I don’t think I can get more portable than this.

Brush, Paints and Sketchbook

The Kuretake Water Brush measures 6″ in length, moleskin sketchbook is 3.5″ x 5″ x .12″ thick, makeup compact is 2.25″ x 2.75″ x .25″ thick.  All three pieces fit into a small cocktail party size purse or the inside pocket of a gentleman’s suit jacket.  Perhaps a thin cigarette case would be better for men to use than a makeup compact. But then again, if you are at a cocktail party painting I don’t think you would really care if anyone looked at you oddly for pulling a makeup compact out of your jacket pocket.

I gave the kit its first trial run yesterday afternoon at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the opening of the St. Luke’s Hospital Anderson Campus.  Fourteen of my paintings hang in the Bone & Joint Unit of the hospital.

Metal Makeup Compact

The idea of using a metal Makeup compact is not my own.  I read about it online after discovering the Peerless Watercolor Papers.  I’ve posted my version of cd gel case palettes as well as my cigarette case palettes in previous posts.  What I love about the makeup palette is that it is somewhat elegant to bring to events where art supplies might be frowned upon.

Tiny bit of paper towel for brush cleaning

A small piece of paper towel, folded, fits nicely in place of the powder puff.

A sample of each color

A sample of the true hue and value of each color is necessary since the papers are so impregnated with pigment that it is difficult to identify the color by looking at the paper, especially in dark environments where I often find myself painting.  This sample chart is taped into the powder puff well using double sided tape.  A piece of wax paper is cut and taped to the underside of the powder puff well with a flap to fit over the top of the color swatch chart, protecting it from the papers taped to the underside of the compact cover in case they are still wet when the compact is closed.  The paper towel will also absorb any remaining moisture, but there is no guarantee that it hasn’t blown away.

Eight different pigment papers

The powder puff well is hinged on the side of the compact to keep the face powder from falling out.  As a watercolor palette it lifts to reveal four more pieces of Peerless Watercolor Paper.  Four are taped to the inside of the lid and four are taped to the powder well.

The ultimate travel watercolor kit

This little travel watercolor kit is so portable that I can even paint while standing.  If I tape papers on a separate piece of cardstock rather than directly into the compact, I can easily switch out the colors of my palette.

Sketch: drawn first with fountain pen filled with mixture of Sherwood Green Ink and Heart of Darkness Ink, followed by washes of Peerless WaterColor.  I left room for the piano player and stand up bass player who had been playing on a stage behind the people I sketched.  The musicians, unfortunately, took a break just as I started the sketch.  I had to leave before they returned.