I'm quite ambidextrous, so I work with the paint tube and cap in one hand and the paint brush in the other. If it's very hot, I close the tube every time to stop the paint from drying out. (And yes, I can do this without putting the brush down.)
In the photo you can see that the quinacridone gold varies in thickness (or is uneven). I could sort this out by spreading the paint around more and probably adding a little more water, but in fact it's what I want for the landscape foreground (see this reference photo). Next I'll use some titanium buff to start creating the feeling of grass.
Painting without a palette works really well for me because I tend to use a small number of colors in a painting so I don't need a large surface to keep them nearby. In fact, the tubes usually all fit on the small shelf on my easel. It also makes me more meticulous with cleaning my brushes, because I don't want to contaminate a tube with another color from my brush.
Why not give this acrylic painting technique a try and see how it works for you?
