metal travel watercolor palette

DOODLEWASH REVIEW: Metal Travel Palettes

This post is a lot of pictures and links to compare black metal travel palettes, where to find them, and where to find empty watercolor pans that you can fill with your own paints.  My experience is that empty full or half watercolor pans can be hard to come by.  Much of the time, they are sold out.  Shipping can be a lot if all you want is a package or two of empty pans.  Also, they can be expensive, up to $.75 per little plastic pan.   My local art store does not carry half or full pans.  I’ve asked them to, but even they said that they have a hard time finding them.  I will list sites that I’ve had luck with.

These are small medium and large black metal watercolor palettes that half or full pans snap into.  They come with brand names like Schmincke and Lukas.  The medium and large sizes are all are basically the same, but palettes with a name on them cost more.  All come with rings on the bottom to secure them in your hand.

In the picture below, they are open.  I cut out watercolor paper for paint swatches that fits into the lids, which can be removed from the mixing area. The large open palette has the inside railing still in it with the pans snapped in, it’s a generic no-name palette.  The closed Lukas is under it and they are basically the same.

The medium with no pans inside is a no-name . The medium with the pans inside is a Schmincke .  The railing that secured the pans was removed and is sitting below that palette. A lot more pans can fit into it with the railing removed- it lifts right out.  I put a small amount of rubber cement  on the bottom of the pans to secure them in.  Rubber cement is a removable adhesive, inexpensive, easy to use, and works fine.  Many people use small magnets that they adhere to the bottom of the pans. Double sided tape could also be an option, or  Loctite adhesive putty.

The small palette is a Whiskey Painters palette . I like this little palette, but it is expensive, almost $40, plus shipping.   FOME makes one that looks like the same thing, for $26, but they are almost always sold out.  If you see the FOME available and think you might want it- grab it!

Blue Rooster Art Supply  has the most inexpensive metal palettes and empty watercolor pans that I’ve been able to find. Medium size  palette- $13, and twelve empty  half or full pan sets  for $5.   Dick Blick  empty watercolor pans and palettes are considerably more, they are Schmincke brand. People are paying for a name with those, they are no better than a no-name brand- $13 for a no-name palette, or $43 for one that says a name. In the photo below, the generic on the left came from Blue Rooster.

Large-  if the metal rail that the pans are snapped into was removed, many more pans would fit into it. It lifts out easily. Check out Guest Doodlewashers  Scott Torrance’s large metal paint box, and this one of Mutiara Cininta’s filled with little gems.

Medium with and without pan rails.  Guest Doodlewasher Firman Lubis also uses a medium sized palette.

Small – Whiskey Painters .  There is probably a way to tweak this pallet to fit three more pans in over the twelve that I’m showing. Maria Mercedes Trujillo on her blog,  MagaMerlina   has an example of a #imgrc =_” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Winsor & Newton Bijou Box that has been modified to fit more pans.  That palette looks almost exact to the Whiskey Painters.  To my knowledge, the Bijou Boxes are not longer sold by W&N.  This little travel box looks very similar to what Guest Doodlewasher Marion Younan uses in her sketching. Anna Warren uses a Winsor and Newton Cotman Field Box .

This is the small, medium and large stacked on each other.

Jerry’s Artarama  sells the FOME palettes mentioned above and Lukas. They also  have empty watercolor pans .

Wet Paint is also a good site to find supplies, and they usually feature a Schmincke Limited Edition  half pan palette filled with paints for a good price, while it’s in stock.

If you are Europe try Jackson’s Art Supplies . Their empty pan and metal palette prices are good and they have a big variety of art supplies.  I’m not familiar with many stores outside of the US, if you have any you like, please let me know so that I can include the info for other artists.

I don’t have one of these to show, but here is another option for a travel palette-  The Art Toolkit by Maria Coryell-Martin .

Charlie uses the Cheap Joe’s travel palette,  here  and here are his posts on that.

There are many options to purchase ready made palettes as well.  Like the Sennelier Aqua-Mini  and SO many others.  It just depends on what you are looking for, and if you want to add your own paints.  After writing this, I’m even happier with my Grace Art travel set-up that I reviewed last week. -$12 for the palette and 18 replaceable half pans!  Many watercolors brands are also available in prefilled pans that you can just pop into a palette.

Here are some example travel carry set-ups to help generate ideas.

Whiskey Painters palette, spray bottle  to wet paper or paints,   Nalgene bottle  for brush water carry- it’s good to have two of these, Moleskine Pocket watercolor journal, Platinum Carbon fountain pen, and a Pentel Aquash water brush. I prefer Everything Clips for holding down journal pages.

Below are some of the same  items listed above, and also a large Moleskine Art notebook that the small Moleskin is resting on, and a small Leuchtturm 1917 Pocket Sketchbook , Da Vinci Travel brushes , Rosemanry & Co.  Sable Blend Series 401 brush, Raphael Soft Aqua Quill  3/0 (love this brush) and a Lamy Safari fountain pen. The small glass mason jam jar is another option for carrying water.  I got the small eye dropper bottle from my local art store, it’s good for moistening paints.  I put together the little Altoids tin palette and will give tips for making that, and others, in a couple of posts from this one.  I think they are fun to make.

Flying with fountain pens takes some extra care. Goulet Pens has helpful information on flying with them.

Similar set-up with the small and medium palettes. The pencils have these caps on them.

All that stuff pictured just above, fits inside of the  The Lihit Lab Teffa Bag in Bag A5 . Another view of this bag set up is available on the  Grace Art Conversion post.  I also like this inexpensive  Canvas Riggers Bag from Harbor Freight.  The Lihit Teffa bag, water and brushes fit nicely with room left over, and it also fits larger journals.  One other option I like is this Catmacas canvas man bag, it works nicely without the Lihit Teffa bag.

Whew, that was a lot of links and photos!  Thanks for sticking with me if you made it this far :).  I hope none of the links take you anywhere weird, after a while I couldn’t see straight.  A note on what I link to- I am not associated or affiliated with any of the sites, companies, or products that I link to or review. Nor do I receive rebates from the linked sites. If I ever receive a product in exchange for a review, I will make it known. I share this info from my heart with fellow artists, who are out there doing their own explorations and figuring things out as they go.

