Watercolor Paints in a Mint Tin

How is your Monday coming along? I'm quite excited by our blah to TADA! project today.

I've seen a lot of people reusing a mint container as a watercolor paint palette and I thought it was a clever idea.

I gathered all the materials required and here is how I made mine:

I always have mints in my bag so I've amassed a number of these containers. 

There are many ways to change of the look of the container like covering it with washi tape or stickers. It's important to do this because we don't want to confuse our mints with our crafting materials.

I decided to use spray paint. It's not the most eco-friendly option but this method provides a clean, smooth finish compared to painting with regular paint and a brush. It's a good idea to add a coat of rust preventive spray since the tin will be exposed to water.

Don't paint the area where the lid locks to the body of the tin. It'll be a struggle to open and close it. Trust me -- I learned the hard way. I had to remove the paint using sandpaper! 😒

I found these half pans at an art store. They're easily available on-line like Etsy shops, with or without paint in it.

I used magnets, too. This one is flat and self-adhesive, but you can also use button magnets (just attach with double sided tape or super glue).

I cut the magnets small enough to fit the bottoms of the half pans.

They'll stick to the container, keeping the half pans from moving around.

Put the half pans inside the mint container.

Then add the paint from the tubes that you already have. I only filled it half way but you're welcome to fill it up to the top.

Make a paint swatch.

Then attach the swatch to the inside of the lid.

If I wanted to pack really light, I can move the half pans into smaller mint tins...TADA!

This is what they look like when the mint tin is closed. 

They're so compact and not bulky at all!

One flaw I have to point out is that there is no place to mix paints to create new colors. I'll have to bring a separate plastic palette or palette pads in my kit.

I'll use my art journals and take my watercolor paints in a mint tin for a test run. I'll report back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks for visiting!