In this video I’m doing one of my favorite things: putting paints head-to-head and seeing what actually happens on paper. I pull out a Michael Harding watercolor dot card and compare a few standout colors to other brands I already have in my studio, like Winsor & Newton Professional and a couple of budget-friendly sets. I’m swatching, glazing, and paying attention to things that matter in real painting life—how quickly the dots re-wet, how smooth the wash feels, how bold the pigment looks, and whether the color shifts when it dries. And then I take it a step further: can I actually make cute art with a dot card palette? I test how practical dot cards are for mixing (especially when you don’t have big juicy pans to dig into), and I talk through what works, what’s fiddly, and how I approach mixing when I’m limited to tiny paint samples. If you’ve ever wondered whether dot cards are just for swatching or if they can be a legit travel palette for a full little painting, I share what I learned and what I’d do differently next time.