The Complete Guide to Choosing Your Perfect Artist Palette
Choosing the right palette can make or break your artistic experience. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting your creative journey, the surface where you mix your colours plays a crucial role in your painting process. At Art Shed Brisbane, we've helped countless artists find their perfect match, and we're here to guide you through the options.
Timber Palettes
Best for: Oils
Timber palettes are the traditional choice beloved by oil painters for generations. Their durability and longevity make them a worthwhile investment for serious artists, whilst their comfortable grip allows for extended painting sessions without fatigue.
However, timber palettes do have their drawbacks. They may absorb paint and stain over time, and their bulk can make them challenging to transport between locations.
Hot Tip: Look into seasoning your palette with linseed oil before use. This will seal it to lessen paint and pigment absorption, extending your palette's life significantly.
Plastic Palettes
Best for: Watercolour, acrylics
Plastic palettes offer excellent versatility for water-based mediums. They're light and easy to hold, making them perfect for plein air painting or studio work where you prefer handheld mixing. Additionally, they're reasonably easy to clean after each session.
The main consideration with plastic palettes is that they can sometimes feel too lightweight for painters who prefer more substantial tactile feedback during their work.
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, acrylics
Glass palettes excel in colour-matching accuracy and cleanliness. Their very smooth surface is fantastic for blending colours seamlessly, and they're incredibly easy to clean between sessions. The non-porous surface means your colours stay true without absorption.
The trade-offs include their weight, which can make them clunky for handheld use, and they're best suited to tabletop painting setups. Some artists also find them difficult to grip comfortably.
Hot Tip: Safely use a sharp razorblade to scrape dried paint off the surface for effortless cleaning.
Disposable Palettes (Paper Palette Pads)
Best for: Acrylics, oils
Disposable paper palettes offer ultimate convenience; just tear off used sheets when you're finished. They're affordable and eliminate cleanup time entirely, making them perfect for workshops, travel, or quick painting sessions.
However, they can be challenging to use with palette knives and don't provide the most stable surface for vigorous mixing techniques.
Hot Tip: Paper palettes come in different sizes and colours; check out our range of grey and timber-toned pads to find what works best with your colour schemes.
Ceramic Palettes
Best for: Acrylics, oils, watercolour
Ceramic palettes provide an exceptionally smooth mixing surface that's perfect for detailed colour work. The cool ceramic surface actually slows paint drying time, giving you more working time with your colours.
Keep in mind that ceramic palettes are breakable and require careful handling. They can also become heavy during extended handheld use.
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, watercolour, gouache
Stay-wet palettes are game-changers for acrylic painters. They increase paint working time to days rather than hours, significantly reducing paint waste and allowing for extended colour matching sessions.
The increased moisture can sometimes mean less precision in blending colours, which may not suit all painting techniques.
Hot Tip: Cover your stay-wet palette often whilst using (even if only for 10–15 minutes) to retain moisture and maximise your paint's working time.
Acrylic Palettes (Plexiglass)
Best for: Acrylics
Acrylic palettes offer the best of both worlds; they're very easy to clean and provide a smooth surface that makes blending and colour matching effortless. Their transparency also allows for excellent colour assessment.
Over time, these palettes may show scratches, especially if you frequently use palette knives, but this doesn't significantly impact their functionality.
Hot Tip: Keep paint swatches to the outside borders, and keep the middle clear for blending and colour matching to maximise your workspace efficiency.
Finding Your Perfect Match
Your ideal palette depends on your preferred medium, painting style, and working environment. Consider whether you paint primarily in-studio or outdoors, your preferred paint consistency, and how much cleanup time you're willing to invest.
At Art Shed Brisbane, we stock a comprehensive range of artist palettes to suit every painter's needs. Visit us in-store to feel the difference between materials, or browse our collection below to find your perfect painting companion. Remember, the right palette isn't just a tool; it's an extension of your creative process.
