Pastel Boxes

[ArtsiePhartsie]

I'm having a hard time deciding which pastel box would be the best for carrying my pastels when travelling/plein air painting. There are so many choices...and they are not cheap so I want to make an informed decision. What boxes do you recommend, or not recommend. Thanks for any input you can give me.

~Artsie

[Khadres]

I'm having a hard time deciding which pastel box would be the best for carrying my pastels when travelling/plein air painting. There are so many choices...and they are not cheap so I want to make an informed decision. What boxes do you recommend, or not recommend. Thanks for any input you can give me.

~Artsie

Oh, gosh, you're gonna stir up a hornets nest on this one! LOL I vote for the Cassatt box from Blicks and elsewhere...I have two of these...love 'em.

http://www.dickblick.com/zz228/29/

There's a slightly larger and twice as expensive version of this on Dakota, too. If I got out more or hauled mine around more, I might've picked this one, but don't feel really justified in spending so much more.

There's also the "Roz" box which many seem to be crazy about and it's actually on sale at Jerry's right now.

http://jerrysartarama.com/art-supply/catalogs/0066059000000

Am rather tempted by these in that you can lay the trays out neatly at home and then pack 'em up and haul 'em safely too.

[HarvestMoon]

I have 2 Roz boxes- they hold unisons and mount visions (oversized pastels) each one in its own foam compartment! They have 4 seperate trays, which fits in a small briefcase type box. They actually are not expensive (I looked at wooden boxes up to $400. ) but Jerrys online has them on sale for $39.97.
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-supply-stores/online/1961
I thought I would use these only for travel, and find myself using them at home all the time. The four trays hold up to 138 pastel sticks.

Another good choice is a very pretty fold out wooden box that unisons fit in but it is more expensive and probably not as sturdy as the Roz box but lovely and again great for studio use too- it holds 144 unisons- Jerrys has it under Unison pastel wooden boxes and it does NOT come with the unison foam- but Dakota's has it for slightly more and with the foam- the disadvantage is that this seems to fit unisons great but not much of anything else so well:

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-supply-stores/online/3841

And one more- for Giraults- the art bin 3 box for $35.45- this box will NOT hold any of the thicker pastels, perhaps rembrants and anything smaller in diameter- holds 132 pastels- Holbeins also fit in there- same link as the first.

[khourianya]

Curry's has a good price on the ArtBin Pastel 3. I picked one up for my oil pastels and really like it. Apparently the Roz box trays will fit into the artbin case (2 trays will anyway)

I have been eyeing the Roz box for my softies, but since I modified my own case for a travel case, I plan to use it for a while and then treat myself :wink2: It's be nice if I found a canadian distributor...

[PCool]

Hi Artsie,

In response to:

I'm having a hard time deciding which pastel box would be the best for carrying my pastels when travelling/plein air painting. There are so many choices...and they are not cheap so I want to make an informed decision. What boxes do you recommend, or not recommend. Thanks for any input you can give me.

~Artsie

I see this question quite often on Wetcanvas. I have seen all kinds of setups.
A pastel palette is not cheap and you all know it. There is nothing more heartbreaking than having your pastels turned over and crushed in a gazillion pieces. I witnessed this at the Albert Handell and Anita Louise West Workshop in Franklin, TN. One of the artist had a beautiful set of Sennelier's and Schmincke's in one of those manufactured wooden boxes that the pastels came in. It was windy and kind of rainy that day. The artist had her pastels sitting on a snack stand. Whoosh! A strong wind came up, and those pastels had a crash landing. It was a pitiful site. Strange, we were in the grass and still all she had left were fragments.

Whatever you decide on make sure your pastel palette is anchored down. I have a rather large box that I bought a few years back. I use a couple of bungee cords to lock it down to my easel.