This is an ongoing series of watercolor and supply reviews.  I’m going to be off sketching for a couple of weeks and will do my best to respond to comments when I return 🙂

Jessica Seacrest

Hi I’m the Doodlewash Supply Blogger and offer reviews of various types of art supplies, watercolors, and helpful tips. I approach artistic expression with a light-hearted point of view. I love to see, and support others opening up to, and embracing their creative process with any medium or creative expression. Follow me on Instagram!

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37 Comments

37 thoughts on “ DOODLEWASH REVIEW: Metal Travel Palettes ”

Thank you for this very extensive review. I loved all the picture samples. Have a great trip, Jessica.

Thanks Sharon, I appreciate your comment!

Excellent information! Thank you for this!

Thank you Merilee, you are welcome! Thank you for your comment 🙂

Awesome review, Jessica. Traveling mercies!

Hi Jaimie! Thank you friend 🙂

Thanks will look things up – I live in Europe, and the only thing I could find was a Schmincke which I thought was very expensive – but in the end I caved in. Enjoy the sketching!

Sometimes things just work out that way, Schmincke is a nice one though. Have you tried Jackson’s Art Supplies? Their prices don’t seem too bad. I’ve even ordered from them, pastels once. I just peeked and a medium metal palette is going for around 14 pounds, and they sell empty half and full pans for a good price. Good luck with your finds. Thank you for your comment!

Thanks for the ideas, I’ll try them!

Wow! This is great information. Thanks for taking the time to gather the information and sharing. I just purchased a small travel watercolor kit and I hope to re-use it. This information gives me the options.

Have a great weekend!

I’m glad that you found it helpful! Us artists have to stick together and help each other out :). I hope you enjoy your new kit! Happy weekend to you!

A timely review, I am looking to make my gear more condensed and portable. Thanks!

Hi Rob, I’m glad it helped! Thanks for your comment. 🙂

Hi, Jessica – Marion, here. Whew, that was a lot of research – well done! Yes, I am using a Whiskey Painters palette and you’re right, it was pricey. I couldn’t find any small empty travel palettes and empty plastic half pans in Canada, and ordered these from Hyatt’s in Buffalo, NY. I don’t know if you’ve found this, but unlike some other small palettes, this palette has some weight to it and stays where you put it (and stays shut). I have a homemade mint tin one that routinely gets blown off tables! Thanks for all your work – loving your reviews and enjoy your sketching time!

Hi Marion! That’s such a good point, the Whisker Painters palette is weighty. I will make note of this issue in the homemade palette post that I have coming out in two Saturdays. It’s all fun and games until your paints blow away! The mystery of empty watercolors pans, why are they so difficult to find? I appreciate your comment and shared observations! Happy sketching to you 🙂

I love this review and the palettes…..so tempting but how many do I need?! Its obvious I need more. Lol. What is there about travel palettes that is so enticing? Have a great time and take pix of you using these palettes. We will miss you.

wow, yes, excellent post! thank you!

jackson’s sells half and full pans on amazon (in the U.S.). i just bought 24 half pans for about $10, including shipping, and i’ve found shipping to be reasonable if you buy directly from the jackson’s website. the frank herring compact palette that they sell looks awesome! just saw that on jane blundell’s blog…

have a great time off sketching, and thanks again… : )

Hi Lynn, that all sounds great! I’ve ordered pastels directly from Jackson’s and it was a good experience. They have a really nice selection of supplies. Thank you for the well wishes and your comment! 🙂

Excellent info, once again! Thanks for all the time you spent putting this post together, Jessica. Enjoy your time sketching!!!

Thank you Carol 🙂 And thanks for your comment! I’m glad that the info is helpful.

So much research! I’m bookmarking this one so I can have as a reference!

Awesome Kari! 🙂

Loving your reviews. Thanks for the info!

Thanks so much Kathy!

Gosh, no wonder you only post once a week! It would have taken me a month to put together a post this detailed and helpful! I’d always been too chicken to do art out in public so had never needed travel sets before but I vow to start doing art when I travel and your posts are invaluable…thanks very much!

Thanks so much Teresa. I’m chuckling a little bit because I wrote four posts in a week! This one and the next three because I will be away. That’s the other reason why I was hoping all the links went to the right places…LOL. I really enjoy doing these and connecting with other artists like you. Your comments of support are very much appreciated! I would love to know if you do any travel sketching :). I’ve met with the local Urban Sketchers where I live only once, but I enjoyed it very much.

You wrote 4 posts?! My goodness…I think you need a vacation after that! I hope your going away is a real vacation. 🙂

You inspired me to dig out and dust off my very old travel box of Sennelier paints, Jessica! It had never been opened. I had to peel all the wrapping off the little paints in their pans. 😀 But I am SO going to bring them with me when I travel in May. You’ve given me such great ideas for portable equipment!

Ooo, that’s just like going shopping! Yay May!

Metal watercolor palettes are soooo expensive, but they are really stylish and functional! Fortunately, I was able to snag a small size metal palette for $3.42 off eBay (with pans included- free shipping)! Sure, it will take a little longer to arrive, but to me that’s worth it if I got a product so cheaply.

That’s so awesome!! And totally worth the wait.

I shouldn’t read reviews like these. My drool list is sooooo long already and I really don’t need any more travel palettes, but….oh….do I want them, lol!

I know, it’s hard to look away. There seems to be more options out there, and nicely prices ones, since I wrote this.

I think the companies have realized there are people obsessed with watercolor palettes and they’ve homed in on us.

Thanks for this post on watercolor pans, it was just the information I was looking for!!

I’m happy that it was helpful!

Great article! I also shop online from a well known art supply store in Spain. Artemiranda they are wonderful just like Jackson’s https://www.artemiranda.com/

7 years late to the party, but thought I’d leave this info in case other people are also linking in to this post. Amazon sells bulk packs of paint pans in all sizes. I buy my full pans from them for my home tin (I use water bottle caps for my deeper travel tin).

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The Dolce Watercolor Half Pan Metal Travel Palette with Pans

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The Dolce Artist Watercolor Half Pan Metal Travel Palette with Pans.

