Rising Damp : Making a Wet Palette

No Wet Leopards were harmed during the making of this post.

Fairly short post today as I have it appears, located my painting mojo. Whilst I have the little critter pinned down and muzzled, I'm cracking on with my marines and a tactical squad is nearing completion...for that I'll allow myself a little Huzzah!

What I did want to share with you is a handy tool that is aiding my return to painting, the Wet Palette. It's another one of those things I was aware of but never got round to trying out until now and I'm not exaggerating when I say this simple device is a revelation.

For those that have been living in Vault 101 like me, the idea of a Wet Palette is to stop the acrylic paints you are using from drying out so quickly. It allows you to lay out a base or blended colour and work with it for extended periods without need to resort to a thinning agent or top up a fresh paint; this not only helps keep your colours consistent but also saves on paint.

Here is how I made mine...

Kit List

Plastic Container with Lid
Sponge
Baking Paper aka Parchment Paper
Scissors
Water

Using your sponge as a guide for size, measure and cut out a strip of baking paper; the type of paper you use is important as it needs to allow moisture to pass between the sponge and the paint without breaking down, baking paper performs this task admirably.

Take your plastic container, here I'm using one from my Wife’s vast Tupperware collection and hoping like hell she doesn't notice its gone AWOL.

The container should be big enough to hold a decent amount of water but not too deep that it'll hamper easy access to the Palette and ideally have a lid with a decent seal; this'll extend the life of the paint when not in use.

Place your sponge in the container and top up with enough water so that the sponge is saturated but not floating around.

Lay your piece of baking paper on the sponge, it may curl at first, if so just turn it over and there you have it; one Wet Palette ready to see service.

I've been using it for two days now and my initial mixes of paint are as good as if I'd just stuck my brush in the pot, awesome...