Guide - Palettes

Palettes Guide

Most people, when they first venture into miniature painting, use their paints straight from the pot. If you’re only painting your models to get them legally onto a table then this is kindof ok – but if you want anything resembling decent this is a habit you’ll need to drop.

Working straight from the paint pot stops you from being able to manipulate your paints; thinning, using mediums, mixing hues, and risks getting rubbish in them from other colours or materials you’ve used while painting. Obviously if you’re not going to be using your paints straight from the pot anymore you’ll need something else to hold it; a palette.

The basic purpose of a palette is to hold your paint and act as a reservoir for whatever you’ve mixed it up into for use in your painting. But, just as there are a number of types of paint there are a number of different palettes. This little guide is about the differences, how to make a couple of your own, and what you should be paying for what you get.

DIY Palettes

The only thing you really need to worry about with a palette is that it won’t absorb your paint – anything non-porous like plastics, ceramics, even metal/foil. You can clean out any tub or lid after finishing the butter, or a chinese takeaway,  or even some of the packaging from deliveries. (Some people use the blister packaging some of their models come in.)

Plates, plates with cling film on, and oddly enough the shiney side of CDs make very good palettes.

Of course – DIY palettes cost nothing. Use whatever spares you have in your home.

Dimple Palette

Dimple palettes have concave holes. This dip allows paint to pool and prevents it from drying so quickly by minimizing contact with the air and palette surface. You can get them in plastic and ceramic, but there’s no reason to ever spend more than a couple of pounds on one. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, with a different number of dimples and different sized dimples. Best to start out with one of the round 10 dimple palettes. I have a few and they are awesome.

Kidney Palette

Named after their shape, kidney palettes were traditionally used with acrylics and oils. Normally they are flat, as with oils you do not need to worry about them drying out; now they tend to have wells in around a large flat section. Not ideal for painting unless you are going to be standing up as you either risk your acrylics drying out on the flat palettes or have to hold the palette up if you use one with rounded dimples in. Decent ones are only a pound or two.

Disposable Palettes

Sheets of paper or parchment, sometimes with one side laminated/waxed, bound together in a pad. Rip one off to use or use a sheet then rip it out and throw it away when you’ve finished. I wouldn’t recommend them because normal plastic palettes are really easy to clean, these don’t have wells, you have to buy replacements, and so on. Not great for repetitive miniature painting. Cost about £4 for a half decent 40 leaf pad though.

Wet Palette

Wet palettes prevent your paints from drying out – some people have left their paints for days at a time and haven’t had to worry about them drying out. It’s especially useful if you are using a unique blend of paints so you don’t have to remake them each time, or if you’re only doing tiny bits of painting at a time and don’t want to have to waste paint. They are excellent and amazingly useful.

You can buy them – but you will run into a starting price tag of £15, most closer to £25. It is really easy to make one. Wet palettes work through osmosis; as water evaporates from your paints they absorb some back from a water source below a semi-permeable membrane.

All you need is a sponge or some kitchen paper, some greaseproof or baking paper (not waxed), some water, and a container. Fold your kitchen paper up and then squidge it into your container. Pour on water until it is just at the point of not absorbing anymore. Lay a sheet of your baking paper on top and voila – a wet palette! Just plop your paints on as normal.