More tips for dealing with dried out watercolor tubes

This is a close up of one of the many small paintings illustrates the grainy texture of rejuvenated dried up watercolor. The shiny dark at top center was a wet pool of color allowed to dry. Well, it has some medium in it that will never dry. So it is best to shake or mix the watery paint in the jars before pouring it on Arches hot press paper. The watery mixtures of colors delight me on the smooth paper and they dry inplace without soaking into the paper. The example below still has the making tapes still in place. Click on image for an enlargement.

The watercolor pigments had dried up in the tubes. I put the tube tops in a tin and sprayed the colors so they made a tiny palette. Wearing Playtex gloves I pealed of the metal outer tube and put the paint chunks in spice bottles, baby food jars, or film canisters. Then covered with water.
In the studio or home patio the jars have a ready supply of color especially good for mixing on the paper.