DIY Watercolor Palette
Almost any small metal tin can become a functional travel watercolor palette. I've made palettes from Altoids tins, tea tins, and a first-aid kit. Here's what actually works.
What you need
Step by step
Choose your tin
Altoids tins are the standard — they're 9.7 × 5.8 × 2.2cm, which fits 8 standard half pans with room for a small mixing area on the lid. Any similarly-sized metal tin works: breath mint tins, small first-aid kits, tea tins. The lid needs to be flat on the inside for a usable mixing surface. Avoid plastic — it doesn't hold heat well and paint beads up on it.
Note: Measure the interior before ordering half-pan shells. Standard half pans are 19 × 30mm. A regular Altoids tin holds 6 across or 8 in two rows of 4.
Install a magnetic base
Magnetic half pans are widely available online and make it possible to rearrange colours without glue. Cut a strip of self-adhesive magnetic sheeting to fit the interior floor of your tin. Press firmly and let it sit for an hour before loading pans — the adhesive needs time to cure, especially on cold metal.
Note: If you can't find magnetic sheeting, use a thin strip of double-sided foam tape under each pan. It holds well enough and is removable if you want to swap colours.
Choose between tube paint and pre-filled pans
Pre-filled half pans (available from Schmincke, Daniel Smith, Holbein) snap in and are ready immediately. They cost more per colour but save setup time. Tube paint squeezed into empty pans is cheaper and gives you control over exactly which pigment goes in each slot — but you need to wait 24–48 hours for the paint to dry before the palette is usable.
Note: Overfill tube paint by about 30% — it shrinks as it dries. A level fill will end up sunken and shallow.
Load and arrange the colours
Put warm colours along one edge, cool along the other. Earths at the ends where they won't contaminate primaries. Leave one or two empty pan slots — you'll discover gaps in your range within the first few sessions and want room to add. Label the inside of the lid with pigment codes (PB29, PY3, etc.) using a fine marker, or tape a small reference card.
Note: Take a photo of the loaded palette before you close it for the first time. The colour arrangement gets hard to remember after a few months of use.
Treat the mixing surface
Metal and tin lids cause paint to bead up, same as plastic. Rub the inside of the lid with fine sandpaper (400 grit) in a circular motion — just enough to create a slight texture without removing the finish. Test with a drop of water: it should spread slightly instead of beading into a dome. If it still beads, sand a bit more.
Note: A piece of white paper glued to the inside of the lid works well as a mixing surface and is easy to replace when it gets too stained to use.
Add a water brush or brush loop
The point of a DIY palette is portability. A Pentel Aquash water brush fits in most Altoids-sized tins when the lid is closed. Alternatively, tape a small elastic loop to the outside of the tin to hold a travel brush. I use a size 8 travel brush from da Vinci — the handle collapses to about 14cm, short enough to carry in a shirt pocket next to the tin.
Note: Fill the water brush reservoir only about two-thirds — the brush has a tendency to drip if fully filled and then compressed in a bag.