I definitely recommend filling in layers but allowing each layer to dry. This prevents deep cracking and ensures a truly full pan. I feel doing it in 3 layers is best, with up to a week(depending on the color and paint manufacturer) between layers is the absolute best way to do this. Patience is best but I know its HARD TO WAIT
Samantha Hamelin remember if you want your pan completely full, you may have to fill half, allow it to dry, then fill it to the top. Let me know how everything works out for you!
A person a couple if the colours are fully dried but some of them are struggling a bit more. Also where I live it's been getting colder and hasn't been very hot so I think it's taking longer than usual. But I definitely recommend filling it up half way, letting it dry, and then filling it again because if I did that it would have been dry already. I have to say I really think the needle technique helps a lot because my pans are really smooth and have not cracked anywhere.
This was super helpful! I've just invested in my first set of tube watercolours after years of painting with panned ones, and I'm super excited to start using them!
Great idea about putting the first part around the corners! I usually fill part way, let that dry & then do second layer. Making sure no water can go down the side & then sit under your paint! My burnt Sienna did exactly the same thing & feel it’s the nature of the color to be bit thicker.
I am new at using tube watercolors and had a set that was given to me as a gift years ago. I dug it out the other day and now I'm in love! however some of them are getting old and I plan to use this method to dry them into pans and make my own paintbox palette. Your calm and easy explanations are great for a beginner like me. Thanks!
Thanks for the video. Your the only one who truly gave helpful techniques for doing something as simple as filling a pan with paint (or so I thought). If not done properly your paint will pull away from the pan and it will look sloppy.
Hey Great video. Have just received tubes of colour from abroad instead of pans and find your info very useful. Unfortunately I only have full pans. Can I still follow your method please? Thanks
Yes you can still follow the exact same method as shown in the video, and you will get similar results. Thanks for watching and have fun with your paints.
It is funny, I started out with acrylic and digital painting, so I started using watercolor tubes. I have been doing watercolor for about a year (seriously for a few months) and just got my first pan set around 2 months ago. I was so scared to use the pans. I still am, but I am getting the hang of it.
Nice video!! Another idea: I have he same paint holder. I put some pans down the middle row thus having 3 rows of pans. Also, I used both large pans and small pans. The large pans are for the most common paints I use so I don't run out when out and about urban painting.
I’ve heard that if honey is the binder instead of gum Arabic, the paint stays more moist (sticky?) Maybe that’s why the Mission Gold is sticky? Also, I saw on another video, the suggestion to put a tiny bit of glycerin in the paint to prevent drying/cracking. Glycerin attracts moisture like honey does.
I finally found a video that is actually helpful! When I filled my pans, i just poured in the paint in my half pan and I mix it so it filled my pan. Then I left it to dry and the next few days I checked on it and the paint was sticky just like you showed in the video! Thanks so much for helping me out. It means so much to me. I can finally use my paints without any stickiness and stuff like that. God bless you!! I also have a question. when using the watercolors on your palette and the watercolor dries on it and the next time I use watercolors and mix other colors on top of that dry watercolor palette, will the dry paint activate and mix in with the colors i am using? Also, how can i clean my palette, do I use a tissue or a anti bacterial wipe and thats that or..?
If I understand what you are saying, you place different colors on top of the paint, ex) placing red on top of a pure yellow pan, if you are wanting to get yellow but there is red on it then yes, you would be activating the paint, causing you to get orange. Typically you can clean your palette by using a tissue and some water, or a brush, or any other object so long as you use water, if you have the paint removed you can use any other disinfecting object but if there is paint in the wells (pans) using chemicals can end up damaging the paint I am sure (I'm sure this is especially true with more professional paints but I've never used anything except water and a paper towel to clean my palette unless my palette was empty, then I used dish soap and hot water to clean it (my palette is plastic so it can be damaged easier with stuff like bleach))
Thanks so much Chris! I tried your method using a dressmaker/stick pin and after a week of drying time, out of 24 half pans, there was only one that pulled away from the side of the pan. The center of each pan did drop down considerably (about halfway). Not really patient enough to refill and wait an additional week for them to dry at this point. Maybe later. Meanwhile, looks pretty good for this newcomer to using pans. I have two questions for you: 1. How do you prepare your metal pallet or do you just leave it as is? Some recommend using a fine sand paper or Mr. Clean Eraser. I just don't want to do anything that will mess up my pallet which would later subject it to rusting. 2. Do you ever use Gouache as a highlight? Thanks so much and please keep posting!