Available in: Matt Black, Gloss Black and White

The Whiskey Painters 16 Palette Amazing travel palette with brushes, 1/2 pans & more Hand Made in Italy

This palette will hold 16 - Half Pans. Eight (8) half pans on each side of the palette.  This palette will hold the traditional 16 half pans or load up with 8 additional half pans down the center.

The center can also be used to carry brushes or other art tools.  The top lid opens and can be used to mix paints, as well the inside when the palette lies flat, opens to a larger area to mix or blend colors.

Includes: The Dolce Palette,16 empty half pans and custom black velvet case.

BONUSES: palette cup, 4 water brushes and 1 travel brush, case, 20 half pans

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Empty Metal Watercolor Travel Palette

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**This listing is for one EMPTY palette. Half pans are not included.**

Unlock your creativity on the go with these versatile empty metal pans, perfect for crafting your own watercolor palettes during your travels, classes, and workshops! Lift the lid to reveal a convenient mixing palette for creating your own custom colors. Beneath that, discover two metal strips equipped with six slots each, designed to snugly hold watercolor pans (available for purchase separately ).

Not keen on using it solely for watercolors? No problem! Simply lift out this section for adaptable storage solutions. Gather 12 empty watercolor pans and fill them with your preferred tube watercolors, ensuring you have precisely what you need without any excess. Additionally, each metal pan comes with an attached ring on the back, allowing for easy hanging from a keychain, hook, backpack loop, and more.

Snap closure. Choose from 5 colors. Empty watercolor pans available here .

4.75” x 2.75” x 7/8” deep. Approximately 8” wide when fully extended.

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The Best Watercolor Palettes for 2023

Written by Robert S. Brown  / Fact checked by Helen B. Harris

If you’re a watercolor artist, you know that vibrant colors mixed well is what makes a creative and inspired piece of art. One simple yet sophisticated tool for bringing ideas to life with shades and hues is the best watercolor palette you can get.

Watercolor palettes are versatile. They allow you to mix colors to depict a highly vivid scenery or relive a memory with light, dream-like washes with subtle, neutral colors. It’s a must-have for any passionate color artist who loves mixing colors to customize their color palette.

Watercolor paint sounds intimidating, especially when you start thinking about organizing and readying your colors for a watercolor session. But with a high-quality watercolor palette, you have your work cut out for you.

Here are some awesome watercolor paint palettes you can find today. Many are just the palettes themselves, while others have actual watercolor full or half pans as a bonus.

Mijello Airtight Watercolor

GenCrafts Watercolor Palette

Anishe Ceramic Palette

Table of Contents

1. Mijello Airtight Watercolor Blue Palette

2. gencrafts watercolor palette, 3. anishe ceramic artist paint palette, 4. penta angel art paint tray palette , 5. meeden airtight leakproof watercolor palette, 6. color around aluminum watercolor palette, 7. martin mijello airtight leak watercolor palette, 8. creative mark glazed flower paint palette, 9. shappy watercolor palette folding paint tray, 10. atworth premium watercolor paint palette , 11. lightwish meiliang 36-color watercolor paint, 12. mooerca white paint plastic palettes, what to look for when buying watercolor palettes, other important factors to consider, frequently asked questions, top 12 watercolor palette reviews.

Let’s start with this empty watercolor palette. This 18-well palette by Mijello is a fantastic tool to have on-hand if you love tube watercolor. You can easily curate your color palette by filling in the mixing wells or creating colors in its abundant mixing areas.

There are two large mixing areas next to the wells to blend colors to get your perfect shades. There’s also a removable clear plastic tray for additional mixing space for true colors.

This small folding palette is pretty much a pocket box that you can take anywhere with you. Its size is portable and easy to bring along without being bulky in your bag.

It has an airtight closure to make sure your paint doesn’t leak and move around, so you don’t have to worry about it spilling and ruining the rest of your tools in your art bag.

It’s a great option to go for if you love curating specific color palettes. It’s also a smart choice if you adore painting en plein air and love going to other places to paint.

• The watercolor paint set includes two large mixing areas, 18 small mixing wells.
• Contains a removable plastic tray for more mixing space
• A small folding palette that is portable and can be taken with you anywhere
• With airtight closure to protect your watercolor from leaking
• A great option if you want to customize your color palette
• Can only accommodate tube paints, not whole or half pans
• The blue tin palette cover is prone to scratches.

If you’re a watercolor beginner in need of a good, basic watercolor set with a wide spectrum of colors, you can opt for this palette by GenCrafts.

It comes with 48 premium colors in half pans. The hues range is very broad, so you won’t have trouble finding the perfect shade, no matter how meticulous and detailed your illustration may be.

While this looks like a big set, the palette is actually made up of small, individual trays. Each individual watercolor palette tray can hold six half pans and be detached from the full set. This is great if you want to use just a few colors and don’t want the entire 48-piece set taking up extra space on your work table.

The watercolor paints are highly pigmented, so you can be sure your colors will always come out looking bright, smooth, and vivid. They’re also very easy to blend with one another and wash across the paper.

I also love that this palette comes with two free water brushes and a 15-page watercolor paper pad. The sheets in the pad are textured and acid-free, so it’s perfect for watercolor paint.

• Comes with a wide variety of 48 premium watercolor half pans
• Made up of individual trays that fit up to six half pans each
• The watercolors are easy to blend on watercolor paper.
• Highly pigmented colors that always come out very vivid
• Packaged with an acid-free watercolor paper pad and two water brushes
• The shades in each same color family are not significantly different.

One surefire way to extend the life of your watercolor painting palettes is to ensure they don’t get stained by your colors. Anishe keeps that in mind with its artist quality ceramic palette that will prevent you from ruining and dirtying your palette.

This ceramic palette contains eight mixing wells that come in two different sizes. The size difference is useful for your paintings with some hero colors and smaller colors that you need only for the finer details.

The mixing areas are very deep, so there’s a lot of room for your watercolor paint and water to mix and blend nicely.

The ceramic material doesn’t allow paints to penetrate and stain the white surface, unlike plastic palettes that usually look dirty after a couple of uses. The smooth and glossy ceramic surface also makes the palette easy to clean after use.

Like a paperweight, this palette is quite heavy, so it’s not as flimsy as other thinner and more basic palettes out there. It’s perfect for professional watercolor artists who need something sturdier.

