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Stay Wet Palette - DIY
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Message
Posted
Due to the price of Stay Wet palettes (such as Mastersons) for acrylic painting many people like to make their own. Yesterday I came across a container in The Range store that I think will suit my needs - and it was only £2.99!
Made of sturdy transparent plastic (Tupperware strength or near), it is rectangular measuring approx 12" X 9" with a depth of 2". The lid is also transparent and is 1" deep fitting quite well over the base.
I know this is quite large but as I paint during the summer in my shed it will fit on my table perfectly. I also think it may be suitable to use with my new French easel (showing off here!) to use plein air. Admittedly I haven't tested it yet butI will report back after a trial period.
Rummaging around under the sink I came across a pack of sponge cloth from Sainsburys (other brands available!). I intend to use two of them from the pack of 4, cut to size for the base layer and top off with baking paper.
Hope this is of use to some of you and, by the way, I have no connection with The Range or Sainsburys!
Posted
A great idea John and well worth passing on.
A lovely friend of mine , now sadly in that big studio in the sky ran a local painting group. They had a communal canvas and at the end of each session they all used up that days paint on the community painting. How it eventually evolved I don’t know. Though he possibly made a million selling it as an early Jackson Pollock .
Posted
I paint in acrylics and use the Sta-wet handy palette (about the same size sponge as a regular kitchen type). I've substituted with a kitchen sponge before and it has dried out quicker than the (expensive) artists sponge. So whilst the price of them seems to have escalated over the years, I still opt for the branded sponge amd paper sheets.
My mother, however, uses a 'just damp' J-cloth in a shallow dish with a reseable lid, and she's happy with that. She's not as lazy as me though, and will use the paint in a few days whereas as I'm more likely to leave it more than a few days.
I'd be interested to know, John, if your palette experiment worked out.
Edited
by Helen Martell
Posted
I increasingly work in acrylic these days but, possibly because of the way I paint, I have never found the need for a wet palette. Is it that those who use them work in a more detailed (photorealistic?) way to me? I simply squirt out enough paint for my immediate needs and at the end of a session there is rarely, if ever, any paint left over.
Posted
I have tried various ways of keeping acrylic paints damp as certainly during the summer months in the warm studio I use they go hard very quickly.
I had been using greaseproof paper over white paper kitchen towel cut to size in either a stay wet palette or similar container! Worked reasonably well for short periods but the paper did degrade.
However, in my search for better alternatives I bought a packet of Masterson Sta-Wet "Painters Pal" for £15 on Amazon. This was for a pack of 30 sheets. I have to say that I have been absolutely amazed by them. They need to be put in hot water before use and in my case cut down to the right size for the palette. But I have used them in a covered palette over two sheets of wet/damp kitchen roll and one side of the Masterson paper lasted me at least 3 weeks! This was recently rather than during the hot summer. Strong as well, since I was then able to scrape off the majority of old paint and turn the sheet over and use the other side. The sheet never actually tore and I only stopped using it as I got my oils out for another painting. According to the instructions I could have scraped the paint off and washed it to use again, although having a pack of 30 I didn't.
Posted
Get yourself the largest clear plastic box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates you can find, eat all the contents and then use the box as the basis of a stay wet palette. Dual purpose and doing your bit for the environment as box is very usefully recycled. Absolutely perfect, close fitting lid and you can see the contents. I've got two! Also makes good present for spouse/partner so brownie points earned and you get to keep the box 🙂