Hey L's I'm glad the method worked out for you! For your questions, yes, I just leave mine as it is, nothing special. I have never used any gouache before. Thanks!
hi great video, if you want to stop the paint from sinking and cracking you can add a little honey. Pouring and drying in layers will stop the paint from sinking, it does take longer though.
Thanks for the info! Never tried the honey thing. Do the paints fully dry out with the honey, or do they have a more sticky gooey texture after the honey is added?
been waiting for 2 weeks for my pseudo-pan watercolors to dry, seems they just stay a bit wet like the pan you mentioned with the other brand. I thought they were supposed to dry within a couple days, and it seems I was right. For those curious, I set up some cotman watercolors in a paint dish and that's what dried sticky in my case, he uses 2 different types of watercolors in the video that aren't cotman.
Kate The Sleepy Teacher Thanks for the sub! I'm still haven't started using the Daniel Smith much, but I like them so far. Got to finish using my Mission Gold before I get too deep into the DS.
Nice. There are some props why I would like to fill pans with tubes that I have? Instead just buying watercolors in pans? Or thats only for people that allready have tubes and wants switch them to pans?
Hey Donald, no the watercolors do not have to dry before you use them. You can use watercolors right out of the tube. But, if you will be traveling with your palette you will want your pans to be dry first, so you don't pull your palette out to see that all of your colors have run together. Hope this helps!
Thank you for this. I filled pans for the first time. 2 dryed perfectly without collapsing. 2 tubes were coming out so gloopy that my push pin couldn't spread them around well enough to pop all the bubbles. They collapsed very ugly. I topped them off again. I'll need to find a longer needle or find my longer sewing pins. A cork board push pin worked well enough though on my non gloopy tubes.
I know this was asked a while ago and you've probably figured it out since then, but for anyone scrolling who wonders the same - put a few drops of water on the dried up paint, like 4 or 5, and let it sit for a few minutes to soften up. You can always reactivate dried up watercolour paint, no matter how long it's been sat there or how dry and cracked up it is. You just have to feed it water to make it come back together. It won't ever be runny again like when it first comes out of the tube, but it will still paint the same as any other dry watercolour you have. You can put new paint on top if you want to, but make sure that it's the exact same colour from the exact same brand, otherwise when you use the new paint it will wake up the old paint (water!) and then it will be contaminated and make new colours you might not want and then you'd have to toss the whole pan away. If you don't like the colour anymore and won't ever use it again, you can pop the pan out of the palette and just use a palette knife or similar (nothing sharp) to scrape it out and throw it away, then clean the little pan it was in with a damp cloth. Don't use soaps or anything, just warm water from the tap.
I usually just try to remember what I put in the palette, but you can also make a little cheat sheet that you can keep in your palette box to remind you also. And for the pans all you have to do is just add more paint over the incorrect parts and let it dry, you should be ok. If you want to take it out, I don't know what the best solution for that would be. Hop this helps!
Use a permanent marker and write directly on the outside of the pan. Brand, number, colour name, pigment information are all good to have on there. You can just fill over the exact same paint, it will settle into the cracks. Some brands fill their own pans so you don't have to, it's called hand pouring, and they'll do 2 or 3 layers letting each one dry in between to make sure they don't collapse in the middle as they dry. Just don't use different colours as they will mix together even if the bottom one is dry.