At the workshop, Albert used a large Heilman box. Of course I had to have one. It has a lot of nice locking features. The smaller box you can put in a backpack.

http://www.heilmandesigns.com/new_page_5.htm

Here is a picture of Albert Handell's pastel box:

[HarvestMoon]

I have had that sickening crash thing happen with brand new Unisons on a wooden floor. I was too sick about it to cry. Cori- why don't you make up a few of your boxes and try selling them over WC, or if that is not allowed on ebay, announcing it at WC?

[khourianya]

I have had that sickening crash thing happen with brand new Unisons on a wooden floor. I was too sick about it to cry. Cori- why don't you make up a few of your boxes and try selling them over WC, or if that is not allowed on ebay, announcing it at WC?

lol..because I have no clue where to get those boxes. I got the one I converted with one of those cheapie art sets that my dad got me at Costco about 10 years ago...I've never seen another box like it. Plus - I'm busy. I barely get to paint now...if I started a factory in my living room I would really get nothing done :wink2:

[tjhi]

Hi, Cori, and all - I am reading this because I too need a better storage for traveling with pastels.

Cori, I thought you might like to know the last time I checked on Curry's this was the message I got (as a US buyer):

We regret to inform you that due to increasing complications in shipping orders from Canada to the U.S. (including U.S. Customs requirements and brokerage fees) we will no longer be handling U.S. orders.

We truly thank you for your business and apologize that we are not able to serve you at this time.

Sincerely,
Curry's Customer Service Group

So I can't order from them anyway. But thanks for all the information.

Terry

[HarvestMoon]

I have looked a few times at the Heilman site, but really cannot concieve of just about how many pastels '400 sq. inches of pastel storage' for the large box would hold- and would the box have to be really full for them to not slip and slide?

And Cori, I have no doubt you will be rich and famous someday just hang in there- my mother-in-law just attended an art show and said the pastels in the show were $1650. and looked very similar to mine (how sad ha ha) - mine are priced $50. and I will be lucky to get that from the local ranchers!

Those rifle cases are really looking good for storage :clap: because I always want to take EVERYTHING with me !

[Kristrotter]

I too have been wanting to ask this question, but I figured there was already a thread on the topic.

Sooz, I am glad that you mentioned the Cassatt boxes, they look like a nice size and you can even get 2 and pay less than you would for a Heilman and some of the others. It's hard for me to get out to plein air paint, so this looks like a good one for me to have in my studio(/pantry), and then small enough for when I do happen to get a chance to go outside.

I still have all of my pastels in the cardboard box sets that they came in. I have moved and mixed the different brands of sticks themselves around in each box to kind of group them according to color/value, but it will be nice to have them in a pastel box. I hope to order one within the next month.

[Paula Ford]

LOL YIPPY....LOL

I've been wanting to show off my pastel box lately because I cleaned it and sorted all of my pastels LOL :D

This is the large box from Dakota. It's 36 1/2" fully opened as shown and 18" wide. I know I know...it's kinda big!!

:D Paula :D

[Khadres]

This is slightly bigger than my Cassatts...which are more like 12" X 32" when opened. Frankly, the Cassatts are as heavy as I'd want to haul when fully loaded. One thing I need to do to mine tho is glue in some wood partition strips...it's easy to do and not costly.

Paula, I know your box has velcro covers for each half, too, but what happens to your slots that aren't full? Doesn't the stuff scoot around in there? My Cassatts are chock full and nothing scoots anywhere at this point. lol

The nice thing about the Cassatts is the way they are made...beautifully finished and sturdy. Well worth the price.

[khourianya]

Cori, I thought you might like to know the last time I checked on Curry's this was the message I got (as a US buyer):

:( I noticed that a month or so ago when I placed my last order. it's too bad for you guys down south, as you used to get amazing prices from them. I mentioned it because Mary Jo lives in the area and might have a chance to visit the actual store.

I will say one thing, though. since they stopped shiping to the states, it doesn't take 3-5 weeks to recieve an order anymore. I had my last one in under a week!

