Small Projects and Basic Elements for a Rainy day

I found this porcelain muffin tray in the back of my art storage. I vaguely remember getting it  (on Clearance, of course!) several years ago. The wells are 3" wide and 1" deep, which allows plenty of room for adding water and mixing paint. The whole thing is 12" x 12" so won't be good for travel, and it takes up more room on my work table than I am used to. What I do like about it, I discovered after spending a few weeks painting from it is that I am able to "organize" my palette. Here's what I mean.....

I actually only use three colors - Daniel Smith New Gamboge, Daniel Smith Quinacridone Violet and Winsor Newton Antwerp Blue. Every other color you see is a combination of those three - even the "grey" you see in the bottom right corner.

I was able to get what I needed for the Humming Bird Card project - a light green, dark green and a complimentary purple, and I had enough wells to mix and isolate the colors to keep them fresh. Of course, I still used the flat spaces between for testing mixtures, but the glass surface wipes easily with a paper towel.

My table also tilts a little, so there is a nice puddle of rich pigment at the bottom of each well that I can swish up and around when I am loading my brush.
So far, I am liking the process. This probably has more to do with finally sitting down consistently to paint. The note cards are small practices that I can complete quickly while honing my skills on a new subject. 
​I'm ready for Spring and Sunshine!  :)  Happy Painting!