Introduction: Altoids Tin Watercolor Set


This will show you how to turn a mini Altoids tin into a portable paint set.

For this project you will need:

1 mini Altoids tin
1 brick of polymer clay (Sculpey, Fimo, etc)
6 liquid watercolor paints in colors of your choice
1 watercolor brush pen

Step 1: Make Inner Dividers


Grab a ball of Sculpey about the size of a large marble. Make it into a rectangle that's a little smaller than the size of your Altoids tin.

Using the end of a pencil or paint brush, make six indentations in your brick of clay. Then widen each of the indentations until the clay is slightly larger than the tin and the indentations are large enough to hold paint.

Gently fit the clay inside of the tin. Smooth the sides of the clay to the sides of the tin. Even out the dividers. The pencil will help a lot with this.

Step 2: Bake Clay


Now bake the tin with the clay in it so the clay will set. 275˚F for 5-10 minutes.

Sculpey should not come in contact with food, including any dishes. The pie pan I used is specifically for crafts, but if you're using a casserole dish or the like, line it with aluminium foil.

Wait for your tin to cool completely before going to the next step.

Step 3: Add Paint and Enjoy!

Now that your tray is set, add whatever paint colors you want to the wells.

If you want to get really fancy, you can use some Mod Podge to cover the top of the tin with fabric.

Otherwise, put some water in your brush pen, and you're ready to hit the road!

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