Introduction:
If you seek an easy way to take watercolors on plein air painting adventures, the QoR mini with its half pans of luscious watercolors is awaiting your brush! The QoR mini is a travel set that provides twelve half pans of dry QoR Modern Watercolor paints in a small closeable metal palette ready for on-site or studio use. Two sets of six colors line up along the long sides, held in half pans nestled into a silicone insert that forms three mixing areas in the center. The lid provides additional circular depressions for mixing, similar to those in the metal cases for the QoR sets. The back provides a list of the paints and pigments in the set. There is an included swatch chart so you may paint out samples of each of the watercolors. Closed, the metal tin measures approximately three and a quarter inches by four and a half inches by five eighths of an inch tall. This article will introduce the mixing potential held within the twelve half pan colors.
What the paints are, and their traits:
The QoR half pan set provides two yellows, an orange, two reds, a purple, two blues, a green, two browns, and a gray.
Two yellows:
- Cadmium Yellow Primrose, PY35, ASTM LF I, semi-transparent, non-granulating, staining; a green-leaning bright yellow
- Nickel Azo Yellow, PY150, ASTM LF I, transparent, non-granulating, staining; a warmer yellow leaning toward tan or amber when used with less dilution and offering a vibrant glowing yellow when diluted in washes
An orange:
- Transparent Pyrrole Orange, PO71, LF Good based on our tests, transparent, non-granulating, staining; a clear strong lively orange, beautiful in glazes
Two reds:
- Pyrrole Red Medium, PR254, LF Excellent based on our tests, semi-opaque, non-granulating, staining; a bright orange-leaning red
- Quinacridone Magenta, PR122, LF NA (our tests show LF Excellent), transparent, non-granulating, staining; a saturated, vibrant purple-leaning red
A violet:
- Dioxazine Purple, PV23, LF NA (our tests show LF Excellent), semi-transparent, non-granulating, staining; a strong dark purple
Two blues:
- Ultramarine Blue, PB29, ASTM LF I, semi-transparent, granulating, semi-staining; a purple-leaning blue
- Phthalo Blue (GS), PB15:3, ASTM LF I, transparent, non-granulating, staining; an intense green-leaning blue
A green:
- Sap Green, PG36 + PR101 + PY150, ASTM LF I, transparent, non-granulating, staining; a yellowish green, in washes the pigments can separate slightly creating a lovely dappled green
Two browns and a gray:
- Transparent Brown Oxide, PR101, ASTM LF I, transparent, granulating, staining; a redder iron oxide than Burnt Umber, with very fine granulation
- Burnt Umber (Natural), PBr7, ASTM LF 1, semi-opaque, granulating, semi-staining; a natural iron oxide providing a classic ‘brown’ color
- Payne’s Gray, PB15:3 + PBk7 + PV19, ASTM LF II, semi-opaque, non-granulating, staining; a mixed blue-gray alternative to black, a little added to another paint can create fabulous chromatic neutrals
Lightfastness and the QoR mini:
Eight of the QoR mini paints contain pigments rated lightfast I or II by ASTM. We determined lightfastness ratings of the other four paints by following ASTM’s protocol for testing. The pigments in Pyrrole Red Medium (PR254) and Transparent Pyrrole Orange (PO71) do not currently have ASTM ratings, and our testing showed them to be LF I (Excellent) and LF II (Very Good), respectively. The pigments in Quinacridone Magenta (PR122) and Dioxazine Purple (PV23) already have less than ideal ASTM lightfastness ratings, so we tested our QoR paints containing these pigments as well. We found that both of these QoR paints showed excellent lightfastness, equivalent to ASTM LF I. Because of the discrepancy between our ratings and ASTM’s ratings, these paints are listed as Lightfastness NA. More information may be found in the Just Paint article “QoR Lightfastness Testing Update.”
Color Mixing Chart for the QoR mini:
We created a graphite grid of one-inch squares on Fabriano Artistico 140 lb Cold Pressed Paper. Since there are twelve paints in the QoR mini, the grid is twelve squares high and wide. Starting in the upper left, each grid row and column is labeled with one of the travel palette colors. Where a grid row and grid column intersect, the square shows a mix of those two colors. Each of the twelve colors by itself (mixed only with water) can be seen if you follow a diagonal from the upper left (Cadmium Yellow Primrose) to the lower right (Payne’s Gray). The squares beneath this diagonal show a darker wash of the mixture, and the squares above the diagonal show a more diluted wash of the mixture. Mixes were judged by eye. Although an attempt was made to make each square a visually equal balance of the two mixed paints, color shift sometimes occurs during drying. This mixing chart suggests the mixing possibilities; a wide and exciting diversity of colors may be achieved by changing the ratios in mixes to allow one color or the other to dominate. We encourage you to explore!
