richards2507
New member
I keep hearing about wet pallettes being used, I am a newb when it comes to painting 'properly' so was just wondering what is one and where do I find one (if I actually need one)
Wet Pallette
- Thread starter richards2507
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Dragonsreach
Super Moderator
its as easy to make one yourself as to buy one.
Having looked around the UK it seems as if the vast majority of Wet Pallettes are aimed at the canvas painters and only Privateer Press making one for model painters.
There have been a number of threads in this forum about Wet Pallettes it might be worthwhile doing a search and perusing through them.
Having looked around the UK it seems as if the vast majority of Wet Pallettes are aimed at the canvas painters and only Privateer Press making one for model painters.
There have been a number of threads in this forum about Wet Pallettes it might be worthwhile doing a search and perusing through them.
Last edited:
boubi
New member
As mentioned Dragonsreach, make one yourself:
1. take any low profile (1.5-2cm high) container, better with a lid, type of sandwich box for fridge, or low profile tupperware, size 25*15cm is fine, smaller or bigger up to you
2. put paper towel at the bottom, 3 to 5 layers, put water on it, until the paper towel are completely damped, then remove water excess
3. put one layer (foil) of cooking paper, what we call in France “sulfured paper", it is the paper you put in over which can withstand 250 degrees Celsius, you can find it in any supermarket, in roll or in sheet
4. that's it or you are done, try to remove the air bubble under your cooking paper by rubbing with your thumb (clean is better)
5. now you can put your paint on it, add one drop of water in it and you can start painting.
6. when you finish just close the lid, can be kept a week if the lid is tight, even longer if put in fridge
7. tips: add one drop of dishwasher on your paper towel to avoid it walks by itself after few days
8. tips 2: you can also add one drop of dishwasher in your diluting water to remove some of water tension for better glazing results
Here you are...
Good luck and happy painting!
1. take any low profile (1.5-2cm high) container, better with a lid, type of sandwich box for fridge, or low profile tupperware, size 25*15cm is fine, smaller or bigger up to you
2. put paper towel at the bottom, 3 to 5 layers, put water on it, until the paper towel are completely damped, then remove water excess
3. put one layer (foil) of cooking paper, what we call in France “sulfured paper", it is the paper you put in over which can withstand 250 degrees Celsius, you can find it in any supermarket, in roll or in sheet
4. that's it or you are done, try to remove the air bubble under your cooking paper by rubbing with your thumb (clean is better)
5. now you can put your paint on it, add one drop of water in it and you can start painting.
6. when you finish just close the lid, can be kept a week if the lid is tight, even longer if put in fridge
7. tips: add one drop of dishwasher on your paper towel to avoid it walks by itself after few days
8. tips 2: you can also add one drop of dishwasher in your diluting water to remove some of water tension for better glazing results
Here you are...
Good luck and happy painting!
richards2507
New member
Thanks ever so much guys, I can see sense in having one as my painting area is a conservatory, and it gets HOT!
boubi
New member
You waste lots of paint (sucked by the paper towel), and often too wet, or at least you cannot control your dilution, like making it really thin glaze with heavy diluted paint.
I advice you, if you can, to add one piece of cooking paper, I believe that you will see a noticeable difference directly!
boubi
New member
Sure no problem, everybody has their own habits and preferences! Use what you prefer to use in order to enjoy a maximum...
Happy painting!
ced1106
New member
I'm only painting to tabletop, but if the paint is from the previous night, I just use it to thin my other paints! Yes, very lazy. I keep pretending that diluted paint works just as well as water.
I'm also inclined to experiment with any leftover paint on the wet palette. Nothing earth breaking yet!
For the OP, I found a wet palette necessary to paint faces. A drop of flesh and a drop of light brown paint. Mix by the brushful and apply to the model. If the paint doesn't look right, add a little thinned brown or more flesh, and wet-blend on the miniature. Paint a little brown on the cheeks to add cheekbone, and a little brownish flesh for the lips. Easier done than said, especially if you're in panic mode when you've applied too much flesh and the face looks like an outbreak of mumps...
RuneBrush
New member
Depends on what you mean by 'properly'
They prolong the length of time that paint is workable by keeping it moist - to the point where if you put an airtight lid on it you can store paint for a significant length of time (days). They do lend themselves to a painting style where you mix paints on the fly as you can put your source colours on the palette without keep having to go back and forwards to the pot. Personally they're really useful if you paint display pieces, but less so if you're painting units or multiple miniatures the same.
richards2507
New member
When I say painting properly I mean, taking care and time, I used to game so it was all about get 3 colours and a base...
now I am taking more care and time working my way up to what pros would call showcase.
I paint in a conservatory so it gets warm...
now I am taking more care and time working my way up to what pros would call showcase.
I paint in a conservatory so it gets warm...
RuneBrush
New member
I'd say it might be worth trying out a wet palette to see how you get on with it (lid for a Chinese tub, few layers of kitchen towel and some greaseproof paper). If you get on with it, there's no reason why you can't spend a bit of cash and get/make something a bit more durable, but trying the freebie version will at least give you a feel for it. The paint does behave differently when it's on greaseproof and some people don't get on with it.
I was painting this weekend and was finding the heat was making the paint dry out ridiculously quickly - I don't envy you painting in a conservatory! It has also just dawned on me that I have a wet palette upstairs that I'd forgotten about...
richards2507
New member
I'm going to give it a try, this weekend I tried to paint but it was 34 degrees in the conservatory, the paint was drying on the brush and pallette :-/
I'm going to give a diy wet pallette a try and see if it helps
I'm going to give a diy wet pallette a try and see if it helps
loki_the_black
New member
I think the benefit of a wet depends on your painting style. If you simple do base, shade and highlight in separate steps you probably will not get much benefit. I found a wet palette extremely usefully when I started wet blending and adding nuance colours to the shadows.
Wyrmypops
New member
If it's so hot the moisture from the underside of the wet palette isn't enough, I'd suggest getting some flow-aid and/or slow-dri. I use those two products from Liquitex. Mixed in with some distilled water, I have the mix in an eye-dropper bottle to just squeeze a drop onto whatever paint is on the palette to keep it alive a lot longer.
sippog
New member
I use a wet palette for keeping paints useable but, because it makes them harder to control, I have found the best thing is to transfer a little at a time to a 'dry' palette and do my mixing there. The great use of wet palettes is for touching up areas with some custom paint mix.
It's a good idea to use distilled water to moisten the sponges (less bacteria) and a tip I've started to follow is using wet-wipes instead of paper towels - they smell a lot nicer!
(BTW, if you're a UK resident, you can get everything you need: sponges, tupperware, even wet-wipes; in the 99p shop)
It's a good idea to use distilled water to moisten the sponges (less bacteria) and a tip I've started to follow is using wet-wipes instead of paper towels - they smell a lot nicer!
(BTW, if you're a UK resident, you can get everything you need: sponges, tupperware, even wet-wipes; in the 99p shop)
