Picking a Palette

One of the essential tools in an artist's arsenal is the palette. But did you know that palettes come in various shapes, sizes, and materials, each with its own unique benefits?

In this beginner-friendly blog post, we'll take a closer look at the different types of painting palettes, helping you understand their purposes and guiding you in choosing the right one for your artistic endeavors. Whether you're dipping your toes into the world of painting or looking to expand your knowledge, let's explore the colorful spectrum of painting palettes together.

Timber Palettes

Best for:

Oils

Advantages:

• Durability and longevity
• Comfortable to hold

Disadvantages:

• May absorb paint and subsequently stain
• Bulkier to transport

Hot tip:

Look into seasoning your palette with linseed oil before use. This will seal it to lessen paint / pigment absorption! 

Plastic Palettes

Best for:

Watercolours and acrylics

Advantages:

• Light and easy to hold
• Reasonably easy to clean

Disadvantages:

• Sometimes may be too lightweight for painters who enjoy the tactile nature of using a palette

Hot tip:

If your palette is stained with paint, paint pure white over it and seal. It won’t be smooth, but you’ll have a fresh surface for colour mixing!

 

Glass Palettes

Best for:

Oils and acrylics

Advantages:

• It’s easy to colour-match; simply place your class palette on top of your colour for simple mixing!
• Very easy to clean
• Very smooth, making blending easy

Disadvantages:

• Sometimes clunky and/or heady
• Can be difficult to hold ad is suited almost solely to tabletop use

Hot tip:

(Safely) use a sharp razorblade to scrape dried paint off the surface

 

Disposable Palettes

/ Paper palette pads

Best for:

Acrylics, oils

Advantages:

• Convenient to use – just tear off used sheets!
• Affordable (especially for large groups of people!)

Disadvantages:

• Can be hard to use with a palette knife, due to the surface being relatively unstable

Hot tip:

Paper palettes come in different sizes and colours; check out our range of Grey and Timber-toned pads!

 

Ceramic Palettes

Best for:

Acrylics, oils, watercolours

Advantages:

• Very smooth mixing surface
• The cool nature of ceramics may slow the drying time of paint

Disadvantages:

• Breakable; artists must use care when using a ceramic palette
• Heavy to hold for long periods of time

Hot tip:

Soak a dirty ceramic palette in warm, soapy water for half an hour and watch hardened paint peel right off!

 

Stay-Wet Palettes

Best for:

Acrylics, watercolours and gouache

Advantages:

• Increases paint working time from minutes to days!
• Lessens paint waste

Disadvantages:

• More moisture within the palette may mean less precision in blending colours

Hot tip:

Cover your Stay-Wet palette often while using (even if only for 10-15 minutes!) to retain moisture.

 

Acrylic / Plexiglass Palettes

Best for:

Acrylics

Advantages:

• Very easy to clean
• Smooth surface makes blending and colour matching easy

Disadvantages:

• May show scratches over time (especially if using palette knives)

Hot tip:

Keep paint swatches to the outside borders, and keep the middle clear for blending and colour matching!