Cleaning Watercolor Pans: A Step-By-Step Guide

Watercolour pans can become contaminated with dirt, dust, hair, and lint, or by mixing colours. To clean them, some artists recommend using a damp brush or cloth, but this can waste paint. To avoid this, use two bowls of water for rinsing your brush and change the water as soon as it becomes dirty. Alternatively, spritz the pans with water and gently wipe away any dirt with a sponge or paper towel. If the pans are very dirty, hold them under a stream of cold water and gently lift off the dirty colours with a clean sponge.

How to clean out watercolor pans

Use two water bowls for rinsing brushes to avoid colour contamination

When painting with watercolours, it's important to keep your colours clean and uncontaminated. One simple way to do this is to use two water bowls for rinsing your brushes. This is a good habit to get into, especially if you are new to watercolours.

Using two water bowls means that you can keep your colours separate and avoid muddy mixtures. Before switching colours, rinse your brush in the first bowl, then use the second, clean bowl to pick up a new colour. This way, you won't accidentally mix colours and contaminate your pans. It's also a good idea to change the water as soon as it starts to look muddy.

Some artists like to keep their pans pristine, while others embrace a little contamination. A small amount of colour mixing in your pans is not a big problem and can even add character to your mixes. However, if you want to keep your colours pure, using two water bowls is a simple and effective method.

You can also prevent colour contamination by keeping your palette covered when not in use. This will stop dust, lint, and pet hairs from getting into your pans. If your pans do get dirty, you can gently rinse them with cold water or wipe them with a damp sponge or paper towel.

Clean pans with a moistened paper towel or sponge

If your pans are grubby, there are a few simple ways to clean them. Firstly, you can try moistening a paper towel and wiping the surface of the pans. This is a good method if the dirt is only on the surface of the paint. If the dirt is throughout the paint, you may need to replace the pans. Alternatively, you can use a damp sponge to wipe away the dirt. If you want to give your palette a more thorough clean, you can hold it in a vertical position under a stream of cold water and gently lift off the dirty colours with a clean sponge. This method does mean that the colours will run into each other, so be aware of this if you are trying to keep your colours separate. Once the dirty colours are gone, turn the palette upside down until the colours in each well are clean. If there is still dirt in the wells, gently wipe the paint with the wet sponge until each colour is clean.

Cover pans when not in use to prevent dust and lint

Watercolour pans are prone to dust and lint when left uncovered. Pans are available in standard half pans and full pans, as well as a few larger sizes. The standard sizes are rectangular, but there are also round pans available. The standard sizes are similar across brands, but not exactly the same, so watercolour boxes have bendable compartments to accommodate slight differences. Travel watercolour boxes, on the other hand, do not have adjustable compartments, so they will not work with all brands of pans.

To prevent dust and lint from settling on your pans, it is advisable to cover them when not in use. This can be done by using a palette with a lid or a travel case. A simple palette box with a lid can be a good option for studio work, as it keeps the pans protected from dust between painting sessions. For outdoor painting or travel, a small folding travel palette can be more convenient. These usually come with a lid and a folding mixing tray, making them compact and portable.

In addition to using a covered palette or travel case, there are a few other ways to protect your watercolour pans. One option is to use magnetic strips to keep the pans in place, which can be adhered to the bottom of the pans. Another option is to use a tin with a lid, which can hold multiple pans and protect them from dust. You can also find empty boxes specifically designed for storing pans, which may include a mixing surface that folds into the box.

By taking these precautions and covering your watercolour pans when not in use, you can help prevent dust and lint from contaminating your paint and keep your palette clean and organised.

Use a spray bottle to spritz dried paint with water

If your pans are grubby, you can use a spray bottle to spritz dried paint with water to clean them out. Firstly, ensure your palette is covered between painting sessions to prevent dust and lint from settling on the paints. If your pans are contaminated with different colours, hold your palette vertically under a stream of cold water and gently lift off the dirty colours with a clean sponge.

To use the spray bottle method, spritz the dried paint with clean water. Then, use your brush to reactivate the top, dirty layers and wipe the paint onto a paper towel. Be sure to clean your brush in clean water each time you wipe the paint from the wells until the brush itself is clean.

If your pans are contaminated with hair and lint, you can gently rinse the wells under low running cold water, stroking away foreign matter with a soft-haired brush. Alternatively, use a long, pointy tweezer to remove the hair and lint.

Rinse pans under running water and gently lift off dirty colours with a sponge

Rinsing your watercolor pans under running water is an effective way to clean them without wasting paint. Hold your palette vertically under a stream of cold water. This will help to gently lift off the dirty colours without damaging the pan or wasting paint. Use a clean sponge to wipe away the dirty colours. The water will run into the palette and mix with the paint, but don't worry! Once the dirty colours are removed, simply turn the palette upside down and the colours will separate back into their original wells.

If there is still some residue or discolouration, use the wet sponge to gently wipe each well until the colours are clean. This method is most effective when the wells are filled to the top with paint. The paint will dry and harden, but can be loosened with a spritz of water.

It is normal for pans to get dirty and a little dusty over time. This can be due to environmental factors such as dust, lint, and hair. It is recommended to keep your palette covered when not in use to prevent this. However, if the dirt is throughout the paint, it may be best to replace it.

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