This is a review of a
vintage Winsor Newton travel watercolor palette I scored on Ebay. I don’t know the model number
or year it was made and if anyone has this info I would appreciate if you
passed it on.
I’ve been using a metal travel
palette with 14 half pans and was looking for one larger with more
paint space and I found this gem on-line.
I heard about the old enameled Winsor Newton palettes from my watercolor
teacher Tim Clark so I bid for this item which was located in
Britain. The vendor kindly wrapped it in
fragrant, delicate paper that added to my experience opening the foreign
package.
The palette measures 5.5” x 2.75” and folds out to yield 3 large mixing wells and a flat surface. Both rows yield space for 16 half pans, and there are metal dividers between pans and a center area to keep a brush. Two removable metal strips hold the pans securely in place. My palette was partially used and 5 paints were caked with age but the remainders were creamy luxurious colors, particularly the Winsor orange and Venetian red.
The enamel case had a few chips
that were easily fixed with Testors paint.
I was especially thrilled when I realized that the center row can be
used for more colors, so I got busy with
my on-line art store and ordered a new row of half pans to make a nice spectrum
of watercolors. The only problem is I am afraid the enameled case might get chipped and I don’t want to leave home with it. Who knows when the next one is coming up on
Ebay!
So if anyone recognizes this
palette and knows more about the year or model number please leave a
comment.
