TinyGallery Notes — Issue #3 — A watercolor palette that fits in my wallet
I didn’t expect to become the kind of person who casually carries watercolors in her purse, but here we are… also, we hid Easter eggs on the site 🐣
The tiny watercolor setup I didn’t know I needed
I’ve been playing around with Peerless Watercolors over the past couple weeks (Cassie sent me a few samples along with the Pro Artist giveaway kits 🥹), and I genuinely didn’t realize how portable watercolors could get!
If you haven’t heard of dry sheet watercolors before—same. I only found out about them this year. They’re basically highly pigmented sheets you activate with water. No pans, no tubes, no mess. Just color, waiting to be used!
And because my brain immediately goes into “what’s the smallest possible version of this?” mode (maybe this has something to do with running a site for tiny art…), I made the world’s tiniest palette inspired by Peerless’s own travel palette,:
index card
washi tape
a few color swatches (cut from the larger dry sheets)
a plastic ACEO sleeve
It lives in my purse now, along with one of those water-fill travel brushes, which means I can paint literally anywhere. And sometimes I forget it’s even there because it’s so small… and then I remember, and get excited all over again. I’ll pull it out at a café, or the park, or the airport, and just make a tiny painting on the spot.
There’s something about removing friction that actually makes me use materials. Not in a “I should practice more” way, but in a “I have 10 minutes and want to make something small and sweet” way.
And I love how no-frills this setup is. It’s just pigment on paper, taped to a notecard, tucked into plastic. It reminds me a bit of those altoid tin palettes you see everywhere, but even simpler. Slightly primitive, in the best way. Like… I can make something beautiful with almost nothing. No elaborate setup, no expensive materials. Just color and a little bit of time.
(Which feels very aligned with the whole TinyGallery ethos. 🙂)
Peerless also has a bunch of other really fun products, and I already know I’m about to go down a small rabbit hole building out my ideal tiny kit.
2. Why these feel different than your typical watercolors
A few things I noticed immediately:
The colors are shockingly vibrant (one tiny swipe goes a looooong way)
They layer really cleanly, even on small surfaces like ACEOs
They feel low pressure (no squeezing paint, no “wasting” materials)
Also—this is me holding myself accountable—I’ve been trying to actually watch tutorials instead of just collecting them like Pokémon cards.
A few I loved from Peerless’s YouTube channel:
A pastel mixing tutorial using primary colors (very Easter-coded, very satisfying). Btw, this is Cassie, the co-owner of Peerless!
A simple tulip painting (very on theme for spring!)
A tiny travel watercolor booklet (!!)
If you’re also someone who hoards tutorials and never watches them… this is your gentle nudge (I’m talking to myself).
And here are some super simple instructions on how to use dry sheet watercolors on their site.
3. If you can’t wait for the Pro Artist giveaway…
I’d honestly just head to Peerless’s website and build yourself a custom palette!
They have a “build your own” set where you can pick 8 colors for $15—which is wild for the quality you’re getting! And they have over 80 colors to choose from on their site!
Also, supporting a small, long-standing art supply business just hits different. There’s a care there you can feel when you recieve your products. ❤️
TinyGallery things you should not miss 👀
A few quick things:
💌 A tiny new feature I’m excited about 🎁
You can now send an ACEO as a gift on TinyGallery, with a custom note included!
I keep thinking about all the ways to use this:
- a birthday card, but it’s an original painting
- a holiday card that feels a little more special
- a little “thinking of you” for a friend across the country
It turns these tiny pieces into something you can share, not just collect. :)
If you’re a seller:
You can enable this in your settings! You also have the option to charge extra if you want to offer upgraded gift packaging (custom cards, extras, etc.)—just make sure to include photos/details so buyers know what to expect if you’re charging extra!
🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚 Easter egg hunt (live now!) 🥚🥚🥚🥚🥚
Okay this one I’m SUPERRR excited to tell you guys about this one!!
I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want TinyGallery to feel… and I keep coming back to this idea of it being a tiny little world on the internet. One where things aren’t perfectly optimized or predictable all the time….there’s a bit of surprise, a bit of play.
So I hid little Easter eggs (filled w/ money) across the site. It’s an Easter egg hunt, but for adults! In the form of little secret promo codes tucked away in the site that give you $ off your purchases. Also disclaimer: the promo codes only work with card payments, not wallet!
You have to wander a bit. Click around. Follow your curiosity. (Which feels very aligned with how I think collecting art should feel anyway!!) There’s a super special egg hidden in there as well with a BIG prize inside…
It’s basically an adult Easter egg hunt. And yes, I will absolutely be doing more things like this. :)
Tap into your inner child for a minute and go explore! 🐣 Only one use per promo code. Promo codes are valid until the end of the day (April 5, 11:59pm PST)
🗓 TinyGallery Tuesday — April 14
For one day: 0% platform fees.
Every dollar goes directly to artists. (We love to see it.)
Refer to our last article for the full event details!
🌍 International seller voting is open!!!!
We’re deciding which country to open selling to next (!!)
You can vote here—one vote per person.
And if you have artist friends internationally… send them over. The more demand we see, the faster we can support it properly!
🥹 A small milestone
On April 3rd, we hit 1,000 listings sold on TinyGallery.
That number feels surreal to write!
Each week, I’m seeing more new collectors find their way to the site, and more orders being placed every day. It’s still small, still growing, but it really feels like something is starting to take shape.
Thank you for being a part of it!
Actually, one more thing…
If you’ve tried dry sheet watercolors before, I’m so curious… how do you like them? What does your setup look like? What have you painted with them?
And as always, thoughts, feedback, ideas about the site? You can comment below or email me at tinygallery.io@gmail.com. I genuinely love hearing from you, and I’m always looking for ways to make the TinyGallery community feel even better.
Next week, I’m planning to share a little behind-the-scenes: what I’m seeing on the site, trends in what’s selling, peak purchasing days, all of that. TinyGallery has been live for almost 3 months now! If you’re a numbers person (or just curious), you might like that one.