Lighten Up!

I find that over and over I try to simplify my gear and lighten my load--and since I want to be prepared for almost any sketching contingency, it's not that easy! 

Recently I've been exploring the fun little Pocket Palettes from Expeditionary Arts--and Maria Coryell-Martin keeps refining and offering new types, formats, and kits!  Check out her "toolkit" page at the link...

Here you see the original palette on the left and a newer model with a brushed steel case (I think she's offering a traditional black one now too, but I didn't see it on the page.)

I know it's silly, but I'll keep carrying the original shiny one because sometimes a girl just needs a mirror...or a signaling device...or...and the little bag it comes in protects the finish!

The very first ones had small pans, like those on the right in the filled palette, but many of us like to work with a larger brush, so Maria added the square pans.  Perfect! 
The newer model in the right has a HUGE pan in the right, plus wee ones for those colors you don't use often.  They all fit in place like a jigsaw puzzle, held in place with magnetic rubber on the bottom of the pan, so you can arrange them in whatever configuration you want.

This one fits my needs best since I like to carry a limited palette in the field...a warm and cool of each primary plus a couple of convenience colors...in this case, cadmium yellow light and Indian yellow, quinacridone rose and pyrroll scarlet, thalo blue and ultramarine, plus burnt sienna and indigo.  I can do about anything with those few colors...

You can buy extra pans in case you want to switch things around or change palette colors in an instant, too!

The white mixing palette will stain...but so will virtually ANY palette when you use--wait for it!--staining colors!  I scrub it off with a wet paper towel and a bit of soap and that seems sufficient.

A pencil, a pen, and a waterbrush or two and you'd be good to go almost anywhere...without adding more than a few ounces to your kit.

If you're familiar with my book, Artist's Journal Workshop, you'll have seen Maria's amazing paintings done on the spot with this little kit!

(And yes, I did post this in my blog, Cathy Johnson--Art, Life, and Other Oddities.  This nifty little kit deserves a wider audience!)