Everyone else and their grandma seem to have a modelling/painting/WiP thread here, so here's the start of my own feeble attempt.
DIY Wet Palette
If you don't know what a wet palette is, it's pretty much what it sounds like. It's a palette that you mix your paints on, that is also wet. But because of the greaseproof baking paper in-between, it keeps your acrylic paints from drying out without watering them down, and without letting the paint seep down into the sponge. In other words, it's magic! If you have never tried one, make sure you do the next time you sit down to paint. It takes about 2 minutes to make a simple one and it will change your life. Before I started using one of these about half of the paint that came out of the pot would end up dried on my normal palette, or worse, on the brush.
Now you may be wondering, why I would bother to make another wet palette tutorial when there are hundreds already out there. The reason is because I simply wasn't satisfied with the others. Or to put it another way, I'm a picky b**tard when it comes to tools.
The Current Offerings
Most of the DIY options out there use a plastic tub of some sort. Either with the sponge in the base
which would mean I'd have to stab my brushes downwards into the paint (not good).
Or the sponge in the lid
which is better, but still leaves you with a large tub base you'll need to cover the lid with to keep the paints fresh when not in use.
Some use an old plastic blister pack from a miniature
This is smaller and better, but a bit flimsy.
On the commercial side things aren't a whole lot better. Like this Frisk Acrylic Keep-Wet Palette:
You know that vacuum-formed plastic is going to crack after 10 uses. And this thing costs £12.
Or this Small Daler Rowney Stay Wet Palette
which is huge. The shortest side is 24 cm!
The P3 Wet Palette is more to-size for miniature painting, but why does it need to be that deep?
Also the hinge is solid plastic, which means the lid will just hang in mid-air at a 45° angle waiting for you to accidentally knock the whole thing over. This thing looks more like a random plastic box with some packing foam in it than a purpose-designed wet palette.
This Everlasting Wet Palette from Redgrass Games is more like it, but at €35 each, quite expensive! Also, still in the preorder phase.
To summarise, the current offerings are either too large, too flimsy, too deep, or too expensive. Why not something small, shallow and sturdy for a reasonable price, for those of us that don't have a huge working or storage area, and don't want to dig the paint out from the bottom of a tub?
My Solution
Enter, the Dormy Micro Stamp Pad (the new design, with wider rim and click-shut lid)! At ~£5 this is way more affordable, quite robust, and has proper hinges for the lid.
To make this into a wet palette, tear out the inner sponge covered in ink. Do this in your sink and maybe wear rubber gloves, unless you don't mind your hands being inky. Give the case a thorough wash. The only problem with this case is that water can leak out the back through the small holes where it hinges. But in practice I found this only happens if you turn it on its edge and shake it. If it's a worry, stick some BluTac or Green Stuff in there. I've just left mine open.
Buy some sponge cloths from your local supermarket for ~£1. Cut out a section to go inside the case (11.7 × 7.7 cm). I recommend wetting the sponge first before cutting, as it expands when wet.
Buy some greaseproof baking paper from your local supermarket for ~£1 (not the waxed paper, that stuff will not allow water to permeate). Cut out a section a few mm wider than the exposed sponge area (11 × 6.7 cm). And while you're at it, make a few more, so you have some replacements for when the the old one needs retiring.
Insert the sponge (it's better to have the smoother side on top). Wet it under the tap and let the excess run off (until the stream turns to drips). If the sponge is too dry, there will be large bubbles under the paper and the paint will dry quickly in those patches.
Cover it with the paper and paint! Since the paper was cut a bit wider than the opening I tuck it under the rim to keep it steady during use. The lid is slightly concave, so you can close it without smudging all the paints.
And when you're done, it is small enough to fit in with the rest of your painting supplies.
The paint should keep fresh for weeks, let alone over the course of a single painting session. But don't make the mistake I made of forgetting about it for a few months and discovering that it had gone mouldy!
