Best Watercolor Paint Storage System Ever! - June 23, 2014 (Updated March 2024...and it's still the Best!)

I have been looking for a more convenient way to store 15 ml/.5 oz. watercolor tube paint.  I have tried one system after another and found all of them lacking for one reason or another.   My failed systems included the following:  a drawer system, fishing tackle box, art box, and clear bags.  Here is a diatribe on my failed systems to date:  
     1.  I didn't like the drawer system because it was too large and bulky and not portable (and frankly I don't have room for it);  
     2.  I didn't like the fishing tackle box because I couldn't tell at a glance whether I needed a certain color - I had to dig around in the compartments.  There was the option of having more tackle boxes, but they are large, bulky, pricey, and take up a lot of room; 
     3.   The art box is surprisingly less well designed than a fishing tackle box.  Shocking since it is supposed to be purpose built.  Plus, I found the closure system to be inadequate for travel; and   
     4.  Clear bags worked, but I had still had to search for the colors - too much time wasted.
    Since none of these were optimal, I would end up throwing my paint into an open shallow cardboard box and rummage through it for a particular color.  Oh so convenient, but again I would waste too much time searching through the tubes of paint.  Worst case I would find the color I wanted but it would be dried out or empty.   I would purchase a new one and then discover I already had a full tube.  Fail!  So it has been my mission to find a storage system that included the following criteria:  See-through, small, portable, long enough sections for one or two tubes of 15 ml tubes of paint, and a dependable locking system.  
      Finally, I have been successful and want to share the information with you.  

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I found the Large 8-Compartment Box at The Container Store by the t-shirt display system, acrylic boxes, and bead holders.  I've looked at this store before, but this time they had just the item I was looking for.  This is what the label looks like. (Label has changed.)  I'll admit it is a little pricey at $4.98 a box, but besides the cardboard box, all of the options cost too much in my opinion.  (UPDATE March 2024:  the cost is now $8.99 each - Yikes! Just remember everything is relative and I still recommend and use this system.  Have provided new link below.  The item description has changed to "Large 8-compartment Box Translucent.  Size is the same; price $8.99 each.  Here is a link:  www.containerstore.com/s/office/craft-hobby/large-compartment-boxes/12d?productId=10029795)

And this is why I love it.  See-through!  Room for two or two and a half tubes of paint (15 ml/.5 oz.)- one color for each little compartment!   Terrific locks!  Each box measures approximately
12" x 6" x 1 1/4" (w x h x d).  (In the photo below it opens on the left side.)  I purchased five boxes.  This makes the total space I need to store it approximately 12" x 6" x 6".

I hope this helps to make your painting experience more enjoyable and less frustrating.  These are easy to pack and you can tell at a glance without unlocking the box if you are shy a color or need a replacement.  I keep them in the order that I place them on my palette, so if I'm running low I know just where to look.  Back to my brushes.  


"To be in hell is to drift, to be in heaven is to steer."  - George Bernard Shaw