Wet Pallette

[CreganTur]

I finally made the switch to painting with a wet pallette last night, and I have to say that I love it! I\'m getting incredible mileage out of less paint, and i feel like I have more control over blending and even painting.

I created my own using the tutorial over at BrushThralls on making one out of a warmachine\'s blister. The parchment paper works great, but I do have one issue I\'d like some advice on:

my paint beads on the wet pallette. If I mix paint, it spreads over the area as I\'m mixing, but as soon as I finish it beads up. Is too much moisture causing this, or is in another issue? Also, I\'m finding that paints left for a while will separate, so I have to mix them before use.

 

[BPI]

Hi CreganTur, I recently did similar & it\'s been interesting to learn how I can make use of it. I have found that small amounts of very thinned paint beads but haven\'t had an issue with that, what\'s the problem? I like the way that they seperate instead of drying out though. If you\'re a slob like me use your brush to stir the paint back up, or use a cocktail stick. But the way the Citadel Foundation paints split is fun, Charadon Granite splits into a thin black that\'s great for shading other colours while the sludgy green/grey pales up with bleached bone or Rotting Flesh nicely. Citadel Jungle Green splits into a nice bright Turquoisy green that mixes/glazes nicely as well. Switching pallette has definitely been one of those \"big steps\" in painting for me, opened up all sorts of new options. If anyone out there hasn\'t given it a go, it need only cost a couple of quid to try out. B.

 

[Einion]

They\'re great aren\'t they? You\'ll find it hard to believe you struggled so long without one!

Originally posted by CreganTur
The parchment paper works great, but I do have one issue I\'d like some advice on:

my paint beads on the wet pallette. If I mix paint, it spreads over the area as I\'m mixing, but as soon as I finish it beads up. Is too much moisture causing this, or is in another issue?

I don\'t think it\'s excess moisture, I think it\'s the nature of the paper you\'re using.

Originally posted by CreganTur
Also, I\'m finding that paints left for a while will separate, so I have to mix them before use.

That\'s common - some pigments are heavy, some are light (very light) and the lighter ones will tend to rise in a fluid mix and the heavier ones will sink. Some mediums or additives might help with this a bit, but it is a natural phenomenon with very fluid mixtures.

Einion

 

[cleen X]

Tried it one time and didn\'t like it. Maybe I didn\'t make it right
Had a lot of the same problems as Cregan and it just put me off from using one.
I find a ceramic pallete with wells gives just as much controll, and since I paint with very diluted paints it doesn\'t dry. I\'ve had paints stay on the pallete overnight and just slightly diluted them again next morning to get the same consistency.

Guess it\'s all about personally like

 

[Einion]

One of the key differences in practice is with teeny amounts of mixed colour, the kind of thing you might make on the spot using the brush, just before you apply it to the model.

Even with a quantity about the equivalent of a single drop from a Vallejo bottle, on a ceramic tile (here at least) it takes maybe 10 minutes max before it\'s completely dried. Of course if you\'re working with it constantly you can keep it \'topped up\' by adding a bit of water with a damp brush to maintain about the same consistency; I did this myself for years and years.

But the thing is you don\'t have to do anything with a wet palette - you can leave that same amount of paint untouched and uncovered for four, six hours and it\'ll still be usable.

Einion

 

[Avelorn]

My advice is to try it again.. now when I\'ve switched I am not going back. I can for example just take colours and wet blend them on the paper and get every shade I need for the highlight/shading process. The process is quicker and the result is better.

 

[Show Case Studio]

i use the p3 wet paleette and there paper sheets, and i dont have any problem with beading, and i must admit that since using this i would not go back to my old way of painting.

 

[tomusannonymous]

I stopped using my wet pallete, it was too much trouble and my paints were drying up anyway, i find it easier to use on of those pallettes with hemispherical cups in it, just keep it wet ...and you dont have to worry about it spreading out too much