[Khadres]

I will say one thing, though. since they stopped shiping to the states, it doesn't take 3-5 weeks to recieve an order anymore. I had my last one in under a week!

LOL...see? There really IS a silver lining to every cloud! :D

[Trilby]

Hi folks. I spent today at the Association's studio today with several other pastelists. Here are what they had. One lady had two fish tackle boxesfrom Walmart at $14 each. These were essentially a square plastic bucket with 4 plastic boxes with dividers. (total of 8 trays)she filled them with corn meal to protect and clean the pastels, but each little compartment held about 7 or 8 sticks, so they weren't all jumbled like they get in the large open pastel boxes. She laid the "bucket" on its side and the plastic boxes pulled out like drawers , quiet compact and convenient. Walmart carries these in two sizes. The small size is $9.00 The trays are Renagade fishing tackle trays.They also carry the plastic boxes separately at about $3.00 apiece, some with handles. Another lady had a beer cooler on wheels. It looked like a canvas carry on bag with a pull out handle and wheels. It had side pockets and other storage then the main storage, all vinyl lined could be fitted with those plastic fishing tackle trays. Again very convenient. Her whole studio fitted yet she took out just what was needed. Also the top of the bag made a little table for her. Cost was aa$26.00 Dilliards has them for $50.00The 3rd woman had a canvas tote bag filled with small plastic boxes, filled with corn meal. Each box had a different color family, again very convenient to lay out and use.
Me: I went straight to Walmart. I didn't find the beer cooler, but elected for a canvas tackle box. It has two compartments, one on top of the other. The bottom one has a front zippered flap and holds 4 15x9x2" divided, covered trays that come out like drawers. The top compartment has a top opening and can hold tall things or another 3 "drawers" in a slightly smaller size. There's yet another compartment on top of this that holds one tray, great for all the pencils and tortillions, etc.. All around the sides are little pockets and one large one for holding all kinds of things, plus a elastic webbing on the very top under which something can be held like a pad of paper or drawing board. Whole thing has a shoulder strap, Wish it had wheels, but doesn't. Cost $40.00. I think it will be super for any medium I am using. All those trays should hold 500 pastels.I plan to use the foam that comes in my pastel boxes and to get some thin foam and put in for protection. But for travel I can choose a travel assortment in however many trays I wish. Heck for a week end trip I could probably pack both art and clothes in this thing. It's very classy looking too. Actually I think it could be strapped to a luggage carrier quite nicely and I have one of those. Then a portable easel could be strpped on and away we go. This one also can serve as a small table. It should be easy to buy additional trays and outfit with other medium, such a simple matter then to just switch out trays.
TJ

[Paula Ford]

This is slightly bigger than my Cassatts...which are more like 12" X 32" when opened. Frankly, the Cassatts are as heavy as I'd want to haul when fully loaded. One thing I need to do to mine tho is glue in some wood partition strips...it's easy to do and not costly.

Paula, I know your box has velcro covers for each half, too, but what happens to your slots that aren't full? Doesn't the stuff scoot around in there? My Cassatts are chock full and nothing scoots anywhere at this point. lol

The nice thing about the Cassatts is the way they are made...beautifully finished and sturdy. Well worth the price.

Hi Sooz,
When picking up my box, (and always) I'm very gentle with it. Once it is in the upright/carrying position, no, things don't really move around. It has tipped over on me a couple of times, but none of my pastels have been hurt.

The slot that's not real full I PLAN ON FILLING REALLY SOON!! Gives me a great excuse to buy more pastels!! LOL Watch out Great Americans, here I come!!!
Paula

[ArtsiePhartsie]

Thanks for all your replies EVERYONE!!!!! I have lots to think about now ...

Sorry to hear about Curries.....I'd be happy to help you out if you want anything from there, you could have it shipped to me, send me the postage and I'll ship it off to you. ( I'm in Ontario). Now to go and re-read all of these posts and make a decision on which box to purchase....wish me luck!