How to treat your QoR mini:
You might wish to begin your experience of the QoR mini by painting the color chart included in the set. Each printed square contains a letter from “A” to “L”. The same letters can be found in the silicone insert beside the half pans. Use the paint that corresponds with the letter to fill that square. A gradation will show the color’s potential more clearly than a flat wash.
Once you are finished painting, we recommend any extra water be blotted off the mixing areas and the palette be left to dry with the lid open. Since it is a travel palette, transporting while damp will be common. In such cases, it might be good to temporarily enclose the palette in a plastic bag in case there are drips. Should you wish to clean the paint, allow it to dry first. You may then swipe the surface with a damp brush or lint-free paper towel or cloth. Blotting wet or damp QoR can waste a lot of paint!
If you paint enough that your half pans begin to empty, you may refill them with paint from QoR tubes. We wish you great enjoyment and success using the QoR mini!
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Where can you purchase Mini ?
Hello John,
Thank you for your interest in the QoR mini, and for your question! We encourage you to check with your local art stores or favorite on-line retailer for availability and price for the QoR mini in your area. The QoR Mini has been quite popular and is currently back-ordered at a number of art stores. We also had an assembly glitch where some of the minis had two Burnt Umber half pans, and we pulled back some of our inventory from stores to fix these sets. We are working to provide new inventory as quickly as possible and hope to have more QoR minis in stores soon.
We hope this is helpful, and we look forward to hearing from you again when you have more questions.
Happy painting,
Cathy
This looks wonderful. Is it available in Montreal……if so where and. How much is it
Hello Clare,
Thank you for your interest in the QoR mini. The QoR Mini has been quite popular and is currently back-ordered at s number of art stores. We also had an assembly glitch where some of the minis had two Burnt Umber half pans, and this required us to pull back some of our inventory from stores. We are working to provide new inventory as quickly as possible. Check with your local store or online retailer for availability and price in your area.
We hope this is helpful, and we are here when you have more questions.
Happy painting,
Cathy
Where can I buy this QoR mini Half Pan Travel Set and Color Mixing?
Hello Vige,
Thank you for your interest in the QoR mini, and for your question! Your favorite art stores and online retailers would be the best place to check for availability and price for the QoR mini in your area. The QoR Mini has been quite popular and is currently back-ordered at a number of art stores. We also had an assembly glitch where some of the minis had two Burnt Umber half pans, and we pulled back some of our inventory from stores to fix these sets. We are working to provide new inventory as quickly as possible, and hope to have more QoR minis in stores soon.
We hope this is helpful, and we look forward to hearing from you again when you have more questions.
Happy painting,
Cathy
Great but where do we buy this?
Hello Joseph,
Thank you for your interest in the QoR mini. We suggest checking with your local art stores or favorite on-line retailers for availability and price for the QoR mini in your area. The QoR Mini has been quite popular, and is currently back-ordered at a number of art stores. We also had an assembly glitch where some of the minis had two Burnt Umber half pans, and this required us to pull back some of our inventory from stores. We are working to provide new inventory as quickly as possible.
We hope this is helpful, and we look forward to hearing from you again when you have more questions.
Happy painting,
Cathy
Where do I buy and how much?
Hello Shyla,
Thank you for your interest in the QoR mini, and for our questions. We suggest checking with your local art stores or favorite on-line retailers for availability and price for the QoR mini in your area. The QoR Mini has been quite popular, and is currently back-ordered at a number of art stores. We also had an assembly glitch where some of the minis had two Burnt Umber half pans, and this required us to pull back some of our inventory from stores. We are working to provide new inventory as quickly as possible.
We hope this is helpful, and we look forward to hearing from you again when you have more questions.
Happy painting,
Cathy
Oooo, a new must have!
Hello Susan,
Thank you for your comment! We hope you soon have a QoR mini in your hands, and that you greatly enjoy painting with it. Speaking for myself, I think the QoR mini is great fun!
Happy painting,
Cathy
I am very excited to see this mini! Travel kit! I love QoR because of it’s brilliance when layered. I have tested their products several years ago and loved how easy they were to work with!!!
Hello Jane,
We are so pleased you enjoy painting with QoR. We hope you soon have a QoR mini, and that painting with it brings you much joy!
Happy painting,
Cathy
Aren’t there refills for the pans?
Hello Cathy,
Thank you for your question. At the moment, QoR half pans are not sold individually. Any of QoR’s 83 tube colors can be used to fill empty half pans, and once dry they all should re-wet easily. If you feel especially strongly that you would like to be able to purchase a refill, or if you have other ideas for QoR products, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected]. Feedback from artists is critical to evaluating potential new products and line extensions, so your opinions and suggestions are important!
