Found a way to make old dried-out watercolor pans work again

I had a set of watercolors where half the pans were cracked and totally dried up, almost like chalk. Instead of tossing them, I sprayed a tiny bit of water on each one, let it sit for like 10 minutes, then scraped the color onto a mixing palette. It came back to life way better than I expected, almost like fresh paint. Has anyone else tried reviving old pans with just water or is there a better trick out there?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_julia1mo ago

omg no this is literally me with my entire travel palette right now. i thought i was the only one who did that spray and wait thing, i felt so weird about it but it actually works way better than i ever expected. i found that if you let it sit a little longer like 15 or 20 minutes the color gets even creamier and doesn't get that weird crumbly texture when you paint. have you ever tried adding a drop of glycerin to the mix? i heard it keeps them from drying out again but i haven't tested it myself yet.

grant.richard1mo ago

Wait, actually I gotta push back a little on the glycerin thing cause I tried it once and it was a total mess. It made my paints all sticky and weird, like they never fully dried down even after a week. I think it's one of those internet myths that sounds good but doesn't hold up in practice. The spray and wait method is solid though, you're right about that. I usually just do a fine mist of water and let it sit for like 10 minutes and it's good to go, no extra ingredients needed.