We’ve done a lot of travel this summer, and I knew that making art was going to be a significant part of each trip. So in preparation, I ordered 4 different travel watercolor field kits and thought I’d give you the low-down of how each one performed for me. Interested? Let’s begin!
First up: two travel kits by Windsor & Newton
Disclosure: I bought all of these kits with my own funds. The links below are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase. Thank you for supporting CTD.
First up is not ONE but TWO kits from Windsor & Newton. I couldn’t make up my mind which might be better suited for my needs, so I bought both. (Ahem. It was for research, right?) The smaller of the two is called the “Pocket Plus” travel water color field kit for $28.99. It measures a tiny 5″ by 2.5″ closed, and is about 1 1/8 inch thick. Yup, it wins for “small” alright!
Twelve color pans to work with.
Lookit this thing! It’s like a Transformer(R)!
When you open it up, though, you actually get an amazing amount of workspace and features! You get the obligatory travel brush, but it also has TWO pop-out mixing trays to work with. Also, the watercolor pans pop out so that you can replace just the ones you need to. Very economical. I like that!
The other Windsor & Newton travel watercolor field kit I bought was the Cotman Watercolor Compact set of 14 half-pans. It retailed for $19.79 on Amazon.com- and for 9 bucks less, I got 2 more pans! It takes up much more space, though- it measured 5.5 inches X 4.25 inches, and about an inch deep. it also came with the small paint brush, a pop-out water tray, and a slide-out mixing tray. There’s also a thumb-hole for holding it steady in your non-dominant hand for painting in the field. Like the other kit, each pan can be removed individually and replaced as needed.
Now, as far as I could tell, there was no discernible difference in the paint pans in these two kits. Both had the same paper labels on the individual pans. (Which were really annoying to have to remove, by the way, as well as being ridiculously wasteful.) Since I’m not actually reviewing the paint in these kits, just comparing them, I’ll just say that I really like the vibrant colors and the semi-opaque finish.
24 pans!
The next kit I bought was the Koi Pocket Watercolor Field Sketch Box for just under $25.00. This travel kit measures at 4-5/8 x 6-3/8 x 1-1/8 and has a staggering 24 watercolor pans to play with! AND- they include one of their fabulous water brushes- oh so handy for making art on the go. (Ten times better than just having a brush- and if you want more info on waterbrushes, make sure you click the link. )
Now, I have to say that this kit turned out to be my favorite- mostly because it has the most colors. I found that when I’m traveling, I LIKE to be able to just pick a color that suits me and paint with it. I realize that I could spend more time mixing colors, but…well…. that just isn’t me. So while it was the biggest kit, it’s also the one I used most. Even my kids liked it best!
The only downside to this kit is that the pans aren’t refillable- so when the pan is gone, it’s just gone.
Lastly, I had purchased a Pelikan travel watercolor kit on a readers suggestion. It has a very clever design, and holds six semi-opaque watercolors. The big bonus here is that the pots of paint are HUGE- about 3 times the size of the Koi or Windsor pans. And the price? UNDER $9 USD! The down sides are that the brush is really, really cheap and you only get six colors. This is really more of a kids’ set- although as I mentioned, even my kids like more colors. But at this price, you could certainly get some use out of it if you enjoy mixing colors more.
So there you have it- the Koi was my fav, but I really liked the larger Windsor & Newton set because you can swap out used-up pans. Oh, and don’t miss my post on making hand-made postcards– because we used both of these kits in making them.
Make your own hand made postcards while on vacation!
You also may be interested in these related posts:
Which kit would YOU choose? Do you take watercolors when you travel?
- Spooky Spider Halloween Bookmark Craft - October 24, 2018
- Review and Demo of LDRS Hybrid Ink Pads - October 15, 2018
- Review and Demo of Nuvo Hybrid Inks - October 1, 2018
- Craft Studio Tour and Organization Ideas - September 20, 2018
- Wax Paper Resist Background Technique - March 20, 2018
- Comparison of Liquid Watercolor Markers/Pens - March 16, 2018
- SAI Japanese Traditional Watercolor Brush Markers- Review & Demo - February 23, 2018
- Rinea Metallic Foil Paper & Ghost Ink Review - February 21, 2018
- Jane Davenport debuts at Creativation 2018 & Watercolor Card - February 13, 2018
- Creativation 2018: New Product Showcase - January 20, 2018
thats a great tray~ i don’t mind the size at all 🙂 and the prices is fair. thanks Jenny 🙂
Hey Jenny, Thanks so much for the comparison. I have been using the Cotman Watercolor Compact set for about 10 years now and it has worked quite well for me. (cost me about $45.00 up here in Canada!) I haven’t run across the Koi but what I do with the pans is just refill them with watercolor from the tube. Let it sit until it dries out and then you are ready to go. Alot of art supply stores will sell you the field kit with empty pan spaces so you can fill them with your own palette colors in this fashion.
I have heard of doing that before, Gail- I guess I’ll have to review some tube watercolors to determine the best to refill with, right? ; )
I got the bigger of the W&N kits a little over a week ago, an am really liking it. I prefer using my water brush with it, but I love the colors. However, as you said, those individual wrappers (all blasted 14 of them!) were a MAJOR PAIN to unwrap – especially with my weak hands!!! GRRR. I am pretty happy about the ability to replace the pans though when they are gone…since as I don’t foresee myself buying a bunch of tube watercolors.
Why can’t you refill the Koi pans with tube paint? I have refilled my other pans this way.
Judy
Very good survey. I’ve tried all of those over the years. Finally, though, I just bought a blank folding palette and filled it with dabs of the highest quality watercolors from tubes, choosing my favorites. I have one set for figure and portrait work, actually, and and one for landscapes. Splurged on two great travel brushes from Cheap Joe’s.