• Contains eight mixing wells in small and medium sizes
• The mixing areas are very deep, so you can use more product in them.
• Made with a ceramic material so that your paints won’t stain your palette
• The smooth and glossy white surface makes it easy to clean after use.
• Has some weight to it, stays put on your work desk
• Doesn’t close shut, not meant for bringing along outside

Children are always a lot of fun to watercolor with. But they don’t need a professional palette as you would, so a basic, plastic tray palette should do the job. This Penta Angel set comes not just with one palette, but three!

Each palette has ten mixing wells that go around in a cute and convenient circular shape. In the middle is a big, central mixing area to aid in mixing your colors.

The palette is very lightweight since it’s made of plastic, so it’s easy to move around from place to place. They’re perfect for children because even if kids drop the palette, it won’t shatter into a million pieces. It’s also the ideal size for kids because it isn’t too big.

It’s easy to clean these palettes because they have a smooth surface. Surprisingly, watercolors don’t stain on them even if they’re made of plastic.

This watercolor palette set provides awesome value for money because you get three in one set. That makes it easy to stock up on them since they’re so economical.

• Has ten mixing wells around its circular shape, one big mixing area in the middle
• Lightweight and easy to move around because it’s made of plastic
• Perfect for kids because it’s not too big and isn’t likely to break
• Easy to clean because it has a smooth surface
• Provides good value for money because you get three palettes in one set
• Might not last you a long time due to the thin plastic

If you love to travel to find inspiration for your art before you pull out your water brush and paper pad, you’ll know that it’s difficult to carry around a watercolor paint set. For one thing, they could easily spill in whatever purse you put them in. They could also dry up fast when left in a palette.

Luckily, this palette by MEEDEN is sealed shut with an airtight silicone lid. When closing a palette properly with such a lid, you’ll keep it moist while your watercoloring is on pause. It prevents your tube paints from drying up in the palette while you’re mobile.

This palette is made with 33 small yet deep-slanted wells to place your paints in. It’s perfect for tube paints and gouache, but they’re also the ideal size to store watercolor pans.

The palette has a lot of open space that you can use as mixing areas. It even has a removable tray you can use as another mixing area in case you run out.

• Has a silicone airtight lid to keep your watercolor paints moist, great for travel
• Made with 33 small but deep-slanted wells for your paints
• The wells are the perfect size for placing watercolor pans and wet paint.
• Has a lot of open space that can be used as mixing areas
• There’s an extra removable tray to use for mixing if you run out of space.
• There are no divisions to compartmentalize the mixing areas.

This folding palette by Color Around is incredible if you love holding your palette as you paint instead of laying it down on a surface.

What’s unique about it is that it has a thumb hole to put your finger through. That way, you can hold the palette up as you paint, giving you easier access to your paint and more space to work.

This folding palette has 30 mixing wells to use for your tube paints. The wells are also the perfect size to house your beloved half pans.

This palette is made of aluminum and white enamel on the inside to make blending and color mixing a lot easier. Because the white enamel is baked, it’s very smooth and glossy. The surface texture makes it easier to clean after saturating it with so much watercolor paint.

Though this palette doesn’t close airtight, I love that you can hear a little snap as the lid collapses over the bottom panel. It ensures that you’ve closed your palette properly.

• Has a thumb hole in the center so you can hold it in your hand as you paint
• Has 30 wells to house not just tube paints, but half pans too
• Made with aluminum and white enamel for easier color mixing
• The enamel surface is smooth and glossy, making it easier to clean.
• You hear a snap when the lid closes over the bottom.
• Should be mindful of the sharp edges of the thumb hole

If you want a more modern-looking palette that ticks all the boxes of a high-quality watercolor palette, try this one by Mijello. It has an airtight closure, various mixing wells. The sleek and chic blue exterior is just the cherry on top.

The airtight closure ensures that none of your paints will leak outside your palette. Because of this, it’s safe to travel with. The folding palette won’t make you worry so much about your paints ruining all your other junk in your handbag.

The palette has 33 wells you can use to hold your tube watercolor paints, mix them up to create new colors or even store some watercolor pans.

As for mixing areas, there’s a lot of space for that too. You can use the entire top panel to mix colors, and if running out of room, you can use the detachable tray as a bonus mixing area.

What I love most about this palette is how charming it looks. It has a more modern design with its blue encasement and gray trimming. It’s very sleek, so I love flaunting it when doing plein air painting with others.

• Closes airtight, so none of your colors leak through the palette.
• A portable folding palette that you can bring around worry-free
• Has 33 wells to carry your wet paints or watercolor pans
• There’s a detachable tray to use as a mixing area
• Has a modern blue encasement with a gray trim for a sleek look
• Paints may bead up on the mixing areas if you mix too much water in

If you want a sound, high-quality, professional watercolor palette without compromising on cuteness and charm, you’ll fall in love with this flower-shaped ceramic palette by Creative Mark.

The shape of this palette is very endearing. It’s built like a flower, where its petals are mixing wells for colors, and the pistil is the central mixing area. There are six “petal” wells, totaling seven mixing areas all in all. These compartments are big and spacious for you to use a lot of product in each one.

The palette is made of smooth white porcelain, so you can be sure your paints’ pigments won’t stain. Because of this, you won’t have to buy a palette again and again after they get ruined with staining that you can’t wash out.

This palette also has a weighted base to ensure that it won’t move around or slip as you work on your piece. It’s another feature that is a testament to this palette’s sturdiness and quality.

So if you’re an expert-level or professional watercolor artist who takes your craft seriously, it would be good to have this flower palette around.

• Has a cute and charming flower shape, a hit for female artists
• Seven big and spacious mixing wells for your custom color palette.
• Made of white porcelain, so you know it’s sturdy and won’t stain.
• Has a weighted base to ensure that it won’t move around as you work
• Perfect for professional watercolor artists looking for artist quality paints
• Seven mixing wells might be few for more intricate and detailed watercolor art

Folding palettes keep your watercolor set safe and protected from the elements when you need a break from painting. Shappy’s paint tray is a simple, fuss-free folding palette with many wells and mixing areas for your watercoloring convenience.

Because you can just fold this palette up and close it when not in use, it’s easy to store. It also helps protect your paints from drying up too quickly. It’s also made of plastic, so it’s weightless and easy to bring around.

