Frequently Asked Questions and Product Instructions

If you have any questions about our products, give us a call at 970-221-9044.

General Product Questions

Q. Why is there a prop 65 sticker on my item? Is it safe?

A. As a small family business, Guerrilla Painter LLC does not knowingly make or distribute products that are harmful.

We place 'Proposition 65' warnings on the products we make because we cannot know with absolute certainty if one or more of the substances on California's Prop 65 List are not present.

The 'Prop 65' list of harmful substances contains more than 1000 chemicals and other substances (from aloe vera to wood dust) and the list is changing all the time.

Unfortunately the good intentions of Proposition 65 have been marred by "bounty hunter" lawsuits that prey on, and often bankrupt, small companies if Proposition 65 Warnings have not been placed on a product when a substance on the Prop 65 List has been found to be present.

Please contact us if you have questions.

Q. Why don’t you manufacture your boxes in the U.S.?

A. We tried. We had them made here in Colorado for several years, but when we wanted to increase our production, there was no place in this country that could compete with the Chinese – not just in price, but also in quality and turn-around time.

Q. Can I use your box with my tripod?

A. It depends on what weight it is rated to hold. See if you can find out from the manufacturer how much weight your tripod will hold. If the box weighs 5 lbs. empty, by the time you add paints and panels the tripod should be rated to hold 7-8 lbs.

Q. Can the Palette Extension and the Adapters be used at the same time? What about the Palette Extension and the Covered Palette Tray (or Watercolor Palette)?

A. The Palette Extension will work with the Adapters. It takes up a little space in the lid when you close the box, so there would only be room for a single panel (and Adapter) in the back of the lid. The Palette Extension will work with the Covered Palette Tray or Watercolor Palette; you’ll just need to remove the four metal “standoff” props (that keep the palette surfaces from touching when closed) from each corner.

Q. What holds the brackets of the Slip-In Easel in place, and how do you use it for smaller panels?

A. The brackets stay in place with friction. They don't need to be tightened. The 9x12 Slip-In Easel will hold a panel from 8x10 up to 12x16 (horizontally). If you turn the panel "upside down" so that the shelf is towards the top, and insert the brackets on that side, you can hold a smaller panel such as 6x8, 5x7 or 4x6.

Q. How do I install the Tripod Mount and Bumper Feet on the Pocket Box?

A. There are pre-drilled holes in the correct places on the bottom of the box. The four Bumper Feet go on the four corners of the box, and the Tripod Mount goes in the middle front. You’ll need a Phillips head screwdriver and some pliers to screw the little bolts into the nuts (they are "friction nuts" designed to stay tight, so they will be hard to tighten). The little washers go directly under the nuts on the inside of the box.

Q. How does the French Resistance Palette work? Does it slide out like the 9x12 box? What is the hardware that comes with it?

A. The 103MPAL palette for the French Resistance is separate, it does not attach to the box. It has a thumb-hole for holding it in your hand. The hardware consists of four wooden props that are screwed into the corners of the lid. The palette fits face-down inside the lid, so the paint surface won’t touch anything.

Getting Started and Picking a Box

Q. What’s the difference between the 9x12 Guerrilla Box and the French Resistance, and which would you recommend?

A. It depends on what your priorities are. If painting in different sizes with a lightweight box is what you want, the French Resistance is for you. If having all your gear, including four wet panels, in one box, with quick set-up and fold-up is more important, then the 9x12 Guerrilla Box is the best.

The French Resistance is designed to be lightweight (3.75 lbs.) and to hold various different sizes of panel (or canvas), from 4”x6” up to 18” high. The bottom part is only 1.5” deep compared to 2.5” for the 9x12 Box, so it doesn’t have as much storage space as the 9x12 box. There is a 12”x2” space for brushes, a 12.25”x 6.25” area in front, and storage inside the lid. It is designed to use the front of the box as a palette, or you can get the optional hand-held palette (103MPAL) that fits inside the lid.

The palette area measures either 6"x12" or 6"x9.5" depending on whether you take out the removable divider. It can carry one wet painting (facing in) on the back of the lid when you close it up.

The 9x12 box is designed to hold everything you need and stores up to four wet 9”x12” panels inside the lid. There are accessories to allow you to paint on larger or smaller panels. It weighs 5 lbs.

Both boxes come with a universal tripod mount for use on a tripod, or they can be used as a tabletop easel.

Q. I want to get started with watercolor. What would be the basic set-up I would need?

A. Watercolor is easy to use outdoors. You can fit all your supplies in any size box. These should include:

The Guerrilla Backpacker Watercolor Palette (9x12, 6x8 or the Quiller Palette)
Composition Finder
Watercolor Blocks or watercolor canvas panels
2” Hake Brush and Guerrilla Quill (this holds a lot of color and still comes to a point, so it can be used for both broad washes and fine lines)
Tri-Brush Washer (lets you keep one section for clean water)
2 oz. Spray Bottle (spray the colors in your palette and put the cover back on. By the time you’ve finished sketching, your colors will be soft and ready to use)
A bottle of water, unless your site has water available nearby

Here is a good basic palette of colors: Burnt Umber, Yellow Ochre, Cerulean Blue Tone or Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Middle, Lemon Yellow.

Q. What is the purpose of the Hinged Front on the 9x12 box?

A. The Hinged Front Box is in response to customer requests, saying that the front lip got in the way of their access to the palette. I think it just depends on how you use the box - if it's low enough, the lip wouldn't get in the way, but if the box is up higher on a tripod, then you might want a hinged front.

Shipping Questions

Q. Your shipping rates seem awfully high… $9.95 for just a few small items?

A. Unfortunately the actual cost of shipping is the ‘tip of the iceberg.’ Even a small order is surprisingly costly for us to process and ship. It takes a total of about 15 minutes to:

Enter your order into the system
deliver the order to the warehouse
pick the product from the shelves
pack the product
make a label

Our labor and overhead together cost about $30.00 per hour, so 15 minutes costs about $7.50. A padded envelope costs about $1.00 and postage would be at least $2.67 with a postage meter surcharge of about $0.10. The total cost to us to process and ship your order ($7.50 labor and overhead, $1.00 envelope, $2.77 postage and meter) would be about $11.00.