I definitely recommend filling in layers but allowing each layer to dry. This prevents deep cracking and ensures a truly full pan. I feel doing it in 3 layers is best, with up to a week(depending on the color and paint manufacturer) between layers is the absolute best way to do this. Patience is best but I know its HARD TO WAIT
i'm just about to start filling my pans for my new palette. thanks for the great video!
Samantha Hamelin can you tell me how it works out for you
A person yeah i just put them in pans and so far so good. the needle trick really helps! i'll try to update when they're dry
Samantha Hamelin remember if you want your pan completely full, you may have to fill half, allow it to dry, then fill it to the top. Let me know how everything works out for you!
Samantha Hamelin did it work out nicely when it dried
A person a couple if the colours are fully dried but some of them are struggling a bit more. Also where I live it's been getting colder and hasn't been very hot so I think it's taking longer than usual. But I definitely recommend filling it up half way, letting it dry, and then filling it again because if I did that it would have been dry already. I have to say I really think the needle technique helps a lot because my pans are really smooth and have not cracked anywhere.
Stop... just found my new fave youtuber
This was super helpful! I've just invested in my first set of tube watercolours after years of painting with panned ones, and I'm super excited to start using them!
Thank you for showing the different examples of pans & paint. Your video was very concise and filled with useful information.
Great idea about putting the first part around the corners!
I usually fill part way, let that dry & then do second layer. Making sure no water can go down the side & then sit under your paint!
My burnt Sienna did exactly the same thing & feel it’s the nature of the color to be bit thicker.
I am new at using tube watercolors and had a set that was given to me as a gift years ago. I dug it out the other day and now I'm in love! however some of them are getting old and I plan to use this method to dry them into pans and make my own paintbox palette. Your calm and easy explanations are great for a beginner like me. Thanks!
So happy it helped! Have a grate time
I like the idea of mixing paint to get rid of air. Thanks.
Tamping it down. Thank you!!! I wanted every other you tuber to do this and you did it!!! Thank you!!
Great video! The part about drying the paint was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!
Thanks for the great pin trick!
Thanks for the video. Your the only one who truly gave helpful techniques for doing something as simple as filling a pan with paint (or so I thought). If not done properly your paint will pull away from the pan and it will look sloppy.
I love this! I hate that my watercolors don’t dry evenly in the half-pans. Now I know how to make them smooth and pretty!
Thanks so much! I'm filling up a little altoid tin for a traveling palette.
I am waiting for the pans i have ordered to be delivered today . It will be the first time i am going to fill pans . Thanks for the video ❤
Hey
Great video. Have just received tubes of colour from abroad instead of pans and find your info very useful. Unfortunately I only have full pans. Can I still follow your method please? Thanks
Yes you can still follow the exact same method as shown in the video, and you will get similar results. Thanks for watching and have fun with your paints.
Thank you!
An excellent simple instruction !
Just got my pans. Need to fill them. Thank you for sharing👍
It is funny, I started out with acrylic and digital painting, so I started using watercolor tubes. I have been doing watercolor for about a year (seriously for a few months) and just got my first pan set around 2 months ago. I was so scared to use the pans. I still am, but I am getting the hang of it.
Thanks!! This was just what I needed!!
Thank you for the video. Just getting started and it helped me a lot.
Nice video!! Another idea: I have he same paint holder. I put some pans down the middle row thus having 3 rows of pans. Also, I used both large pans and small pans. The large pans are for the most common paints I use so I don't run out when out and about urban painting.
Thanks for this video. I'm filling my first Daniel Smith half pans today. The needle idea is very helpful!
Sharon Bouma hope you have a great time with your paints!
Chris G Natural I love your channel
Chris g I just got a set of 4 sennelier watercolor tubes!!! It's my first professional watercolor!!
Min Draws stuff 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 enjoy them!
Chris G Natural thnx I'm gonna fill mine up tmr
Your videos are so helpful. Thanks so much.
Thank you, this was very helpful!
