Making your own palette

This has been one the most fun parts of teaching myself to watercolor. If starting over, I would skip the student grade paint and just get a few small tubes to start with. Susan Chiang's blog has some good advice for beginners! I bought a few cheap palettes to try different combos and paint brands, though you really only need a few basic colors. Now I have a larger one I keep on my desk and small palette I take when I travel.