The same exceptional honey-based L'Aquarelle watercolour that has made Sennelier one of the most respected names in professional watercolour painting since 1887 — in half pan format, sold individually across the full range of 98 colours. The paint is identical in formulation, pigment quality, and character to the 10ml tubes. The choice between pan and tube is a matter of working preference and habit rather than quality.
Half pans are the format most associated with location and travel painting — compact, stackable, lightweight, and immediately ready to work from with a damp brush without the need to squeeze paint onto a palette first. For painters who work outdoors or carry their materials regularly, pans offer a significant practical advantage in speed and portability. They also allow very precise colour selection and palette building — individual pans can be slotted into any standard metal watercolour box or travel palette in any combination, giving complete freedom over which colours are carried and in what arrangement. For studio painters who work across many colours and want a large, organised palette of ready-to-use colours, a collection of individual pans in a full-sized palette box is one of the most practical working setups available.
The honey and Kordofan gum arabic binder keeps the pans from drying hard and cracking over time — one of the most common complaints about pans made with a standard gum arabic binder. Sennelier pans rewet quickly and evenly with a damp brush, releasing colour smoothly without requiring excessive scrubbing of the surface. The recently increased honey content has further improved this quality.
We stock all 98 colours as individual half pans — the same full palette available in the 10ml tube range, including all 36 granulating colours identified with a G, and all 50+ single-pigment colours. A full colour chart is available on our website.
What is the difference between a half pan and a tube of Sennelier L'Aquarelle? The paint formulation is identical — same pigments, same honey and gum arabic binder, same quality. The difference is format and working method. Tubes are preferred for studio work where larger quantities of paint are needed on the palette for broad washes and sustained painting sessions. Half pans are preferred for location and travel painting, and for painters who work from a fixed, organised palette of ready-to-use colours.
Do the pans dry out or crack? The honey content in L'Aquarelle acts as a humectant, keeping the pans moist and preventing the hard, cracked surface that can develop in pans made with a standard gum arabic binder. The pans rewet quickly and release colour smoothly with a damp brush.
Can individual pans be used in any watercolour box? Yes — Sennelier half pans are standard half pan dimensions and fit any standard metal or plastic watercolour palette or travel box. They can be combined freely with half pans from other ranges to create a custom palette.
Are all 98 colours available as individual pans? Yes — we stock the full range of 98 colours as individual half pans, including all granulating colours and single-pigment colours.
Which format should I choose — pans or tubes? Pans for travel, location painting, and fixed palette working. Tubes for studio painting, large washes, and sessions where significant quantities of paint are needed. Many watercolourists use both — tubes to fill empty pans in a travel palette, and full pans for quick, ready-to-use working on location.