I’ve heard that if honey is the binder instead of gum Arabic, the paint stays more moist (sticky?) Maybe that’s why the Mission Gold is sticky? Also, I saw on another video, the suggestion to put a tiny bit of glycerin in the paint to prevent drying/cracking. Glycerin attracts moisture like honey does.
and they're easier to re-wet. I really love m. graham paints because of this. well, one of these reasons.
Great info! Just what I needed !
Thank you for this video-exactly what I was looking for! I subbed and am looking forward to learning more from you.
Kathryn sorry for the late response Kathryn. Thanks for the sub and I'll be back soon!
So helpful! Thank you!
Thank You very much. i'm filling a full pan, but i hope it will turn out good.
I finally found a video that is actually helpful! When I filled my pans, i just poured in the paint in my half pan and I mix it so it filled my pan. Then I left it to dry and the next few days I checked on it and the paint was sticky just like you showed in the video! Thanks so much for helping me out. It means so much to me. I can finally use my paints without any stickiness and stuff like that. God bless you!!
I also have a question. when using the watercolors on your palette and the watercolor dries on it and the next time I use watercolors and mix other colors on top of that dry watercolor palette, will the dry paint activate and mix in with the colors i am using? Also, how can i clean my palette, do I use a tissue or a anti bacterial wipe and thats that or..?
If I understand what you are saying, you place different colors on top of the paint, ex) placing red on top of a pure yellow pan, if you are wanting to get yellow but there is red on it then yes, you would be activating the paint, causing you to get orange. Typically you can clean your palette by using a tissue and some water, or a brush, or any other object so long as you use water, if you have the paint removed you can use any other disinfecting object but if there is paint in the wells (pans) using chemicals can end up damaging the paint I am sure (I'm sure this is especially true with more professional paints but I've never used anything except water and a paper towel to clean my palette unless my palette was empty, then I used dish soap and hot water to clean it (my palette is plastic so it can be damaged easier with stuff like bleach))
Thank you for sharing your tips.
Thanks so much Chris! I tried your method using a dressmaker/stick pin and after a week of drying time, out of 24 half pans, there was only one that pulled away from the side of the pan. The center of each pan did drop down considerably (about halfway). Not really patient enough to refill and wait an additional week for them to dry at this point. Maybe later. Meanwhile, looks pretty good for this newcomer to using pans.
I have two questions for you:
1. How do you prepare your metal pallet or do you just leave it as is? Some recommend using a fine sand paper or Mr. Clean Eraser. I just don't want to do anything that will mess up my pallet which would later subject it to rusting.
2. Do you ever use Gouache as a highlight?
Thanks so much and please keep posting!
Hey L's I'm glad the method worked out for you! For your questions, yes, I just leave mine as it is, nothing special. I have never used any gouache before. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing this! Now I only buy tubes and fill my pans 💫
hi great video, if you want to stop the paint from sinking and cracking you can add a little honey. Pouring and drying in layers will stop the paint from sinking, it does take longer though.
Thanks for the info! Never tried the honey thing. Do the paints fully dry out with the honey, or do they have a more sticky gooey texture after the honey is added?
Thanks for sharing! Much appreciated. ❤️
Glad to help!
Great video! I'm going to start to fill out mine!
been waiting for 2 weeks for my pseudo-pan watercolors to dry, seems they just stay a bit wet like the pan you mentioned with the other brand. I thought they were supposed to dry within a couple days, and it seems I was right. For those curious, I set up some cotman watercolors in a paint dish and that's what dried sticky in my case, he uses 2 different types of watercolors in the video that aren't cotman.
Hi:). I just subscribed to your channel. I'm loving your reviews of watercolours. I'm also a big Daniel smith fan :)
Kate The Sleepy Teacher Thanks for the sub! I'm still haven't started using the Daniel Smith much, but I like them so far. Got to finish using my Mission Gold before I get too deep into the DS.
I hear that. I definitely got a bit crazy buying watercolors. Good for you for using what you have first. I enjoy the Mission Gold paints as well.