The palette has a thumb hole on one side where you can stick your fingers in and hold the palette upright as you paint. It’s a great way to see the color you mix more closely.

The palette also has five brush holes for your brushes to rest on when not in use. The holes have different sizes, so there will be a place for all your brushes if you’re using a set of various ones.

This palette contains 28 small wells for your wet paints and watercolor pans, as well as five bigger mixing areas. That totals to 33 wells in total, which is quite generous.

• A folding palette you can close and tuck away whenever you need to
• Made of plastic, so it’s lightweight and easy to carry around.
• Has a thumb hole to stick your finger in if you’d rather hold your palette
• Contains five brush holes, all in different sizes
• Has 33 wells—28 small wells for paints and pans, plus five mixing areas
• The wells aren’t compartmentalized symmetrically.

The exterior of this high-quality ATWORTH paint palette is perfect for girls who love cute and charming art accessories . It has a pink encasing, which adds a feminine touch to the overall look of the palette.

The folding palette has 18 deep wells for wet tube paints, which are also the right size for half pans. In the middle are two medium-sized mixing areas for blending and building your colors. There’s also a large detachable tray on the lid panel that you can use for mixing.

This palette is the perfect size to hold in your hand without tiring out your wrist. It’s lightweight but not flimsy, so it’s suitable for holding on to if you’re painting en plein air.

The palette is made from acid-free resin. This material gives the palette its smooth surfaces that make blending and mixing colors extremely easy.

But the best part about this palette has got to be how secure it is when it’s sealed. It has an airtight silicone closure to protect your paints from drying up or being exposed to too much light and humidity. It also has an elastic buckle to keep it firmly closed when not in use.

• Has 18 deep wells for your paints and pans and two medium mixing areas
• Contains a large detachable tray that you can use as a mixing area too
• Is the perfect size to hold in your hand, so it’s ideal for plein air painting
• Made of acid-free resin that allows for smooth surfaces for easy blending
• Has an airtight silicone seal and elastic buckle to keep it closed shut
• Pigments tend to stain the plastic material, which takes effort to wash off.

Here’s the second palette recommendation I’ll be giving that has its own set of vivid and pigmented watercolor cakes. I love this MeiLiang palette for its pocket box, but I must talk about the top-class paints too.

This set contains 36 vibrant watercolor cake colors that are highly pigmented, so they’re very easy to use even if you’re just a beginner. They give amazing color pay-off, especially on watercolor paper.

The paints are formulated with gum Arabic, a delicate binder that intensifies the watercolors’ color and glossiness.

But now, let’s talk about the palette itself. All the watercolor cakes sit on the pocket box’s main panel, but you can use the upper lid panel to mix your colors. It’s divided into four compartments to help you organize your color mixing better.

The folding palette is made of sturdy metal, so you can be sure it won’t easily break. It’s also paired with a metal ring underneath, so you can hold your palette in your hand as you paint.

• Comes in 36 vibrant colors that give great color pay-off on paper
• Made with Arabic gum, which intensifies color and glossiness.
• The lid panel has four compartments that can be used as mixing areas.
• The folding palette case is made of sturdy metal
• A metal ring under the case to hold your palette as you watercolor.
• There are colors within the set that are much similar in shades.

If you’re looking for simple, plastic palettes that are the most worth it for the price point, look no further. This set of 24 white plastic palettes by Mooerca is affordable and gives you an awesome bang for your buck without sacrificing high quality.

Each individual, rectangular color palette consists of six circular wells to store your tube paints in. You can use other paint wells as mixing areas, too, since they’re pretty spacious.

The palettes are made with molded white plastic. The texture is very smooth and easy to wash out after use. The surface makes it easy to mix colors and combine them with water.

These palettes are perfect for kids because they’re not heavy at all. They’re practically weightless, but they aren’t flimsy at all. The plastic material is sturdy, so it won’t break easily.

Now, you may be thinking—where am I going to store all these? Storage is super simple for these palettes. Because they’re thin and all the same shape, you can stack all 24 on top of one another to keep them neat and tidy in your arts and crafts area.

• You get bang for your buck because one set comes with 24 pieces.
• Each watercolor palette has six deep wells for color mixing.
• Made of molded plastic with smooth surfaces for easy mixing
• Perfect for kids because they’re light and won’t break easily
• The 24 palettes are easy to store because they stack on top of each other.
• Six wells might not be enough for professional watercolor artists.

Airtight closure to keep your paints locked and secured exposed 

Your watercolor set must be protected, and that means ensuring that it won’t be exposed to too much light and humidity. One way to be sure your paints won’t get damaged or dried out when you’re taking breaks in between paintings is by buying a palette with an airtight closure.

Securing an airtight closure for your palette usually involves silicone to secure the hold. This ensures that your paints will remain moist even when you’re not around. They shouldn’t spill all over the items in your bag if you choose to bring your palette with you when going out either.

Portable tin palettes you can use wherever you go

A good folding palette or pocket box palette is ideal for the type of watercolor artist that gets inspiration from leaving the house and painting en plein air. That’s why if you love plein air painting, or painting at different sceneries outside your home, you should invest in a small portable tin palette.

Portable palettes come with lids that snap shut to close and protect your paints from the elements. They’re also usually lightweight, so you don’t need to fuss about how to carry them.

Has a generous number of wells for mixing colors

If you’re going to be mixing many colors to create a customized palette you envisioned for your painting, you’ll need a lot of mixing wells. Find a palette that can accommodate over ten colors if you can, at the very least.

It’s also crucial that your palette has big mixing areas for you to mix colors in. This usually comes in bigger spaces in your palette or as detachable trays with no compartments, so you can freely mix colors on them however you please.

Ceramic or porcelain mixing areas so that your watercolor won’t stain

Ceramic and porcelain palettes have a longer lifespan than plastic watercolor palettes for many reasons, like being more sturdy and weighted so they won’t snap or be flimsy.

But another reason they’re a favorite among artists who invest in art tools is that ceramic and porcelain palettes won’t stain from the watercolors’ pigment.

Plastic palettes can end up looking dirty after just a few uses because of the stains left behind by darker-colored pigments. So if you’re willing to invest in something a tad bit more expensive but will last you a long time, go for a palette made of ceramics or porcelain.

