If you’ve ever painted an ACEO, you already know why people love them.

They’re tiny, they’re fun, and they take away a lot of the pressure that can come with sitting down in front of a big blank sheet of watercolor paper.

ACEOs have been popular with artists and collectors for years, and for good reason. At just 2.5″ x 3.5″, they’re small enough to finish in a short amount of time, easy to collect, and honestly just really fun to make.

That got me thinking.

If the artwork is already small and portable, why shouldn’t the palette be too?

That’s where the ACEO Pocket Studio came from.

I wanted to make a watercolor palette that fit the way people already create ACEOs, but made it easier to take that process with them.

Something you could keep loaded with your favorite colors, throw in a bag, and use wherever you happened to be.

At a coffee shop.

On a trip.

Sitting outside.

Waiting somewhere with a few minutes to spare.

Or just at the kitchen table when you don’t feel like dragging out all of your supplies.

The ACEO Pocket Studio is built around that little 2.5″ x 3.5″ format. It has eight paint wells, a white mixing area, and a leather strap that covers the paint and mixing surface when you’re done.

It’s simple, but that’s really the point.

I’ve talked a lot about the idea behind Family Palette being Paint small. Paint often. Paint anywhere.

This feels like one of the best examples of that yet.

You don’t need to set aside three hours to paint.

You don’t need a dedicated studio.

You don’t even need much room.

Sometimes you just need a few colors, a brush, a tiny piece of paper, and ten or fifteen minutes.

And ACEOs are perfect for that.

You can paint a little landscape, a storefront, a flower, a quick travel memory, or just experiment with color without feeling like every painting has to become some big project.

That’s one of the things I really like about working small.

It gets you painting.

And the more often you paint, the easier it becomes to keep painting.

The first ACEO Pocket Studios are being made in maple and mahogany, and because they’re made from real wood, each one has its own grain and character.

I’m excited about this one because it feels like a natural fit for what Family Palette has been about from the beginning.

ACEO artists already know how much fun tiny paintings can be.

Now there’s a Pocket Studio made to go along with them.

Paint small. Paint often. Paint anywhere.