~Artsie ( Mary Jo)

[Khadres]

The slot that's not real full I PLAN ON FILLING REALLY SOON!! Gives me a great excuse to buy more pastels!! LOL Watch out Great Americans, here I come!!!
Paula

Well, be CAREFUL! I just got in an order of Unisons and some Mt. Visions and THEN realized I don't have space for them unless I STACK stuff again...arghhh But...had been months since I bought anything and I was suffering massive withdrawal pangs...you know how it is! :evil:

[HarvestMoon]

TJ- you and Cori MUST get together :D I used to carry beads in the fishing tackle boxes, the hard drawer and compartment kinds, and the stackables up to 8 drawers. When I first got too many pastels (this did not take long) I decided to put each color family in each plastic tray- besides that, I had the upper compartments with unisons, then the next row with schmickes, etc. down to last row with rembrants. All yellows were together, and you could use whichever type pastel you wanted. I ended up though with 3 little cases of greens, 3 of browns.... so I ended up filling I think about 12 of these plastic fishing cases. Problem was, I had to dig through every box to find the ones I wanted, then laid out as many open boxes on my table as would fit- but only about half of them fit at once. These plastic boxes have lids that flip open, and take up room- so I had them half hung off of the table. This is when my 'studio' was in the living room. Well, one cat jumping on those open lids combined with a wooden floor was a quick disaster- I put them all back in cardboard after 2 days- after spending 2 days getting them all nice and organized.... If I could find a tackle box with about 8 SLIDE out drawers I would get it- most I have found is 3- but the top and sides of the 3 drawer one I have fit sprays, accessories, etc. quite well- this is what I have all my watercolors and oil paints packed in. I have thought of those rolling suitcases to fit my roz boxes, paper, spray, etc....had never thought of an ICE CHEST.
With an ice chest, Sooz would be making pastel-sickles for sure!

PS- I have been wondering about a backpack type design for pastels, but not sure how it would have to work. Perhaps zip open in the middle with soft sided compartments on both sides?

[PCool]

Geez Paula,

Now that's a nice box!


Peg

[JamieWG]

I have the same large Dakota box as Paula, and I love it. (Hi, Paula! :wave: )
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/06-May-2005/13766-Dakota_case_packed_500.jpg

I used to use the Cassatt box:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/06-May-2005/13766-Pastels_reorganized_500.jpg

As you can see, the Cassatt box does hold far fewer pastels, but is easier to travel with. I think there are about 300 in the Cassatt box there, and 600+ pieces in the Dakota box, plus the pencils, etc.

The problem I found with the Cassatt box, aside from lack of space, was that there was considerable shifting of the pastels within the box. If I wanted a box that size now (about 12x16" closed), I'd get the smaller version of the Dakota box. It's about the same size as the Cassatt, but has the compartments which help keep values and colors separated. I LOVE the Dakota boxes. The large one is a little bulky for a plein air setup, but if you want to have all your pastels with you, it's the way to to. The smaller one would be more manageable for plein air work. It all depends on how much you need to be able to bring.

Jamie

[HarvestMoon]

Jamie- what a beautiful picture- are we all rushing to the Dakota site to order one?? Hmmm, my husband is at the lumber store. What gorgous pictures- better than a painting :clap: Sooz, I think we both need one!!!

[Paula Ford]

LOL :wave: Hi Jamie!!

Paula

[JamieWG]

LOL :wave: Hi Jamie!!

Paula

Paula, I meant to congratulate you on finally breaking the Giraults! lol Hope you're enjoying them now. <smile>

Also, I should have said that neither of these boxes can go on a french easel like in the photo of Handell's setup in this thread. Even the Cassatt box is just too big. I've tried. So, for either one, you do need some kind of a stool/table to set the box on.

