Portable painter...but two things bother me. The metal clip can always get lost (even if I have the silicone band) and the whole thingis unstable if I put the cups on the side and let it rest on the table. I do not use on my knees. Plus, the plastic mixing areas bead a lot. Lastly, the PP does not carry standard half pans, only cthe ones theat come with it. I like how compactit is, nevertheless, and the chance to rest the brushes on the top of thewater cups.The W&N seems well contained and compact, has tons of mixng areas and the plasric looks sturdy. I would replace the cotman paints (as I already have one) and replace withmy own colours. Thanks for this review. I will definitely give this Field Box Plus a go.
I wish I had added all those points to my review haha Thanks a lot for contributing to the conversation!!
Ingenious!!!
Thank you: useful
Had one for years and years
What size brush would your repalce for the one in the pallette?
You can fit a #6 of those travel foldable brushes from escoda, I think that's pretty decent
I would never use the portable painter, I do not like its design, it would not work for me. The Cotman palette probably would. I have the older Cotman very simple palette and would just add a small recycled water bottle instead of this.. though if by chance one came my way I would give it a try. I guess I am not a fan of hook on water cups and really like my palettes to be separate from my water source. Also I like to get in there when mixing paint and not just dip my brush on top whether in the pan or on the palette. So these cup things become an obstacle! A collapsible pot is useful. I have a couple of plastic ones, and a stainless steel one. Out of the two you have compared the Cotman for certain, but I want solid and sturdy. In the hand as a first requirement……😊
Have it and love it!!!
The WN has half pans that are replaceable or can be filled with tube colors. Unfortunately my water bottle sprang a leak.
That's sad... Does it look fixable?
@@iosebaart I think I can put some caulking on the hole. It's a nice little pallet.
while it looks pretty neat, good value for your money at first sight, i think most of the time it's better to have something with less gimmicks that solves a particular necesity really really well, rather than something with identity issues.
The portable painter is stable outside, fits good on your knee (inteligent design, rather than eyeflashing), and would you really extend all those transformer-like trays if you are doing urban sketching/plen air etc? you would have to wait for them to dry too if you truly are using it on the go, or carry some extra paper towels, etc, and more of a hazzle to clean too. you would rather go for something like the portable painter (or the sennelier aqua mini if you really want to push for as small a palette as posible haha), or just go the other route and plan ahead to get yourself installed somewhere to paint, bring a little backpack with you, whathever backpack this cotman palette fits in, i'm sure a regular good old palette would fit too, since this isn't as small as to, for example, fit in your pocket, or be it's own backpack (along the line sof like, the derwent carry all let's say)
.
the paint being included is kind of a nice bonus at first, but it will always be better to chose pigments on their own. And what it brings is cotman, not winsor and newton, so is this something for students? but then, skip the gimicky eye flashing plastic trays all together, get a generic metal palette, no mijello or anything fancy, choose mindfully a double primary palette, get to read some info on the pigments don't just take in what comes in the set (sets almost never are a good investment over picking colors separetely, not money wise, nor pigment wise. the closest you'll get is picking sets individually curated by people like themindofwatercolor, but that's because they themselves follow the exact guidelines i'm laying out here haha, if you were new to the medium you wouldn't know that) get some empty pans and make some intelligent pigment choices yourself to learn about pigment properties, get to read on handprint or wet canvas, there are plenty of sources, and get a ceramic plate to mix. Also, the bottle seems so central to the design in practical terms, that the moment it starts having a leak for example, the whole palette is rendered a bit mut, you'll have to keep it there just for the sake of the palette being able to close properly lol.
The brush included, sure, does the job, but then again, skip the paint and the brushes and any gimmicky trays altogether, give us a genuinly outdoor-designed palette, invest the cost in that rather than in eye catching extras haha
That's just my opinion!
I'll say this, it's eyecatching for sure, i can see why they went for those magical extending trays and cotman watercolors lol. a proffessional painter would know better haha, it's the kind of thing to trap a beginer or hobbyst with. Not to say that if a relative were to gift this set to someone looking to paint in watercolor that it wouldn't be a nice gift, but it wouldn't be the best money investment beyond the gimmick if the person plans to stick with the medium beyond a temporary, casual hobby.
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts! Thanks for sharing!
I like the little Mijello best. I don’t need a water bottle but I do need the 2 cups. I bring drinking water ALWAYS. So, I think the whole built in water flesk is unnecessary. I’ll stick with my portable painter … I DO, however, like that little Mijello palette.