Mixing Watercolours from Tubes or Pans: a comparison

Many people who begin watercolours wonder whether tubes or pans (concentrated paint) are better. I keep both on hand, as I think each has benefits and limitations. Here are my reasons.

The best paint for young children is liquified watercolours, that is, tube paint that has been diluted with water to the point JUST before it begins to lose intensity. This way, there is no waste, and a flowing effect facilitates easy painting, while still resulting in maximum colour. Liquifying can be done in a small jar for each colour, stirring in tap water with a knife until fully mixed. Jars should be kept cold to prevent spoilage.

The same principle applies to adults who want to cover a large area quickly, such as a sky or a base colour: moist watercolours (from tube) is well-suited for this.

Moist colours can be left in your palette tray to dry, at which point they become like pan-colours. That’s why some artists who are used to painting moist, just clean off their tray when they are finished a painting session, so they start the next day with a clean slate, so to speak. 

Pan colours are useful for those painting outdoors, or for those with limited space or who want to limit messiness. They are slightly harder to mix custom colours, because one needs to transfer two or more colours to the tray using just a brush. Depending on the size of the pans, one can use a larger brush. Another trick is to pre-moisten the pans at the beginning of a session using a spritz bottle, which will increase colour uptake. To mix, simply transfer one colour onto a clean area, then rinse your brush (or not) and grab another colour to combine.

You can use an old plate, or even a plastic lid, to mix your paint, but my favourite palette is a metal one with dividers to keep at least a semblance of order to my colours. I clean off some mixing areas before starting a new session. This tray can be taken outdoors, or used inside.