Purples, yes they are quite a site to behold when filled and open. Paula's heart flutters when she looks at hers! It is a true color junkie's fix to gaze at the open box for extended periods of time. (Just ask me how I know. ;) ) I brought it to life drawing a few weeks ago and charcoal artists stood around in a semi-circle and couldn't take their eyes off it. I think it got more attention than the model. lol

Jamie

[Khadres]

I don't seem to have any shifting in my Cassatts...probably because they're so chock full nothing can MOVE! I do think I will take one of mine and insert wood strips to segregate hues tho...would be much neater. Since I don't do that much hauling around of my gear yet, I'll stick with the cheaper boxes for the time being. I THINK Handell's setup is probably like yours...looked similar and he did put it on his french easel...maybe he had some way of anchoring it? There is also the French mistress type box that is made to fit a french easel...the only problem with them is that I couldn't see a way of holding pastels snugly in place.

[Khadres]

I was also going to mention that I have this blue rollaround doohicky put out by art bin...has two compartments and you can split it up if you want...it's big enough for two cassatt boxes in the bottom along with 12X16 tablets, etc. and the top area holds tons of spray, wipes, pencil boxes, sun screen, lunch, just about anything you'd want to take along. The only drawback to it is that one would have to stay in relatively normal terrain...not climbing mountains with it, I don't think. It sure is nifty for workshops and classes tho. It's on sale now and then for around $80.

http://www.dickblick.com/zz032/00/

I took it to Santa Fe with me then never got a chance to paint, but it held my laptop computer and tons of other stuff too.

[HarvestMoon]

Sooz, i have that rolling blue art bin thingy and it will not hold my roz boxes.... I was just looking at backpacks today (and yes, the pistol and tackle boxes)- the guys in the fishing dept. sure think I love fishing! I told my husband I needed a backpack that would fit all the pastel boxes, and he laughed and said I would need a Sherpa to carry it...

[Trilby]

The nice thing about a roll about with an extended handle, is that one can lean their drawing board against the handle, resting on the top of the case, no need for an easel, just a folding camp stool or a handy rock or log. If windy, can always bungee cord the board to the case.
I'm thinking the renegade plastic tackle trays can be put into my regular back pack, a small collapsible camp table, a stool, small drawing board with papers can also slide in there. My easel can tie onto the side , put in lunch and comfort items and I'm off for the wilds.
I'm still screwing up my courage to break my pastels, asking me to mix them all up in one compartment is going too far. I like my brands separated a little, then arrange color families by value, so the trays will work for me. Right now I spread the cardboard boxes the sets came in along with the little 3 pastel boxes of individuals, so the trays will be a big improvement.
In the end. like all organizers, it depends on personal taste and need.
TJ

[HarvestMoon]

TJ- Breaking up (pastels) is hard to do....and so is mixing the types together since some don't seem to work on top of others... and I did find a cool fishing box I had not seen that I almost got- solves the tons of plastic pull-out and open type containers - it had a center fold apart top (made by Plano), and then trays pop open and up on each side- I believe there were 4 trays on each side that lift up- but are not removed- so you can see everything at once and it is balanced. The bottom of the bin looked like it was big enough to fit sprays, blending items, etc. There were 2 sizes- the smaller one had coke holders on top- yea- but once open there goes your coke! My husband said I still had several zillion tackle box-plastic containers from my beading days, but I have told you the story of those with pastels... There was one pretty nifty item new to the tackle dept. (I told you I spend a lot of time there)- it was a backpack with a med. size top part, and a bottom part with 4 small plastic containers. The rolling suitcase though worked great when I used to travel, and yes, the top handle holds all sorts of stuff- but like Sooz said, if you are going over rough terrain it might be a drawback. Like the early rolling suitcases, they can flip around. It has already hit nearly 100 degress F. here, so who am I kidding - do I really want to be outside until October?