Kate The Sleepy Teacher I think we all get a little crazy when it comes to art supplies lol trying my best to stick to my plan!
I'm a total enabler so...
this was very helpful thank u!!!!!
Glad I could help!
Thanks, it was very helpfull 👍🇩🇰
thank you for this video
Nice. There are some props why I would like to fill pans with tubes that I have? Instead just buying watercolors in pans? Or thats only for people that allready have tubes and wants switch them to pans?
Thanks I bought tube water colors thinking they were pans and I was scared, so this helps❤️
what is water colour pan
so this may be a dumb question, but you said "they have to dry" so can I not use them when they are wet? or does it matter?
Hey Donald, no the watercolors do not have to dry before you use them. You can use watercolors right out of the tube. But, if you will be traveling with your palette you will want your pans to be dry first, so you don't pull your palette out to see that all of your colors have run together. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much!! :D
Hi! Do you wash or sanitize the pans before filling?
thanks
Thank you for this. I filled pans for the first time. 2 dryed perfectly without collapsing. 2 tubes were coming out so gloopy that my push pin couldn't spread them around well enough to pop all the bubbles. They collapsed very ugly. I topped them off again. I'll need to find a longer needle or find my longer sewing pins. A cork board push pin worked well enough though on my non gloopy tubes.
thank you : ))
Can i use all watercolor tubes for this thing??
Always scratch the surface inside the half pan so the paint has something to adhere to and not fall out
Can you let it dry in a refrigerator
Will this work for Gouache as well?
Does this work with gouache aswell?
Would you first throw away all the old dried up cracked paint? Or would you just fill on top of the old cracked and dried paint?
I know this was asked a while ago and you've probably figured it out since then, but for anyone scrolling who wonders the same - put a few drops of water on the dried up paint, like 4 or 5, and let it sit for a few minutes to soften up. You can always reactivate dried up watercolour paint, no matter how long it's been sat there or how dry and cracked up it is. You just have to feed it water to make it come back together. It won't ever be runny again like when it first comes out of the tube, but it will still paint the same as any other dry watercolour you have. You can put new paint on top if you want to, but make sure that it's the exact same colour from the exact same brand, otherwise when you use the new paint it will wake up the old paint (water!) and then it will be contaminated and make new colours you might not want and then you'd have to toss the whole pan away. If you don't like the colour anymore and won't ever use it again, you can pop the pan out of the palette and just use a palette knife or similar (nothing sharp) to scrape it out and throw it away, then clean the little pan it was in with a damp cloth. Don't use soaps or anything, just warm water from the tap.
Hi... nice video...
Is it possible to move the from pan into liquid ? Because i want to move from WN Pans into Mijello fusion 18
Thx you
hmm not too sure. Maybe a paint spatula to scoop the paint out and transfer it to the new place you want it would work.
Dried paint can't ever be made liquid again. It can only be activated using water so that you can paint with it.
Does it matter what watercolours you use
How do you label your pans and can i go back and refill over pans that i filled incorrectly. Thank you.
I usually just try to remember what I put in the palette, but you can also make a little cheat sheet that you can keep in your palette box to remind you also. And for the pans all you have to do is just add more paint over the incorrect parts and let it dry, you should be ok. If you want to take it out, I don't know what the best solution for that would be. Hop this helps!
Use a permanent marker and write directly on the outside of the pan. Brand, number, colour name, pigment information are all good to have on there. You can just fill over the exact same paint, it will settle into the cracks. Some brands fill their own pans so you don't have to, it's called hand pouring, and they'll do 2 or 3 layers letting each one dry in between to make sure they don't collapse in the middle as they dry. Just don't use different colours as they will mix together even if the bottom one is dry.
Where can I buy these empty pans
You should be able to find the empty pans on Amazon or eBay.
I should have watched this before I filled mine... I didn’t use a pin... I used my finger and it didn’t work.
thank you!!
Thanks! This was helpful.