Using a Wet Palette

[bandit86]

I use one that I bought a Michaels, along with a stack of wet palette paper they are cheaper than the ones made for the hobby.  I use to use a blister pack with the foam and the wet palette paper but I moved to the larger one for more space.

[Muskie]

Well again I think one of the advantages of using a wet palette would be when painting a set of uniformed miniatures.  You can keep painting without having to re-open you color pots multiple times to get more paint
out. 

I think I will try the suggestions here and make my own wet palate from tupperware...

Darkoath

This was the point I tried to make.  It thins your paint, maybe a little too much sometimes, but some people must not thin their paint, they just gob it on based on pics they post online.  It is kinda sad that with all the resources available to people they don't take advantage of them, yet blog...

Anyway if you make a mistake even on a single figure you're working on, you can sometimes quickly fix it.  Of course you can open the pot up again too.  Another thing I do to erase mistakes is just use another brush to un-brush the paint right off the model.

I keep using mine, it is kind of a habit.  Sometimes I do without it, other times even though I basically paint rank-and-file models not award winning miniatures, I use it.  I'll be painting some characters for my Astronomi-con Vancouver army in a week or two.  Those will give it more of a work out.  I'll be blogging it, to fight the encroaching tide of ignorance...

Cheers,

[Muskie]

I keep using the P3 Wet Palette, but it isn't always in my best interest, neither is GW Flesh Wash the older one in the blue lids.  I got a pile of it that I seem to have been given but it always does weird things when I use it.  It separates and this time it turned my flesh orange...

Oh and using the palette all the time thins your paint a lot, it might be better to base coat your model with less thinned paint and use the wet palette for highlights.  These are some lessons I learned painting plaguebearers last night.

[Orctrader]

Oh and using the palette all the time thins your paint a lot

A wet palette does NOT thin the paint.  If it does, yours is too damp.

As mentioned, I use a home-made one.  Its sole purpose is to keep the paint "workable."  I thin by adding water.

[Muskie]

A wet palette does NOT thin the paint.  If it does, yours is too damp.

As mentioned, I use a home-made one.  Its sole purpose is to keep the paint "workable."  I thin by adding water.

I guess I'll try less water, but the edges roll up something fierce even as is.  I flip the paper once or twice before I put any paint on it...

[Thargor]

I've used one in the past, which I made myself.  It was the back of a Confrontation blister pack with the foam from the blister laid in it.  Add water and a bit of greaseproof paper from the kitchen.  As others have said, it's great when painting a group of figures in the same colours, but it really comes into it's own when you're blending.

[Muskie]

This thread doesn't die.  I found an instructional video of sorts for using the Wet Palette, the P3 one.  I think summer weather interferes with it, but I'm on to painting dirt and building movement trays so it is probably drying out rapidly.

Here is the video on my blog:

http://musksminiatures.wordpress.com/2010/07/21/ye-olde-wet-palette-tutorial/

[Rabbitz]

I use one and find it really speeds up my painting,  I can mix colours and come back to them without worrying they have dried up.  the paint stays 'workable'for a nice long time.
Mine is home made and cost me $3 AUS

[Gluteus Maximus]

I've only just noticed this thread, which is very serendipitous as recently I've been finding my paint keeps drying up too quickly. I think it's due to my needing much brighter lighting because my eyesight's getting worse 

This is a ready made solution to (some of) my problems and hopefully it will help me actually get some decent work done.

A belated thanks to all those who have contributed 

[Muskie]

Just trying to help people paint better, someone else started the thread, someone else made the video, but I spend too much time alone at night online so...

Yeah less said the better.   

[Delaney]

I have tried several wet palettes- they are worth exploring.

Go for low sided tupperware- I found a 'pastry keeper' the best so far- nice and low and very wide.
If you go foam, you will get mould forming if you leave it for a few days- the smell is pretty bad.  You can rinse this in shower mould killer and leave it in the sun to refresh it.  The chemical residue in the mould killer do not seem to have any effect on VMC, citadel or Reaper paints that I can tell.

I now use mainly wet kitchen towel and a double layer of bakers paper so I can ditch the palette quickly without having to go through cleaning.

I also use de-mineralised water from a bottle rather than tap water- you will notice the difference if you do thin glazes and juicing, and my guess is using pre-boiled water may stave off the mould- but I haven't tried it.

I found VMC matte medium in the wet palette mix seems to help bind the paint together over the course of a few days- otherwise you will find the paint can separate quite a bit- especially the cyan components in flesh tones.

Anyhoo- two thumbs up for wet palettes.

btw- dollar ice cube containers and pill keepers make wonderful well palettes for washes.

[jthomlin]

The main point of a wet palette is to keep your paint workable for longer, it's also invaluable if you mix paints a lot like I do.

I use a plastic container for mine but rather than the container, I use the lid as the palette. The lid lip is just high enough for a thin sponge and I don't have the problem of the edge of the container getting in the way of the brush. The particular container I use also has a rubber seal which keeps everything air-tight between sessions. The lid is also held down by plastic latches which makes it much easier to take the 'top' (in my case the bottom) off when reusing an already loaded palette.

One issue I have found is the tendency for a film of water to form on larger 'blobs' of paint between sessions and make the paint too thin to be usable. Reducing the amount of water in the sponge helps fix the problem.

Someone also mentioned that the paper tends to curl when first laid down, I get that regularly but find that given time it will unravel and lay flat.

[Captain Blood]

Plastic takeaway container lid. Wad of sodden kitchen towel with a square of greaseproof paper on top.
Cost - virtually zero. Takes - 30 seconds to set up.
Just tried it. Like it. Works a treat.

Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? 

[Gluteus Maximus]

Plastic takeaway container lid. Wad of sodden kitchen towel with a square of greaseproof paper on top.
Cost - virtually zero. Takes - 30 seconds to set up.
Just tried it. Like it. Works a treat.

Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? 

Well, if it's good enough for LPL champions, it's good enough for me 

Must get some grease-proof paper and give it a go later.