Wet Palette - thin paints drying quickly

Scherdy

Scherdy

New member
I started here with this (wet palette care thread)

I\'ve found with my wet palette, even after soaking the paper in very hot/boiling water, when I use thinned down paints that the water will quickly be pulled through the paper leaving just almost dry pigment stuck to the paper. This makes glazing or painting with very thin layers a challenge as it constantly is very quickly turning too dry. I feel like I am really soaking the sponge well under the paper but should I just go whole hog and make it a floating sponge island on a lake under the paper?

Some of my paints (vallejo black for example) even get pulled through the paper itself into the sponge where others do not seem to pass through the paper nearly as easily or at all.

I should look up my old biology teacher and have her explain osmosis again for me in terms of paint palettes :)
 
Aliengod3

Aliengod3

New member
Forget you ever saw that paper that requires you to boil it before it is usable, that stuff is worthless! I hate with a passion. I burned all of mine, it sucks!

Just use regular old parchment paper. You can get it at any grocery store and I find that it works the best for my wet palette. Stay away from wax paper too. I find that it is not very good either.
 
S

Shades

New member
I agree with AlienGod3. Luckily, I started out with parchment paper, and I never experienced the problem you\'re having. Sounds like a real PITA.
 
Scherdy

Scherdy

New member
I bought a pack of the paper and sponge from michaels with coupons but the case is just a very flat 8\" 10\" tupperware that I had to just trim the sponge and paper a little to fit.

The paper is very different from regular parchment/baking paper so I\'ll give that a shot later too. I was looking and this mastersons paper is also very different than the W&N palette paper as well. The W&N stuff is more like baking paper so that seems like a cheap thing to try and see if it works too. I\'ll try the ultra saturated sponge today, see how that works then change the paper tomorrow if it\'s still a bummer.

@Alien - was what you didn\'t like about the mastersons paper how it absorbed water and similar problems to what I have or other issues? It seems much more durable and would be nice if it could work with the thinner paint mixtures I\'m trying to use.
 
BPI

BPI

New member
Hi Scherdy, I made a wet pallet a few months ago after reading about them on here (total cost £2.89 lol ) & haven\'t encountered any paint leaking through to the sponge. Pick up a roll of baking parchment (not greaseproof paper) from the supermarket, tear out an oblong that roughly fits (I\'ve found trying to get a perfect fit a waste of time), pour boiling water over until the paper is floating, leave for half an hour, pour out until is just dribbling, dab any pools of water off the top, get painting. If the paper curls (or if paint goes through) get a fresh sheet and use it the other way up. I wouldn\'t worry about the durability of the paper too much, I\'ve covered a 5x8\" sheet in paint within a fortnight & it\'s time for a fresh one. B.

Edit: how much paint are you putting on the paper? I use a #2 brush, dipped 3-4mm into a paint, put that onto paper, add a brushload of water dropped on top (don\'t mix), draw small amounts of paint to one side, achive consistency, apply. I wonder if it\'s soaking through because you\'re using too much & might do better witha ceramic well pallette?
 
Scherdy

Scherdy

New member
Just an update. I tried some Reynolds parchment paper we had (It\'s the secret to great baking! or so it tells me).

It acts like it has SOME wax in it though. I don\'t think any water is wicking up through it to keep the paints moist. I\'ll try boiling water on it and see if that removes some of whatever is making it seem less permeable than it needs to be.

Going to try another brand of parchment paper too and see if we didn\'t just get some brand that was trying to be special with the waxiness. Don\'t they know that people buy this stuff for miniature painting and NOT baking??
 
freakinacage

freakinacage

New member
rofl, you need to make sure that its non wax. a supermarket value brand should work fine (plus if it doesnt, you havent wasted a lot)

when you put the paper on top, the water should pool when you put your finger in it, but then draw it up when you remove it. basically it should be just about saturated
 
G

Gearhead

New member
Ah, that\'s good to know. I tried a bit of the wife\'s parchment paper in the pantry, with no good results. Now I know to look for non-waxed parchment!
 
Scherdy

Scherdy

New member
Went to 4 different grocery stores. Found 1 different brand (a generic store brand) of parchment paper that may just turn out to be repackaged form of what everyone else had.

Anyway, water still beads up on this stuff and when I place it on the sponge and palette full of water and push down I see/feel no water seep through.

Maybe since I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest, everything is coated to be waterproof...even baking paper?!? ???
 
R

RichardSimons

New member
if you press down on the wet palette, you shouldnt see or feel water seeping through. it should feel a bit moist. thats what makes the wet palette work the way it does. it should provide just enough moisture to keep your paints at a constant concentration(or thickness) that you made them.
the wet palette should be able to keep your paints for few days or say (its my guess).
but if you leave it too long(like a week), the paper will eventually absorb too much water and will slowly water down your paints for you. strangely, pigments will separate and settle at the bottom and then kind of dry.

well, thats sort of my experience with wet palettes.
GL on your palette

edit: ps: if u are working with very very watered down paints, it shouldnt be unexpected that it may bead a bit on a fresh wet palette.

and about how much water, i usually soak as much water as i can in the sponge, throw it in the container, fill up the water to a point where just a bit of the face of the sponge is exposed above the surface. probably a few millimeters should do.
 
mickc22

mickc22

Granddad!
I use the wet palette refill\'s and just cut to size for my container, I put in enough water to soak the reservoir part, and have a small amount of water visible around the edges, this is also a good indication of when to top up.
Wet one side of the palette paper, then turn it over and lay the dry side down, this prevents curling, give it a few minutes and the top surface should feel dry to the touch and be ready to go :D
Don\'t forget if you leave your paints for any time you need a lid to prevent them drying out

I\'ve used thin sponges and parchment paper, but to be honest nothing works as well as the real thing, designed for the job
 
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