PS- Cori covered a bunch of great alternative boxes in her article awhile back

[Mei Jie]

I just bought a new pastel box in the local art shop, it looks exactly the same with the one in jerry's:

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/art-supply/catalogs/0010644000000

This is a three drawer wood pastel box. The shop keeper told me that it is from China and i get it at only USD18.00. I think i won't get a cheaper one from other brand. Unfortunately i haven't had time to pack my pastels into the box as i'm a lazy pig, i throw my pastels to some little boxes everywhere on the working table beside my easel :p

Janice

http://www.meijie.cjb.net

[Kathryn Wilson]

I thought I would add some info here - I just returned from attending IAPS and the trade show where I had the opportunity to look at pastel boxes.

I really liked the Roz boxes - they come in a larger box, a back pack box and a soft-sided luggage type carrier that holds all four trays that are in the larger box. The salesperson suggested buying the larger box for the studio and the luggage carrier for plein air. You just transfer your four boxes from one to the other. Since I just bought Mount Visions and have lots of Unisons, this looks like a good way to go.

The Heilman box is beautifully made and does attach to a photographer's tripod. It is heavier than the Roz boxes and much more expensive, but a lot of artists there were using them.

Hope this helps some.

[HarvestMoon]

Kat, do you know of anyone online who actually sells the backpack for roz boxes? I have all my Mt. Visions in them, and a backpack would be great! Aren't the Mt. Visions wonderful?
thanks,
purples

[Kathryn Wilson]

I may have misled you when I said "back pack" - it's more like a gym bag. It's rectangular and you stack all four trays in on top of each other. It has a shoulder strap and a carrying handle. One nice little plus is a compartment for other art supplies such as brushes.

You probably can find it on:

www.richesonart.com

Ooops, sorry there is no photo of it on their page.

Can anybody help us?

[learning to paint]

I used two systems that were not mentioned.

For my Senneliers and Giraults, I use the W&J Art Boxes. They are individual trays with long grooves that are built to stack for travel. It's a very well-built system (very well thought-out, too), and it's costly, but the pastels stay in the kind of order that I prefer. You can find stuff about the W&J system at www.wjartbox.com

For my Unisons, I use the original 72-size boxes, but I have reinforced the insides and outsides with clear Contact paper so they are both durable and waterproof for ourside use. The boxes are free if you buy enough pastels, and about $15 if you buy the empty boxes.

Either can be laid out on an inexpensive fold-up table in the field (I use one that cost about $20 at an outdoor supply store: it has wooden slats on top that roll up, so the whole package is like a camp chair).

[HarvestMoon]

Well, 2 Roz boxes fit my Mt. Vision pastels to perfection, but the GA boxes are very flimsey- currently I have them in 2 of the 4 drawer pastel boxes, but it would be nice to find a more portable method- any of the boxes fit 468 full size pastels (the color names are part of the charm). When I grab a full box in cardboard, it sags and scares me half to death! I found a cheap rolling thing with a bungee cord- like the suitcase rolling things- you can strap down several roz boxes for example then you don't have to lug them around. Your arms are free for all the rest of the junk. The art bin Sooz mentioned is good if your pastel boxes will fit in them. I know, I need to come to reality and not carry every single stick I own with me, but you know how it is- the ones left behind are not very happy, then you end up needing them!

[Khadres]

Heh! I know full well what you mean about pastel separation anxiety! That one oddball salmony color you NEVER use is going to be THE key one you absolutely REQUIRE when you get set up out somewhere. Never fails.

For right now, I'm gonna stick with my one Cassatt box until I see how well I like pastelling on location...I may prefer oils for that, not sure yet. In a perfect world, I'd have three or four of every box made, but... :eek:

[HarvestMoon]

Well, I have these hopes of someday going back to Sedona or the Grand Canyon- packing the van full of pastels and paper and have fun while the kids are hiking. However, if we take a vacation, it will likely be to Disney World. In which case all the bright colors may just come in real handy, but I would look like an idiot sitting in Cinderalls castle doing art!