Today, tips on watercolor palettes – or things that can be used as one. 😉

I used to keep my watercolors in a John Pike palette. It’s very sturdy, holds a lot of different colors and has a lid that closes tightly, which makes it easy to take with you.

The downside is that the material stains, I never really liked that. So, I looked for alternatives.

And I found this little beauty. It’s a ceramic mixing tray. Obviously, it has no lid, so, it’s rather for use at home. What I like is that the trays are quite deep, so you can add a lot of water. It’s ideal for mixing various shades (very handy when you paint monochromatic pictures). The one in the picture is 7 inches wide, it comes in different sizes. BTW, the brush is from Cheap Joe’s. They have excellent watercolor brushes (their own brand), that are inexpensive, hold a good portion of water and are very accurate.

While the ceramic tray is a really nice option. This is my absolute favorite. Simple white tiles, high gloss. The size is roughly 8 x 10 inches or 20 x 25 cm. Obviously you can choose whatever size you like. For my purposes this size seems ideal. I love love love it!

It’s ideal for mixing colors and trying out shades (less paper wasted). They are inexpensive and when you’re done you simply wash them with water and they are like new. I bought a whole box at my local home improvement store. Or, may be you have a couple of tiles left over from your last remodelling project. Try it, it’s truly fabulous. 😃