There is something so attractive about those tiny tin boxes of mints or pastilles
...maybe it's because we are surrounded by so much plastic nowadays. Whatever the reason, if you (like myself) have been seduced into buying one, here's a cheap and easy way to make it useful by transforming it into a handy, portable paintbox, complete with a tiny water-colour palette!
What you will need;
A tin box
Paint pans
Candle wax or glue
White plastic tablet tray
Cellophane or thin plastic
Scissors.
1.) Place the paint pans in the box in the order you would like them. I want to be able to remove the pans easily when empty, so I sealed them in with candle-wax. Melt the wax into the spaces available. Tilt the box so that the wax will run through the gaps between the paint pans. Any stray drips can easily be removed when dry.
You could use glue if you want to, or, if you have small magnets available to you, glue a magnet to the base of each pan. Fancy!
If you haven't got / don't want to buy paint pans, make some using a tablet tray. Put a blob of tube paint into each well and leave it to dry.
2.) To make the paint palette, I used a disposable plastic tray from a packet of painkillers. (There's that plastic again). This is obviously only suitable for little doodles, but handy to have.
Trim the tablet tray to fit into the base of the box. If you haven't got room in the base, you can trim it to fit in the lid. Trim it slightly too large, so that the tray will fit snugly. Smooth out the wells and remove any loose silver foil. A white tray will make the best palette for mixing colours.
3.) Trim the cellophane to fit the base of the tray. This will be useful to place on top of the paints so you can pack up the box while the paints are still wet. If your tin has enough room, you can store some tools on top of this; short pencils, paint-brushes, a piece of sponge, putty rubber. It is possible to buy small brushes in art shops and make-up shops, but it's easy to cut the handles down to size. Just sand down the cut edge using sandpaper or nail file.
4.) Now slip your new paint box into your bag / jacket, and enjoy impromptu painting sessions whenever you feel inspired!
...maybe it's because we are surrounded by so much plastic nowadays. Whatever the reason, if you (like myself) have been seduced into buying one, here's a cheap and easy way to make it useful by transforming it into a handy, portable paintbox, complete with a tiny water-colour palette!
What you will need;
A tin box
Paint pans
Candle wax or glue
White plastic tablet tray
Cellophane or thin plastic
Scissors.
1.) Place the paint pans in the box in the order you would like them. I want to be able to remove the pans easily when empty, so I sealed them in with candle-wax. Melt the wax into the spaces available. Tilt the box so that the wax will run through the gaps between the paint pans. Any stray drips can easily be removed when dry.
You could use glue if you want to, or, if you have small magnets available to you, glue a magnet to the base of each pan. Fancy!
If you haven't got / don't want to buy paint pans, make some using a tablet tray. Put a blob of tube paint into each well and leave it to dry.
2.) To make the paint palette, I used a disposable plastic tray from a packet of painkillers. (There's that plastic again). This is obviously only suitable for little doodles, but handy to have.
Trim the tablet tray to fit into the base of the box. If you haven't got room in the base, you can trim it to fit in the lid. Trim it slightly too large, so that the tray will fit snugly. Smooth out the wells and remove any loose silver foil. A white tray will make the best palette for mixing colours.
3.) Trim the cellophane to fit the base of the tray. This will be useful to place on top of the paints so you can pack up the box while the paints are still wet. If your tin has enough room, you can store some tools on top of this; short pencils, paint-brushes, a piece of sponge, putty rubber. It is possible to buy small brushes in art shops and make-up shops, but it's easy to cut the handles down to size. Just sand down the cut edge using sandpaper or nail file.
4.) Now slip your new paint box into your bag / jacket, and enjoy impromptu painting sessions whenever you feel inspired!
Great idea! I love looking at creative ways to make these kits!
ReplyDeleteThanks Taurine! There's a lot of nice paintboxes out there. I love making things myself though.
ReplyDelete