The Mr. Pen airtight watercolor palette is one of those modest studio tools that solves a specific problem: keeping pre-mixed washes and squeezed-out paint from drying out between sessions. It’s an 18-well palette with two larger mixing areas, a folding lid, and a gasket-based seal. For painters who work in short bursts or who like to load a palette in advance and carry it to a class or sketch location, that combination of features is more useful than it first appears. But it’s also a lightweight, budget-oriented piece of plastic, and expectations should be set accordingly.
In practice, this is a palette you fill at home, close up, and toss in a bag. The 18 wells are arranged in two rows, which is enough for a standard 12- or 18-color set without much crowding. The two mixing areas sit in the lid, so when the palette is closed, the mixing surfaces are protected and the paint inside stays put. That layout is common in folding palettes, and it works: you can squeeze tube paint into wells, let it set, and re-wet it later. The seal is the headline feature, and it does slow drying noticeably compared with an open ceramic dish or a standard plastic tray. It is not a vacuum container, though. Paint left for weeks will still dry out or grow mold, especially in humid conditions, and very watery washes can migrate if the palette is stored on its side.
The plastic construction is the main trade-off. The hinges are molded plastic rather than metal, and the clasp is a simple snap-fit. It holds fine for normal use, but this is not a palette that will survive being stepped on or crammed into an overstuffed backpack without care. The wells are also fairly shallow, which is fine for squeezing paint from tubes but less ideal for someone who likes to flood wells with large amounts of liquid. The mixing areas are similarly on the small side; they handle a wash for a small to medium painting, but a painter working large or wet will run out of room quickly.
Another point worth noting is cleaning. The plastic surface stains over time, particularly with staining pigments like phthalo blues and greens, and the corners of the wells can trap dried paint. It cleans up with warm water and a soft brush, but it won’t stay looking new. The gasket is also a wear item; with frequent opening and closing, it can lose some of its sealing ability, though that’s a slow process rather than an immediate failure.
Compared with a traditional ceramic or porcelain palette, the Mr. Pen is lighter, portable, and sealable, but it lacks the weight and stable feel of ceramic and the easy cleaning of a glazed surface. Compared with a metal watercolor tin, it’s cheaper and lighter but less durable and less pleasant to use over many years. Compared with a simple plastic ice-cube tray or a disposable palette, it’s more expensive but far more practical for travel and for keeping paint usable between sessions. In other words, it occupies a middle ground: more functional than a bare tray, less refined than a metal box.
Who is this for? It suits beginners building a first travel kit, students who need to carry paint to class, and hobbyists who want to pre-load colors and paint in short sessions without re-squeezing tubes each time. It’s also reasonable for plein air painters working small formats who want a lightweight backup palette. It is not the right choice for painters who work large and wet, who need deep wells and generous mixing space, or who expect a palette to last decades. It’s also not ideal for anyone who dislikes plastic or wants a palette that looks presentable on a desk for display.
Realistic expectations matter here. This is a functional, inexpensive tool that does its job reasonably well within its limits. The seal reduces drying, the wells hold a standard set of colors, and the lid protects the mixing areas during transport. It will stain, the hinges won’t last forever, and the shallow wells constrain how much paint you can load. For the price, that’s a fair trade. For a long-term studio palette or heavy daily use, a metal or ceramic alternative is worth the extra cost. As a portable, sealable option for casual and student use, the Mr. Pen palette is a sensible, unglamorous choice.