You’ll receive a 10% discount if you purchase these watercolors from Arteza…The coupon code is CraftingForAlmostEveryone3, which is valid until Aug 10th, 2019.
General links to the Arteza sites:
(US): http://arteza.com/?a_aid=Youtube_CraftingForAlmostEveryone
(EU): https://arteza.co.uk/?a_aid=Youtube_CraftingForAlmostEveryone
Links to the products:
1) Sketch TwiMarkers, Dual Tipped – Set of 48:
(US): https://arteza.com/products/twimarkers-set-of-48-colors-dual-tip?a_aid=Youtube_CraftingForAlmostEveryone&a_bid=e014a345
2) Watercolor Paint – 60 Colors (60 x 12ml/0.4 US fl oz):
(US):https://arteza.com/collections/paint/products/watercolor-paint-set-of-60-colors-x-12-ml?a_aid=Youtube_CraftingForAlmostEveryone&a_bid=4efa7bfa
3) Expert Watercolor Pad 5.5×8.5” 30 Sheets – Pack of 3:
(US): https://arteza.com/products/expert-watercolor-pad-5-5×8-5-30-sheets-pack-of-3?a_aid=Youtube_CraftingForAlmostEveryone&a_bid=0deabed2
I bought two jewelry storage containers from Joann Fabrics..here’s the link to them: https://tinyurl.com/y6felrjj Each has twenty-one compartments, plus a longer compartment in the second row. I decided to buy two sets of twenty empty full-size pans from Aliexpress to fill the second row with eight more colors, bringing my total to 56 colors once full. Link for empty pans: https://tinyurl.com/y299bjcr
I also bought a toothpaste squeezer to make sure the tubes were empty from Ebay..link: https://tinyurl.com/y3jfwoza
I wasn’t sure how to do this, so contacted Lindsay the frugal crafter, who advised me to add glycerin or honey to each paint, to ensure they don’t crack and fall out of the plastic container. She said to use a few drops, but it seemed when Rich added a lot more than I did, that his paints seem to be less cracked than the ones I did..
To begin the process, I pulled out all of the tubes of paints, and attempted to put them in a rainbow order, making sure with each color that I started with the lightest shade and ended with the darkest.
I knew I’d need to swatch the colors, so took a piece of the watercolor paper pad from Arteza, and drew grids that corresponded with the actual container I was using, and started with reds and oranges in the front, and worked my way to the back of the first container, writing the name and Arteza number for each color below (or beside) the section on the watercolor paper pad. After all colors were swatched, I ran it through my Xyron machine link: https://tinyurl.com/yytd6kb9 to create a sticker and adhered it to the inside of the lid.
After the colors were labelled, I was able to start decanting the tubes into the plastic containers, by first squeezing an inch or so of paint into the compartment I wanted it in, then using the toothpaste tube squeezer, and inserting the very end of the tube into it, and turning the crank away from myself, emptying the tube directly over the compartment it was intended to fill. I then took a paintbrush, wet it, and took whatever remaining color I could from the tube opening, and used this to swatch on the color chart I’d created. I did this one row (of the container) at a time, and then added at least 12-18 drops of glycerin into the paint and stirred it really well with a wood skewer. Once I felt the paint and glycerin were well combined, I went onto the next tube and repeated the process.
When I filled the full-size pans, I only added 6 drops of glycerin into the paint.. My goal (when I receive the second set of empty full-size pans, is to glue the empty one to the full one so it raises the pan to the same height as the rest of the container. I think this will make them easier to use.
Once the container is full of paint, make sure to leave the lid open until the paints are completely dry, or they tend to mold.
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