Wells should be deep enough to hold a good amount of color and water

It’s not enough to have many mixing wells in your palette. They also need to be deep enough to hold as much paint and water as you need. Opt for a palette with deeper wells if you use a lot more product than the usual artist.

Having deep wells also prevents colors from spilling into other wells while you’re mixing with water, which can be frustrating.

There should be an adequate amount of space between mixing wells

Another way to prevent contamination between mixed colors is to find a palette with an adequate amount of space between mixing wells or have high “walls” separating them.

With these, you can be sure your colors won’t spill and splash on others even if they already have a thinner, more watery consistency.

When you work hard on mixing colors, you want to make sure you don’t mess things up on your palette by accidentally combining colors meant to stay separate.

Has space to hold your full or half pans of watercolor paint

Wet watercolor paints from the watercolor tubes aren’t the only type of watercolor. Many watercolor lovers also use watercolor pans, which are small bars of solid color that you dissolve with a bit of water.

If you’re the type who uses pans for your watercoloring, it might be convenient for you to choose a palette that can store your paint pans. Some palettes design their wells to be the size of half pans so that you can use them for both your wet paints and cute blocks of watercolor.

Your paints shouldn’t bead up on the mixing areas

One pet peeve many artists have is paint beading up on a palette’s mixing areas. This usually happens for low-quality plastic palettes. When paints bead on the palette, you can have way less control of how you’re mixing colors and how much you’re getting on your brush when you’re about to paint.

Try looking for a palette that won’t bead up your paints to avoid issues like those. In my experience, a ceramic palette won’t let you down when it comes to beading.

What is a watercolor palette?

A watercolor palette looks like a tray for color mixing and blending. It’s a tool among art supplies that artists use to lay down all their paints in one space and organize them the way that’s convenient for their working style and specific art piece.

How does it work?

Watercolor palettes are divided into different compartments called “wells.” These wells are where you position your tube paint or watercolor pan. With big ones, you can mix colors in them to create your specific hue. Some palettes also have big mixing areas for this reason.

Who are these watercolor palettes for?

Watercolor palettes are useful for anyone who does watercolor art. It’s not just for professional artists because beginners will quickly learn that organizing their color palette in one smooth surface is a lot easier than using a huge watercolor paint set where you won’t even use a majority of the colors.

They can be used by art students and teachers, watercolor enthusiasts, professional artists, and people just starting to discover their love for watercoloring. Even kids can use them!

What are the different types of watercolor palettes?

Palettes can be divided into two classifications: folding palettes and open palettes. Folding palettes are those you can fold and close, making it perfect for travel and en plein air painting. Meanwhile, open palettes are exposed without cover and have to be washed after every use.

When it comes to the material of the palette, there are three main types. The first is plastic water palettes, which are the most affordable and basic of the bunch. Something a little sturdier is a tin palette made of metals, like aluminum. And lastly, we have ceramic palettes, which are usually an excellent watercolor palette for serious artists.

Why do you need a palette for watercoloring?

Using a watercolor palette when you’re painting helps you organize the color family you envisioned for your artwork. It’s a lot more convenient to use one small palette with all the colors you intend on using instead of clamoring with a huge palette of 50 different shades when you’re only planning on using a few.

Palettes are also handy for mixing colors, so it’s needed if you want to experiment and create custom hues with your existing paints.

What are the most trusted watercolor palette brands?

Many renowned art brands provide terrific watercolor palettes. But in my experience, small, obscure brands carry palettes that are just as good.

Some of my favorite brands, which many other watercolorists also trust, include Mijello, GenCrafts, Penta Angel, MEEDEN, Mooerca, MeiLiang, and ATWORTH. These are some of the brand names I picked out for this review because they carry some of the top-quality palettes in the market today.

How can I organize my watercolor palette?

Everyone has their style of organizing their watercolor palette. Many people like to put base colors in the wells and mixed colors only in bigger mixing areas, but you can bend the rules a little. I suggest you reserve bigger mixing areas for combining colors and smaller wells to hold base colors.

You can use the wells and mixing areas however you please, as long as it’s what works for your creative process. It’s all about what works for you and what layout makes it convenient to dip your brush into the color you want.

Is it better to buy an empty palette or one that already comes with a watercolor set?

It depends on what you need. If you’re a beginner with no tools whatsoever for watercoloring, I recommend buying a palette that comes with a good watercolor paint set. That way, you have everything you need to start painting.

But suppose you’re an expert artist who already has a big collection of paints and watercolor pans in your art cabinet. In that case, you might just want to invest in a good quality palette, like a ceramic or porcelain one.

What are good watercolor brands for a professional watercolor artist?

Palettes aside, there are many good, artist-quality watercolor brands you can choose from if you’re a professional watercolorist. One of my favorites is the Daniel Smith watercolor sets. Daniel Smith watercolor sets never disappoint when it comes to pigment, vibrancy, and blendability.

Another collection of watercolor pans I love is the Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Sketchers Pocket Box. It comes in 14 pans of high-quality and bold colors, all in a sturdy pocket box for you to store it in. It’s a watercolor paint set any professional artist will fall head over heels with.

But don’t just take my word for it. Daniel Smith and Winsor and Newton watercolor palettes are of exceptional quality, but there are many professional-grade options out there too. You can join art communities online to see what fellow artists recommend as well.

How can I make or assemble my watercolor palette?

The first thing you have to do is have a vision in mind about what color family and palette you want to use for your illustration. Pick out the colors you want to use from your existing collection of watercolor paints and pans.

Once you’re done picking everything out, you’re ready to start assembling. Position the pans or squeeze some paint into each well on your palette a little bit at a time. If you want, you can fill up a well with water to help you lighten or blend the colors.

How should I clean and maintain my watercolor palettes?

Rinse your palette with water as soon as you’re done using it. Dried up watercolor is more difficult to wash out of any palette, so you should get a headstart as soon as you can.

If there are little splatters of paint all around your palette, you can use liquid soap and an old but clean toothbrush to scrub away lightly. I like using a gentle liquid soap on my palettes, like a Castile soap. Dry your palette with a soft towel, and it’s good as new.

Where can I buy a watercolor palette?

