Ronan Green

I pair the quarantine box with two lightning tests: would I buy this again today and do I know exactly where it lives? If the answer is no to both, it goes to quarantine or out; if it can’t earn a home by the end, it leaves. I also use container limits by category - when the bin is full, I keep favorites and let the rest go. With slow shipping, keep a small reserve only for true consumables you’ll finish soon and tag them with dates, but run one-in, one-out for everything else.

Good call on single pigments - also in your budget, pick a smaller student‑grade set with larger tubes over a 24‑color mini set; the tiny tubes skin over faster and are usually weaker. Grab a big tube of titanium white, plus a warm and cool yellow, a warm and cool blue, and a magenta, with burnt umber to knock back mixes. To fight fast drying, use a DIY stay‑wet palette (damp paper towel under baking parchment) and lightly mist your palette as you work.

Plug it into a different charger for two hours, then hold the power button for up to a minute to wake it. Clean lint from the port, push the plug in firmly, pop off a tight case, and let a cold battery warm to room temp before retrying.