Happy painting,
Cathy
I love the mini watercolor pans. Great idea especially for travel..wondering if the paint is similar to quache?
Hello Kathleen,
We are so glad you love the QoR mini! Although we use Aquazol rather than Gum Arabic as a binder, QoR is a true transparent watercolor.
Gouache is another type of watercolor, one made opaque by the addition of white pigment and a solid such as chalk. This creates a creamy paint with more body than transparent watercolor. Gouache is frequently used more thickly and often does not rely on the white of the paper. When Gouache is used thickly, the painting should be on a rigid support as otherwise the dry paint might crack. If you like painting with gouache, you might experiment with the addition of Titanium White watercolor to make the QoR paints more opaque and bring them closer to the characteristics of gouache.
We hope this is helpful, and we are here when you have more questions.
Happy painting,
Cathy
Hello, Ms. Cathy
when will QoR become available here in the Philippines (or if it is now available, do you have the names of your partner retailers here)? Based on what I’ve read on some blogsites, QoR have twice the pigment concentration of gum arabic-based watercolors at the same volume so I want to try it for myself.
Hello Clarence,
Thank you for your interest in the QoR mini! The GOLDEN store finder will allow you to filter by product (QoR) and enter a location (Philippines). When we did this, two stores in Manila came up as carrying QoR: Sketchbooks Inc and The Oil Paint Store. If you use the store finder, it will provide addresses, a map, and contact information for the stores. We would suggest you contact them directly and ask if they have the QoR mini. Some of the QoR paints are vibrantly saturated. We hope you enjoy painting with them!
Cathy
Good afternoon,
I am very interested in learning more about this set of QoR paints please. Was wondering if it is possible please to get a sample of a few of the colors as well as the masking fluid that you have?
I have done some painting but haven’t used your products before. As I would like to try them before buying. As I am on a very limited budget.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Enjoy the rest of your day. Take care. God bless you.
Hello RoriLee,
Thank you for your interest, and for your questions. We do not have samples of the QoR Masking Fluid. We do have paint dot card samples for QoR, and will email you a request for a mailing address so one can be sent to you. Not all of the colors in the mini are included in the dot cards, but there should be one or two for you to try.
Happy painting,
Cathy
I love painting
Hello RoriLee,
We love painting (and paint) too!
Cathy
Congrats on a well considered and designed product! I’m looking forward to trying one of the first American made half pan travel sets when my budget allows. Is it possible to clean these pans by tilting them at an angle, holding a tissue tightly underneath the edge of the dirty pan, and spritzing it with water so the dirty pigment runs off into the tissue without disturbing the layer underneath? I don’t like cleaning the surface of pan colors with my brush.
Hello Bekki,
We are glad you like the QoR mini, and we thank you for your question. To better answer, we tried the spritz, tilt, and tissue approach. It took several spritzes with a very fine water mister, and paint was also removed from areas that were not dirty. This means there was some paint loss. Careful attention was needed to control the run off and catch it before it contaminated another color. However, the pans were clean when we were finished! So this might be a viable approach to cleaning the paint surfaces should you not wish to use a damp brush.
Happy painting,
Cathy
I absolutely LOVE my QoR mini set. EVERYTHING about it (but especially the paint 🙂 If you develop a second set, I’ll buy it, too!!!
Thank you, Holly! We are so pleased you enjoy painting with the QoR mini. At the moment, we have no plans for a “mini 2” but we will certainly take the suggestion seriously!
Happy painting,
Cathy
I am curious about the decision to go with cadmium yellow primrose rather than a lemon yellow for the cool yellow, and an azo nickel yellow rather than cadmium yellow medium for the warm yellow. Also why transparent brown oxide rather than burnt sienna? Every pigment has advantages/disadvantages so what led to this group being chosen? Thanks for all the interesting details! Thanks
Hello Bonnie,
Thank you for your questions. Color selection is subjective, and for artists can be very personal. We wished to offer a balanced mixing palette with a wide range of colors, two options for each primary color, and two earth colors. Using Transparent Brown Oxide and Burnt Umber allowed us to include both a synthetic and a natural earth color. In addition to this, we included a popular green and two high chroma secondaries: Sap Green, Transparent Pyrrole Orange, and Dioxazine Purple. Together, the paints in the QoR mini present a range from vibrant to more neutral, and an overall palette that offers many mixing opportunities. The individual colors were selected with input from the people in our Marketing Department, Laboratory, and Material and Application Department. We all mixed with QoR, painted, discussed, compared, and debated before presenting our ideas on what might be included. The Marketing department had final say in the colors, and we are pleased with the results. We hope you enjoy painting with the QoR mini, too!
