My Unicorn Palette! Unbox, Swatch, Mix and Art using the Schmincke Whisky Painters Flask Palette

Regarding the Whiskey Painters and whether they really painted with whiskey... Yes, they painted in pubs and taverns using their drinks for their water. It started way back when, as they say, with a group of friends who belonged to the Society of Akron Artists in Ohio. One of them was a traveling salesman for his manufacturing company, and he used to take a small set of paints and a brush he had devised, something like our current travel brushes, that would fit in a tin aspirin box. Remember those? He cut down pieces of paper to 4x5 that would fit in his shirt pocket so that he could paint after work wherever he was traveling in the pubs and bars while he relaxed. The patrons of the bars loved it and he would give his paintings away. He called them his “Whiskey Paintings.” He enjoyed it so much he convinced a bunch of his art buddies back in the Akron Watercolor Society to do it together after their regular meetings. They would all drink and paint, using their whiskey water, and then put all their paintings in a hat, draw them out, and each go home with a painting! He had his factory design and produce the original mini palettes which he gave out to his buddies. The original club had 14 members and they drew up a charter with a set of bylaws in 1962. The membership is limited to 150 members, and you have to be sponsored by one of the members, and someone has to resign or die before a new member can join. https://whiskeypainters.org The reason I know so much is because years ago when I was a young woman studying art, I took a week long workshop with Marc Moon, AWS, one of the original members who was a masterful watercolor artist. He was in his late 60s at the time, and was nationally known. In fact, I saw him described on their website in this sentence. ...”with legends such as John Pike, Tom Nicholas, Paul Strisik, Don Stone, Marc Moon, and Edgar Whitney.” So you can see where he ranked amongst watercolorists at the time. After the workshop each day, our class members would gather in the evening after supper at a local fancy tavern and he would paint one of his mini paintings and give it away to someone. One night he chose to paint my portrait and it was outstanding! It is one of my treasures to this day. But best of all, a couple of weeks after he returned to his home, a courier pulled up to my door with one of his paintings, a full sheet, double-matted and framed beautifully. I was astounded! It’s one of the most beautiful watercolors I’ve seen, certainly one of his best. Everyone who sees it remarks on it, especially fellow artists. I knew he had sort of “taken a shine” to me as his student, but I certainly didn’t expect that! Sorry to be so long-winded!

I bought the same palette very recently on eBay for £45 and free shipping. It was boxed and completely unused. I don’t believe the seller knew what they had as it was a ‘buy it now’ price. I live in Scotland and it was an English seller. Do I feel lucky? YES!! Do I feel smug? Ummm… a little bit? 😳😳 I love my palette very much and still smile whoever I use it, despite owning it for 3 months now! I, like you Lindsay, don’t smoke, don’t drink, and am an all round good egg! My one ‘vice’ watercolour and snazzy palettes ❤️🎨🖌👩‍🎨🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️❤️

Envy, envy, envy in the color of Hooker’s green.

Lindsey, it is your duty to buy EVERY single watercolor set! I love watching swatch videos. I'm not a beginner (44 years of watercolor) and I always learn something from all your videos! It is your sacred duty to buy everything watercolor. I'm grateful for all you do.

I have the Whiskey Painters version (w/o water reservoir, purchased 5 years ago when it was much cheaper) I used my hot glue gun to lay a line of glue across the mixing wells making 2 into 4. The glue line seems to be holding and it makes this nifty palette more useful.

My favorite yellow is schmincke pure yellow. Perfect!! Also their potters pink. Yum. And ultramarine plus sepia is a gray I’ve loved for a long time.

I’m addicted to palettes & art supplies - 😂❤

I have 2 Whiskey Painter's Palette, but without the water cup and flask. I had my husband pull out the center rail with pliers. In the first palette, I now can fit 15 Winsor & Newton pans, in 3 rows of 5 with the pans in vertical/portrait orientation. I got the idea from a Jane Blundell photo. The 2nd palette I filled with tiny square 1/4 pans. In that way, I can fit 24 pans. 4 rows of 6. There's enough room left inside to put a thin travel brush & a few extra pans if you put them on their sides.

Not boring !!! I get vicarious pleasure from watching you swatch new paints. you make a great salesperson😉

I like Sepia for monochrome painting or on a really limited palette with only a cool blue. And I love Schmincke paints! They are my favorites along with Winsor&Newton - Yep, I'm boring. I also love my old Lukas paints but I recall your video about how you bought that Turquoise, and apparently they have sadly changed.... Both Schmincke watercolors and gouaches are excellent, and here in Germany they are also quite reasonably priced. And I absolutely love that Schmincke refuses to add honey to any of their paints. I know, people love their honey paints, and I do like myself some Sennelier, but overall I am not a fan of honey paints. I like paints that dry hard and solid. Paints that will stay in their pans and not act like a magnet to dust and cat hair. If you would like a granulating Utramarine by Schmincke, their French Ultramarine is great. They have 3 Ultramarines: a mixed one, this non-granulating one and a really granulating French one. Schmincke does have a few nicely granulating colors in their regular Horadam line, it's just not that many, but they do exist. They also have a lovely Potters Pink.

Living in Germany, my palette is mostly Schmincke. I love that they are pigmented and yet very delicate. Their French ultramarine has amazing granulation and a nice reddish tone. Never used the non-granulating one, though.

If you get the Winsor n Newton or Daler size half pans, they easily fit down the centre. The Schmincke are a little squarer and bigger which may be why they sell it with the 8 pans instead of 12. If you put magnetic tape on the pans each side you can leave off the rails and get two extra pans in by turning them length ways. I have 14 pans in mine x

I appreciate all of your watercolor videos. I come away from each of them with so much knowledge. Thanks so much!

ah... never boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! never. that travel pallette is wicked heavyweight!!!! drooling. over this pallette what fun!!!! happy painting. fun fun.

I’m just here for the swatches. 😍🌈

When you do videos this long I watch before bed because your voice is so calming and it has a asmr type feel to it..I WILL NEVER FAST FORWARD lol I’ll just go to sleep with you on ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Their French Ultramarine granulates pretty nicely and is a single pigment colour :) I could totally understand why one wouldn't buy Schminckes from overseas - for me here in Germany DSs and DaVincis are the more costly options - I could totally imagine it being the other way around for y'all in the States. And yes, let me confirm that you could totally refill pans with the tube pans and they work just the same as if you bought the pans. Most colours in my palette are Schminckes - aside from very few Van Gogh's and one Windsor and Newton - and I bought most as tubes and filled my own pans. And they do rewet and paint just as nicely as the few odd pans that I got.

You've made me want that. You would not believe the little travel palettes I own. They are an obsession!

I was so lucky about 5 years ago I got my hands on the 45-48half pans Schmincke watercolour set for $360 in Australia everywhere else it was over $400 and know it’s over $500. I love my set and feel very grateful

Love the palette and love the review. You’re always so thorough! I’m really tickled for you that you got something you’ve been longing for! That’s just a happy day!