What brings you joy? Which activity relaxes your soul? What gets you through rough time? What helps you meditate? Well, for me it is watercolors and journaling.

I have been using watercolors consistently after my son was born, mostly because of how easy it is to carry around. And I fell in love with the medium. It is a versatile medium and allows tons of possibilities as it is and even more with mixed media. Seasoned watercolorists - hobbyists or professional - would know of the hundreds of watercolor brands and types available today. My favorites are Schmincke, Daniel Smith and QoR watercolors among the mass produced ones. My handmade favorites are Greenleaf and Blueberry, Letter Sparrow, and Wildthorne and recently Ocean Paper watercolors. I do try other handmade watercolors, but these have remained my favorites. I started dabbling in watercolors as an adult using watercolor tubes with Grumbacher student grade colors and Koi pan set - I still use them from time to time. As my collection grew, I started assembling sets of half pans based on current projects and interests.

I watercolor in my bullet journal, my hobonichis, my art journals, and my sketchbooks. I use a variety of palettes ranging from just primary colors to a 48-78 color palette - half pans to fresh tube colors. When I am in my art studio, I switch between palettes. But when I am on the go, or moving around the house between rooms, I wanted a compact palette that I could slip into my planner cover and not worry about the bulk. I researched quite a bit for tiny palettes and there are a few brilliant ones available from the Art Toolkit and similar shops on Etsy. One downside to these palettes are that they turn out to be too expensive if you decide to setup multiple palettes.

My purpose to these tiny palettes is mostly for journaling and sketching and I dont need the artist grade colors for my journals. I just want to have fun and experiment. After looking at the Art Toolkit palette, I wanted to recreate it with  tools I could find online for a lower cost.

Here is what I found:

  1. Memory card case (Link)
  2. The brand FCLUB sells empty make up pans that fit into this memory card case. (Link)
  3. Thin magnetic sheets with adhesive backing (Link)
  4. A waterproof clear spray (Link)
  5. Palette paper (Link) - Optional
Tiny palette created using the supplies listed.

The empty make up pans will serve as our watercolor pans. Since this is metal, and these pans are not exactly meant for watercolor, it is important to spray and seal these pans to prevent rust. I use the clear spray (linked in #4) to seal these make up pans, front and back. It took me an hour to seal and let it dry. The memory card case will serve as our watercolor palette. Remove the inner case that holds the memory cards. Cut the magnetic sheet to the exact size of the palette inside and stick it down on the palette bottom. You can arrange the pans into the trays. Cut the palette paper to desired shape and stick it on the inner lid of the case. This will serve as our mixing surface. This is optional and purely individual preference. You can simply use the palette paper separately or just mix on the lid (silver card case is best for this purpose).

Once you know how you want the pans laid out, start filling in paint in the pans. Let them dry overnight. You could fill in paint while leaving pans in the palette box or outside. I prefer filling it in and leaving it outside on my table till it dries.

Voila! Your very own economical version of the mini palette is ready to go. This palette is thinner than the one offered by Art Toolkit so their pans will not fit. And the FCLUB pans are worth the price in the long run. So win win! The clear sealer spray can be used for other home/craft projects as well. The memory card case comes as a set of 2, so you can create 2 palettes of your liking with one purchase.

I have been creating palettes like frequently used colors for sketching, pastel palette, favorite blues etc. It has been a lot of fun creating these palettes.

Bonus: If you are into handmade watercolors, a lot of makers offer this size as a trial size for very affordable prices on Etsy.