You can buy basic and affordable watercolor palettes from bookstores and retail stores near you. But if you want more artist quality palettes, you should check out specialty art supply stores that carry high-end palettes.

You can also buy palettes online. Take advantage of the internet because that’s where you’ll find a plethora of options for your next palette. You can also research what kind of palette is best for you, depending on your work style.

Another upside of ordering online is that while you’re on a big online marketplace like Amazon, you can read up on some of your fellow artists’ watercolor palettes reviews to learn about their experience with the product you’re eyeing.

If there’s anything you should take away from this guide, it’s that watercolor palettes are not a simple plaything you can randomly pick and choose at your local Target. It’s a lot more complicated than that, and a lot of thought goes into selecting the best watercolor palette for you.

Choose something you’re comfortable using and allows you to make your color-mixing and painting skills shine through.

Whether you go for a renowned, high-class brand or an affordable yet top-quality alternative, you should be able to tell which watercolor palette will allow convenient mixing and bring spirit and energy into your art. Besides watercolor palette, watercolor easel is also a good choice for you to refer.

I am a former art teacher, so it is evident to me the importance of art in educating the new generation. We also want to help parents who plan to teach their children and desire the best tools and tips for them.

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Holbein aluminum folding watercolor palettes.

Holbein Aluminum Folding Palettes are lightweight with a black and white enamel finish. Four larger wells and smaller slanted wells provide space for storing and mixing watercolors.

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MEEDEN Empty Watercolor Tin Palette, Small Travel Metal Paint Box with 12 Pcs Half Pans

Tin with half pans (14)

Tin with half pans (26)

Tin with half pans (52)

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About this item.

• Metal+plastic
• Painting Palette: Your own ideal paint set is easy to create with these empty watercolor pans and tins.
• Watercolor Tin: Sturdy, reusable, and feature a black enamel exterior and white enamel interior with foldout palette wells.
• Half Pans: Empty watercolor paint pans, suit for metal watercolor tins, measures 2.0cm x 1.7cm x 1.0cm. capacity: 1.8 ml, white plastic.
• Palette Dimension: The size of this box is wonderful and just fits in your hand,- 11.7cm long x 6.7cm wide x 2.0cm high.
• Easy Clean: It has a great finish on the mixing area. It's very easy to wipe clean, if you have watercolor or gouache tubes and want portability, get this.

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The leading provider of quality art supplies, designed for the finest experiences.

At MEEDEN , everyone shares the core idea of love, efficiency, and diversity. But our biggest compelling force is you.

MEEDEN is for your artistic journey

Collect all inspiration from users who have accompanied us, and we can now create tools that express your various stages of life as the biggest art is life itself including all your successes and failures. And MEEDEN is eager to be a part of your artistic journey.

MEEDEN is for art and for you.

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Customers say

Customers like the quality, size and paint compartment of the watercolor tin. They mention that it's well-made, provides lots of mixing space and is the perfect size for bringing anywhere with you. They appreciate the value for money and the image of the product. That said, some complain about the dents and have different opinions on stability, and closure.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers like the quality of the task tray. They mention it's well-made, sturdy, and holds up well. Some say it'll last a long time and is a serviceable little tin. Overall, customers are happy with their purchase and recommend it to others.

"...Watercolor Tin Palettes:Meeden's tin palettes are more durable and better constructed than any other brand we've tried around their price range..." Read more

"...It feels like a high quality product . I’ve had it for about a month and am using it for my tubes of watercolor paints...." Read more

"I love the tin! It’s the perfect tin for my Jacqueline Jax handmade watercolors! Great mixing area! Perfect for traveling." Read more

"...The tin is surprisingly sturdy and well-made; it feels like a much more expensive tin than it actually is. The thumb ring is on quite solidly...." Read more

Customers like the size of the tray. They mention it's a perfect size for bringing anywhere with them, it'll fit in their pocket or sketch bag, and it'd be a good size for when they go to classes or when they're traveling. They also say the pans are easy to put in the holder and it has a great mixing area.

"...They're a great size to fit in practically any palette or tin. They never have any rough edges to file down, as most other brands we've tried...." Read more

"...Great mixing area! Perfect for traveling ." Read more

"...home, and wherever my family needs to go, so this was the perfect size to carry around with me along with my water brushes and sketchbook...." Read more

"I'm new to watercolors, as an urban sketcher. Nice and portable , plenty of room to store small brushes...." Read more

Customers like the paint compartment of the tray. They mention that it provides lots of mixing space and a convenient place to have multiple colors out. They appreciate the sturdy metal construction and the ability to fit more half-pans than other comparably sized tin palettes. They also mention that the tray has a flip-out mixing space in addition to the top lid, so you can stick a small brush. Overall, customers are happy with the quality and functionality of the product.

"...of the Meeden half-pans and tin palettes combined is the ability to fit more half-pans than other comparably sized & priced palettes...." Read more

"...It lays flat with no wiggle. There are several places to mix paints which wipe off cleanly, no staining, and the whole thing folds and closes..." Read more

"... Great mixing area ! Perfect for traveling." Read more

"...They seem to be of a standard size (see picture) and fit a decent amount of paint ...." Read more

Customers like the value of the watercolor tin palettes. They say it's the best quality for the money and an excellent purchase.

"...The Meeden palettes are by far the best quality for the money .Watercolor Tin Palettes:..." Read more

"... Great value for money ." Read more

"...Light and compact, a good size to stick in my bag.- Cheap price .Cons:-..." Read more

"Nice product at a reasonable price ...." Read more

Customers are satisfied with the image of the task tray. They mention that it is a beautiful, heavy duty product, and a really good home palette. They also love the color, saying that the pink is a very nice shade. Customers also appreciate the case and the pallet itself.

"I'm new to watercolors, as an urban sketcher. Nice and portable, plenty of room to store small brushes...." Read more

"Love this tin for my watercolors. Truly portable (and colorful ), it fits in my pocket or my sketch bag. Great value for money." Read more

"...This is a really good home palette ...." Read more

"...I love the color of my tin. It also has a very smooth, glossy finish ...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the stability of the tray. Some mention that the pans hold in place securely, while others say that they slide around a little.