I would suggest taking the sponge out, washing it with soap and letting it dry once in a while.
DIY Wet Palette
If you don't know what a wet palette is, it's pretty much what it sounds like. It's a palette that you mix your paints on, that is also wet. But because of the greaseproof baking paper in-between, it keeps your acrylic paints from drying out without watering them down, and without letting the paint seep down into the sponge. In other words, it's magic! If you have never tried one, make sure you do the next time you sit down to paint. It takes about 2 minutes to make a simple one and it will change your life. Before I started using one of these about half of the paint that came out of the pot would end up dried on my normal palette, or worse, on the brush.
Now you may be wondering, why I would bother to make another wet palette tutorial when there are hundreds already out there. The reason is because I simply wasn't satisfied with the others. Or to put it another way, I'm a picky b**tard when it comes to tools.
The Current Offerings
Most of the DIY options out there use a plastic tub of some sort. Either with the sponge in the base
which would mean I'd have to stab my brushes downwards into the paint (not good).
Or the sponge in the lid
which is better, but still leaves you with a large tub base you'll need to cover the lid with to keep the paints fresh when not in use.
Some use an old plastic blister pack from a miniature
This is smaller and better, but a bit flimsy.
On the commercial side things aren't a whole lot better. Like this Frisk Acrylic Keep-Wet Palette:
You know that vacuum-formed plastic is going to crack after 10 uses. And this thing costs £12.
Or this Small Daler Rowney Stay Wet Palette
which is huge. The shortest side is 24 cm!
The P3 Wet Palette is more to-size for miniature painting, but why does it need to be that deep?
Also the hinge is solid plastic, which means the lid will just hang in mid-air at a 45° angle waiting for you to accidentally knock the whole thing over. This thing looks more like a random plastic box with some packing foam in it than a purpose-designed wet palette.
This Everlasting Wet Palette from Redgrass Games is more like it, but at €35 each, quite expensive! Also, still in the preorder phase.
To summarise, the current offerings are either too large, too flimsy, too deep, or too expensive. Why not something small, shallow and sturdy for a reasonable price, for those of us that don't have a huge working or storage area, and don't want to dig the paint out from the bottom of a tub?
My Solution
Enter, the Dormy Micro Stamp Pad (the new design, with wider rim and click-shut lid)! At ~£5 this is way more affordable, quite robust, and has proper hinges for the lid.
To make this into a wet palette, tear out the inner sponge covered in ink. Do this in your sink and maybe wear rubber gloves, unless you don't mind your hands being inky. Give the case a thorough wash. The only problem with this case is that water can leak out the back through the small holes where it hinges. But in practice I found this only happens if you turn it on its edge and shake it. If it's a worry, stick some BluTac or Green Stuff in there. I've just left mine open.
Buy some sponge cloths from your local supermarket for ~£1. Cut out a section to go inside the case (11.7 × 7.7 cm). I recommend wetting the sponge first before cutting, as it expands when wet.
Buy some greaseproof baking paper from your local supermarket for ~£1 (not the waxed paper, that stuff will not allow water to permeate). Cut out a section a few mm wider than the exposed sponge area (11 × 6.7 cm). And while you're at it, make a few more, so you have some replacements for when the the old one needs retiring.
Insert the sponge (it's better to have the smoother side on top). Wet it under the tap and let the excess run off (until the stream turns to drips). If the sponge is too dry, there will be large bubbles under the paper and the paint will dry quickly in those patches.
Cover it with the paper and paint! Since the paper was cut a bit wider than the opening I tuck it under the rim to keep it steady during use. The lid is slightly concave, so you can close it without smudging all the paints.
And when you're done, it is small enough to fit in with the rest of your painting supplies.
The paint should keep fresh for weeks, let alone over the course of a single painting session. But don't make the mistake I made of forgetting about it for a few months and discovering that it had gone mouldy!
I would suggest taking the sponge out, washing it with soap and letting it dry once in a while.
