I have been painting for many years. As an artist that likes acrylic paint, it has been hard to find a palette that I like. I have been modifying what I use until I finally have one that I think I am going to keep.
These were my issues - keeping paint from drying out
-keeping paint from molding
-not too big and bulky if you are going to take is somewhere
-ability to lay flat in the carrier
-a mixing area that does not dry out
-easy to clean
The only other concern that I have not solved with this yet (and may be with the use of a clear medium) is the color shift issue. I had read that the color shift can happen by using water with your paint instead of medium but still working on that.
What I was using up to this point was a Rubbermade cake taker as the container to hold my paint. My paint was on a clipboard where I used the disposable palette sheets. Under that clipboard I had a couple of sheets of damp paper towel to keep the disposable sheet damp. There were a few clips holding this palette sandwich together. It would work well but not all disposable palette sheets are the same. Some were more plasticy and didn't do what I would like. I always meant to experiment with parchment paper cut into squares. It did mostly what I wanted it to do. The Cake Taker/carrier did get bulky but I was able to put some other things in there like brushes or tools. I also had a couple of pennies in there because I read online something about how that helps.
I had also said size was an issue. I substitute teach and sometimes I have a prep time or lunch where I could work on my art. I wanted something small that I could have a little bit of paint in. It has to fit into my tote that I put my lunch in. I also am always thinking of plein air where maybe I would have to hike in or haul my things on my back and small is a good thing. For awhile I used a small palette with capped cups on the side. I was able to use it for taking my paint with and limit my palette (I think it had 10-12 cups with caps for paint) but the mixing area was unusuable because the acrylic paint would stick when dry and you couldn't get it off. I still like the idea of it if you want to use it as a paint taker and mix on something else like a plastic lid.
I had been looking for a different type of palette - one that I could mix on and have capped fresh paint off to the side so I am not always having to go back to the bin of paint and dig around looking around for the tubes. I envy the oil painters that they can put it on their palette, close it up and it is ready to go. I found plenty of palettes with wells on the side for the paint and an open palette, but there was nothing that I saw that had the capped containers. I even tried the acrylic palette where the dry paint is supposed to peel off but it still dried on the plastic and yes it came off, but you would have to work to get the little remainer pieces off.
This is my invention. I figure I am putting this idea out there to share to help other frustrated acrylic artists. My example is using the smaller Masterson Stay-Wet palette in the center with their disposable sheet and sponge underneath ( but you could do something else like my previous version using a small clipboard with the layer of palette and paper towel in some sort of low, tight closing plastic container). I am using paint cups in strips that I got from Michaels that are on the side and across the top. I have velcro holding the the palette and the cups onto a painted/primed 11"x14" board (which Michaels only carried them for a short time as a wood painting surface). I leave room for my thumbs to hold it toward the bottom. This palette I can put on a shelf and put things on top of it because it is closed up. I can use it with my plein air set-up. The paint cups and the palette are attached via velcro so you can remove them to clean or change out if you want. I did find larger cups that I put at the top for medium. If I want to take something smaller when I go to paint remotely, I can load the paint on the palette and remove it from the board and take it that way.
Cup set-up : I have the row of cups at the top and one down the side next to the palette. I also have another shorter row of cups. The long rows are still connected via their containers but there is also a strip of velcro on the bottom. My larger medium containers and the containers on the far edge are individual cups with their own small piece of velcro on the bottom. This is so you can have a place to put specifically mixed colors for a painting. I made this with velcro on the paint pots so if you wanted to clean it you could but also if you want to switch your color palette you can. You might not always want to paint landscapes and want to paint some flowers which might have different colors. You could then just remove the one strip and replace with a new strip of a different color palette. I had primed /painted the board before adhering the velcro in the hopes for better adhesion but haven't tested the ripping the strip off yet to see if it helps. I also put a piece of velcro on the cap of my spray bottle and stuck it on the side strip of velcro so I do not lose that.
Anyway, I am please that this has solved a problem for me. I hope that it will be helpful to you too if you are frustrated with acrylic set-ups. I will,at another time, show you my plein air set-up and you can see how the palette works with situation also.
Have fun!
-Julie
