Marc Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 I’ve been doing a fair amount of research, watching various YouTube videos, etc. about wet pallets, trying to decide if I want to get one and try it out. I’m curious - how many folks use a wet pallet or have tried to use one? How many use dry pallets? Anyone try a wet pallet and decide it wasn’t for them? Thoughts, opinions, and real world experience welcome! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2ED Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 I only use a wet palette. My location is way too dry for it to be any other way. It made a significant jump in my painting by keeping my mixed cold and blends consistent longer. I do use a dry palette for metallics though. Army painter Redgrass Masterson They are all really the same. The thing that makes the biggest difference is the type of paper. I like the Kirkland parchment paper, but you can likely use other kinds. I hope you go for the wet palette. Huge jump in my paint work and layering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmorse Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 To try out a wet palette just get some parchment paper and set it on a damp paper towel. If you don't like it use the rest of the parchment paper to make cookies. Using both is my preference. The wet keeps paint from drying out too fast, but there are paints that will seperate or get too runny. If you are looking for a good dry palette consider a Pop-It fidget toy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranky Dog Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Ever since I got my wet palette, I struggle to go back to using dry. Sure, wet palettes have a bit more prep time and can get messy of you travel with them, but I find them far less wasteful as that drop of paint lasts a lot longer. And it makes blending two or more colors on the palette much simpler. And with a bit of flow enhancer, I can really thin them a lot without losing consistency, great for glazing. I use a Masterson Sta-Wet with the original sponge, original paper *and* parchment paper. It may be unnecessary to use the original paper, but I find the combo gives me the right balance of dampness as well as protecting the sponge from accidentally tearing out the parchment. As for mold. I never had any, but maybe it's because I prep my palette with boiling water. But I've ignored my palette for months without any growth. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenPiggy Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 I always used a dry palette until I went to ReaperCon last year. While there, I saw almost everyone using wet palettes, usually the makeshift ones from the paper plates, paper towels, and parchment paper Reaper provided. So I gave it a try and haven't really felt any need to go back for ordinary painting. I'm not sure whether it improved my painting, but I do like it better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inarah Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 I've used both. If you've been watching videos you know they have different qualities. I can't say one is better than the other, it's a matter of personal preference. Try it and decide what works best for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOLA Chris Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 4 hours ago, GoldenPiggy said: I always used a dry palette until I went to ReaperCon last year. While there, I saw almost everyone using wet palettes, usually the makeshift ones from the paper plates, paper towels, and parchment paper Reaper provided. So I gave it a try and haven't really felt any need to go back for ordinary painting. I'm not sure whether it improved my painting, but I do like it better. same experience here! 🙂 I'm quite happy with the wet palette, (I still use dry when doing dry-brushing techniques) Chris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted August 1 Author Share Posted August 1 I'm very intrigued by the WetNDri Paint Tray Pallet I don't think we are allowed to post product links, but Amazon sells it. Anyone have this one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olaf the Stout Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 I started using a wet palette about a year ago. It’s a big help for when I’m mixing several slightly different blends of a colour. I find some paints are more affected than others by the wet palette. For example, Pro Acryl separates very quickly on the wet palette compared to other paints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zemjw Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 I use one all the time, and have for many years. It is useful for mixes, but mostly I like the fact that I can paint for an hour or more without having to worry about the paint drying out on the pallete, no matter what the temperature is. It is also handy to be able to reactivate paints days later to touch up something (doesn't always work, but it saves a bit of time when it does). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmorse Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 On 8/1/2023 at 3:33 PM, Marc said: I'm very intrigued by the WetNDri Paint Tray Pallet I don't think we are allowed to post product links, but Amazon sells it. Anyone have this one? No experience with that particular one, but since in use there is little to no difference between the fanciest most expensive wet palleted ever and baking sheets on damp paper towel it's probably fine. At worst the paper will suck and you'll need to buy parchment paper to replace it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparrowMarie Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 On 7/31/2023 at 7:23 PM, Marc said: I’ve been doing a fair amount of research, watching various YouTube videos, etc. about wet pallets, trying to decide if I want to get one and try it out. I’m curious - how many folks use a wet pallet or have tried to use one? How many use dry pallets? Anyone try a wet pallet and decide it wasn’t for them? Thoughts, opinions, and real world experience welcome! I have used two different wet pallets. The Masterson's Handy Palette and the Game Envy Exemplar Palette. They both have their issues but they are both great, paper aside. It's definitely a bit of a learning curve. Keeping the palette hydrated is key. Which I'm super bad at. Dry palettes have their place. I don't like wet palettes for washes or metallics. I, overall, love the wet palette when I can use it in conjunction with a dry palette (I like ceramic dry palettes.) Another thing you might try if you hate a wet palette. Keep some cling wrap nearby and use it over your dry palette when you are done. It won't keep them wet forever but it helps. On 8/1/2023 at 1:33 PM, Marc said: I'm very intrigued by the WetNDri Paint Tray Pallet I don't think we are allowed to post product links, but Amazon sells it. Anyone have this one? I've heard good things about this one in passing. My guess is, like many other wet palettes, the paper won't be great and you'll have to replace it with parchment paper (not wax paper). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsya Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 I use both a wet palette and a ceramic palette depending on the paint session. Although where I live is usually moderately humid and my paint doesn’t dry super quick. I mostly use my inks and certain paints like the lighter P3 colors on the dry palette. However I only started using my wet palette on a regular basis about two years ago. Prior I was very hesitant on the change and although I’d use a wet palette on occasion I preferred the dry. At the time I think the issue was I prefer my paint thicker for my base coats and I’d still add water to the paint on the wet palette and it would get too thin for me. Now I don’t add water for my basecoats to the wet palette instead with a moist brush I’ll grab my paint then if needed whisk the paint tip into water and whisk the excess off on a moist towel. I will add a little water on the palette when blending. For my super fine detail such as eyes and freehand I will usually default to my dry palette as I can control the exact amount of water that goes into my paint. Ultimately do what works best for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samedi Posted September 2 Share Posted September 2 User a wet palette for a while. Tried out the dry palette again while painting an old L2PK, to get that "vintage feel" and now I've actually switched back to dry palette for all my projects at the moment. But it depends on your painting style, really. Lots of mixing, long projects, much time to paint, lots of blending? Use a wet palette. Shorter painting sessions with more focus on paint straight out of the bottle or using triads? Drybrushing and washes? Dry palette is all you need. (This is what I do at the moment). Hope that helps... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ced1106 Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 Make a cheap wet palette first, and see if you like it. I only paint to advanced tabletop for gaming, so don't use a wet palette anymore. Not that I have any room on my painting desk for anything larger than the size of a milk carton cap. 😛 And, for dry palettes, I use a milk carton cap. I have a container full of them. When dry, you can also use them with putty as miniature holders! For not-exactly wet palettes, I use craft paint caps and sometimes GW pot lids. Shake the paint, unscrew the cap, and use the craft paint to keep your hobby paint (of a similar shade) wet. The craft paint will likely be a different shade, so you can blend a little of it into the hobby paint. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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