pochade shakedown

(8x8)

I'm starting to sort through my mind-numbing assortment of art supplies to pack for my plein-air painting in Delaware next week. Last night I got out my Guerrilla Painter ThumBox, a small pochade box that holds a 6x8 watercolor block, or a larger (here 8x8 but you can also use larger blocks with a bungee cord--but not too large or it'll tip over!) or smaller size (see www.GuerrillaPainter.com or www.dickblick.com if you're interested in finding out more).
It's a useful little box and actually holds quite a lot; there's room for travel brushes, a small water bottle, pencils, spare colors, a wee sketchbook, and some paper towels.
You can use it with a tripod, or not.
It's an adjustment for me to paint reaching over the palette, but, if I can get used to it, I think it will good to be farther away from the paper, less controlling. It's something I don't much think about, but how you hold you brush and how you touch it to the paper really matters; I have old bad habits to break.
It's too bad though that the lid, which holds the block, doesn't swivel around, like the screen of a portable DVD player; that'd be handy!
The little palette holds 14 colors, and I have a pan of raw sienna in there too. The purple in this palette is rather gray and dull and so I'm going to replace it with ultramarine violet.

I've decorated my ThumBox with stickers from the Barnes (I have a larger one, 9x12, with an "I love Pigeon Key" sticker Peter put on it); don't mind the stack of laundry!