May 22, 2019 |

Acrylic Paint Storage Tip

WARNING: This method is not for everyone. Read through entire blog before trying.

Artist Patti Mollica has a great method for storing her acrylic paints that saves time when setting up and makes the painting process easier.

Patti uses a plastic craft bead organizer to hold and store all her paints. She squeezes the colors into the different compartments which allows her to pop the lid open and start painting quickly. She then has all of her colors right in front of her and doesn't need to stop to squeeze more paint from different tubes.

This is a method that works great for Patti and may also work great for you, but read the information below first to determine if it's something you should try (we don't want you to waste any of your paints!)

TIPS / WARNINGS BEFORE YOU STORE YOUR PAINTS THIS WAY (how Patti keeps the paints from drying out):

Frequent painters: If you paint often (a few time a week), this might be a convenient and time-saving option for you. If you're someone who paints less frequently (once every month for example), this may not be for you.
Patti uses a flexible plastic bead organizer. Those made from hard plastic can be as rigid as glass and are prone to snapping if you try to bend them, so look for the kind that have a little give.

Depending on the type of bead organizer you get, each compartment can hold a lot of paint. Patti keeps hers full which helps prevent them from drying out since there is so much paint in each compartment. Consider this before squeezing all your paint into a bead box. Do you have enough of each color to fill the compartments? Do you want to squeeze your entire tube out? Once it's out of the tube, it's not going back in! A bead organizer with small compartments might be best to start with.
Patti spritz's the paints in the container while she's working to keep them wet.
The bead boxes are NOT air tight. To keep paints from drying out between uses, Patti stores the whole container in a large, 2 gallon ziploack bag with a moist paper towel. Her paints last for months this way. You could also try wrapping the container in moist paper towels and plastic wrap between uses to keep air from drying the acrylics out.

Here's a look at Patti's setup:

With the paints in the container, she's ready to open the lid and get straight to work on her beautiful, expressive acrylic pieces.

Want to learn to paint like Patti? You're in luck! Patti created a series of 4 video lesson for us where she demonstrates her process for creating bold and expressive acrylic paintings.

See the videos here:

LESSON 1: WINE BOTTLE DEMO