"...And each row of pans has some empty space, so the pans slide back and forth ...." Read more

"...have smooth, flat bottoms with a recessed logo which allows adhesives to make good contact when attaching magnetic strips...." Read more

"...but so long that you can add an extra pan meaning they slide around ever so slightly but they are still perfectly secure and won’t fall out...." Read more

"...The thumb ring is on quite solidly . The tin closes well and doesn't feel too loose, yet is still easy to open and shut...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the closure of the task tray. Some mention that it closes nicely, while others say that it doesn't click closed.

"...The lid shuts without a problem but can pop open if dropped. Again, an elastic hair band or rubber band will secure it when not in use...." Read more

"...The only problem with this tin is that it does not close tightly . (Not a problem with the smaller tins, so I think it is just this particular tin.)...." Read more

"...paints which wipe off cleanly, no staining, and the whole thing folds and closes securely ...." Read more

"...However, this one - for some reason - doesn't click closed . Not a deal breaker, not worth returning, but not perfect either...." Read more

Customers are dissatisfied with the dents and scratches on the task tray. They mention that it has a few scratches on its coating inside. Some say that the tray is easily banged up and scratched.

"... They were bent , the lids were wonky enough that they would not close properly and the hinge for the lid was missing the wire to hold it to the..." Read more

"Well it came quickly, but the enamel is scratched off in a few places especially under the paint tray where metal hits metal...." Read more

"...The replacement arrived without any dings, but still had scratches inside the lid area , but not as much as the first...." Read more

"...Quite a few things I had to make peace with:- the box arrived dented , there were visible fingerprints inside and the inner flap refused..." Read more

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Visit every color of the rainbow with these vibrant destinations

Nov 24, 2020 • 4 min read

Travel the rainbow © (Top left: Yulenochekk / Getty Images) (Bottom left: Michael Warwick / Shutterstock) (Bottom center: Martin Lehmann/Shutterstock) (Top center: arco Maccarini / Getty Images) (Top right: Suranga Weeratuna / Alamy Stock Photo) (Bottom right: Stefano Pistis / 500px)

The world is filled with bright, vibrant and eye-catching destinations that can make any trip a colorful experience, both literally and figuratively. With that in mind, Lonely Planet is proud to celebrate them in a brand new book called Travel by Color , the first and only travel guide by color palette, which features 400 stunning photographs of amazing destinations and events across all different shades. From the deep reds of Tambopata National Reserve’s scarlet macaws to the verdant greens of the Peak District’s Rolling Hills, the book charts rich and diverse places to make any traveller feel alive. Here’s a selection that will allow you to travel through every color of the rainbow.

Red: Red Square, Moscow, Russia  

An iconic symbol of Russia built by order of Ivan the Terrible, St Basil's Cathedral stands proudly at the southern end of Moscow's imposing Red Square. Constructed from 1555 to 1561, the building's idiosyncratic colorful domes sit atop amber-red towers. It's a rich, colorful display, and elsewhere, the square truly lives up to its name, with the dominating color of red showing up in the fortress-like structure of Lenin's Mausoleum, Kazan Cathedral, the State Historical Museum and The Tsar's Tower. Red Square is often closed for celebrations and rehearsals, something to note if planning a visit there.

Orange: New England, USA 

The destination for autumn leaf-peepers, New England's fall foliage is a vibrant display of nature at its most breath-taking. Scarlet and sugar maples, birch, beech, dogwood and oak all contribute to the parade of captivating colors, and for outdoor enthusiasts, it’s the perfect place to visit . Top spots include Smugglers Notch in  Vermont , and Crawford Notch in New Hampshire, protected forest areas where glaciers came through during the last ice age, providing spectacular viewing.

Yellow: Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon’s yellow funiculars are a pleasurable and practical way to explore different areas of the picturesque city, and they sure beat walking up all those steps. Connecting Restauradores Square downtown with Rua San Pedro de Alcántara in Bairro Alto, the Glória Funicular (or Elevador da Glória) is the most popular of the city’s three funiculars, and offers astounding views of the surrounding area. As well as what they offer, the vehicles’ distinct, vintage look with their bright yellow exteriors have become iconic. 

Green: Kamakura, Japan

Much more than a day trip from Tokyo, Kamakura is a laid-back, seaside town that offers tranquillity and peace of mind. Hokokuji Temple boasts a lush forest of 2000 moso bamboo that lie just behind the temple’s main hall, which houses an impressive Buddha beyond the Zen temple gate. Kyoto’s Arashiyama grove is equally enchanting, as is the Sagano Scenic Railway route to it – also known as the Sagano Romantic Train.

Blue: Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Iceland’s Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa with warming water that is supplied by the nearby Svartsengi power station. While popular with tourists, it is an essential stop when visiting the country, and soaking in the hot nurturing water contrasted with the crisp, fresh air in winter is a truly calming experience. With a combination of 70% sea water and 30% fresh water, the Blue Lagoon is a perfect 38°C and includes natural mineral salts, rich blue-green algae and silica mud. You may even be lucky enough to catch a light show in the sky while there.

Indigo: The Sahara 

Along with camels and water, clothing is an essential detail for the Tuareg people when crossing the Sahara, and over time indigo blue has emerged as a popular choice for tagelmust turbans and veils. Protecting wearers from wind, sun and sands, the headwear is exclusive to Tuareg males on reaching maturity. There are many ways for visitors to immerse themselves in experiences across the Sahara , with each one proving to be a rewarding and unique experience in its own right.

Violet: Provence, France 

It’s no wonder photographers flock to Provence and the Côte d'Azur every summer to capture the stunning fragrant fields of purple and violet lavender that the area has become famous for. One of the best places is along the D8 road in the direction of Plateau de Valensole, where you can see lavender fields and sunflowers right next to each other. The flowers are also found in numerous places in Drôme, such as Saou et Montbrun-les-Bains as well as in front of the famous Abbey of Sénanque . As well as that there’s ancient olive groves, clifftop roads and even snow-capped mountains.

Rainbow: India and Nepal

One of the world's most vibrant and powerful displays of color, the hindu festival of Holi is a celebration of spring and love beautifully expressed with tonnes of color each year throughout India, Nepal and, increasingly, parts of Southeast Asia too. If you want to take part, be prepared to be covered head to toe with colored paint, be it in powder or liquid form – the latter usually delivered via water guns and balloons.

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