Happy painting,
Cathy
Hello, Ms. Cathy.
I finally got my hands on QoR (the stores that retail them here in the Philippines only have the tube version available). I must admit that I’m fond of being able to use QoR as gouache (which is actually my favorite type of paint due to gouache’s opacity and resolubility enabling me to correct any prior mistakes) because when I diluted QoR and my other professional-grade gum arabic-based watercolors to the same concentration and swatched them, QoR appears about twice as bright (and opaque) as the gum arabic watercolors after drying. In fact, QoR has the same color vibrancy and opacity as professional grade gouache that use only pure pigments, especially when both are swatched straight out of the tube. Based on these experiences, I could attest that the claim of other painters that QoR has twice the pigment concentration of gum arabic-based watercolors at the same volumes is true.
Hello Clarence,
Thank you so much for telling us about your experience painting with QoR. We are so glad you are enjoying our watercolors!
Happy painting,
Cathy
Hello again, Ms. Cathy.
I forgot to mention in my earlier reply the one more thing I’m fond about QoR is that I can use them very thickly without the risk of cracking after the resulting applications already dried.
Hello Clarence,
Aquazol does help QoR Watercolor remain flexible when used thickly. It is super that you find this attribute helpful!
Warm Regards,
Cathy
Cathy Jennings, this is a beautiful presentation of the Qor mini travel. I purchased mine in June 2018 & have used it a lot. It is my favorite in fact. I recently purchased Qor 6 set of Earth tubes. 2 of the colors are also in the mini, so grateful to get ” refill” for mini without having to buy large tubes. The other 4 colors I didn’t have & I was very curious about Naples yellow & Indigo as I didn’t have either or any idea of what Naples Yellow looked like. I have 2 questions:
1. The sap green in the Earth set is (duller ?) deeper, than my mini palette. The mini sap green seems to have more Vibrant yellow undertones. Both are beautiful but the earthset seems to have an olive undertone if that makes since, a more grungy, earthy, dirty, green ? Not sure I am describing it well. The sap green in my mini is mor vibrant, leans more yellow, in fact I can not get as dark a green when painting it ” neet”.. My mini set didnt come with pigment information & its possible I got it here, not sure. But I wrote it down with Py150, Pg36, Pr101 in this order ( I could have mistakenly recorded it wrong ) but I’m pretty anal about that!
The 2nd question I have is Indigo, I noticed somewhere in the midtone of the color it has a turquoise blue shade. I had to look up pigments thinking my eyes are playing tricks. But no its true PB15:3 is used. My question is about warm cool. Would this be considered a warmer version of Indigo, because it leans green ? I’m not sure I have comprehension of cool/warm in the blue range. So I’m sure if I’m asking this question correctly. But could you describe it comparing it to the 2 blues in the mini. (To me blues leaning purple are colder, blues leaning to green are warmer colors). But yet I have indanthrone that I’ve been told it is a warm blue than. anyway your descriptions above are perfect I comprehend them & was wondering if you have used Indigo if you would comment or direct me somewhere else.
Just want to mention 1 more thing. I have the ” basic 6 color set “. (The 1st Qor offered). It is ok but I get so much better mixes using the selection in the Mini travel & I absolutely love the primrose Yellow. Totally had not expected that.
Thank you, Dena
Hello Dena,
Thank you for your lovely comments! We consider input from artists to be gifts, and comments like these are especially helpful as we strive to make the best paints that we can. We will do some investigating and testing, and respond in greater depth to your questions via the email address provided with your comment. We may also have a few questions, such as the batch code numbers of the Sap and Indigo watercolors. You are welcome to email questions or concerns our team directly at [email protected]. we will be happy to hear from at you anytime.
If you have questions about color, the QoR website has a color chart where, if one of the squares is clicked, a pop up will open showing that watercolor painted out on paper. Although digital color obviously differs from actual paint, these swatches can provide some sense of the characteristics (color, transparency, granulation, behavior wet-in-wet) of individual watercolors.
We are so glad you are enjoying QoR. Isn’t Cadmium Yellow Primrose lovely? It is one of my favorite QoR yellows, too. We also used it in the “Just Six Paints…” QoR color wheel.
We will email you soon.
Best Regards,
Cathy
Hello,
Where and when in Belgium are these mini box watercoloursavailable.
I teach watercolour for beginners and advanced and would be interested in the box.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Best regards
Lieve Claes
Thank you for your interest in QoR! We have forwarded your question to our Customer Service team, as they will best be able to tell you who in Belgium stocks our QoR mini.
Happy painting,
Cathy