Help Different paints acting different in the wet pallet...

[tom ndege]

Hi there... after I improved my wet pallet by using sponge towel instead of paper towels I find that he colors usually suck up a lot of water and thinn down them self when left in over night to a point that I have to add some paint before I can paint as usual... Vallejo paints therefore tend to dry out as before... or even quicker... half an hour and they're in this crumbly consistency that no longer allows you to paint with them...
Anyone made similar experience with colors in a wet pallet? And more importantly does someone know how to solve this? Adding retarder can't be the solution, can it?

Here a picture of my pallet...

 

[Aginor]

Ok, that's really strange. I have never had the problem with paints drying in the wet palette.
Question: What kind of paper do you use? I use parchment paper (the paper for baking cookies). Which IMO is better than either normal paper or wax paper.

Ever since I heard about wet palettes (from the Youtuber known as Atom Smasher) I have used it, and I am usually quite happy with how the paints act. Observations:

- Paints get a bit thinner. Which is understandable because water gets added
- Some shades (for example Reikland fleshshade) can result in a bit more effect with added water. Not quickly though, usually no problem unless you add water on purpose
- some paints are already so thin, you shouldn't keep them in a wet palette for longer (such as a night). An example is Deep Blue by Army Painter.
- metallic colors behave differently to others. The water changes their flow more than for others. When painting details I often do not put them into the wet palette.
- if you want to drybrush it is preferable to not use a wet palette.

 

[Ritual]

My vallejo air paints go to shit overnight in a wet pallet. Most of the GW metallics separate too.

I wouldn't consider a wet pallet super useful for storing many points overnight, more for stopping them drying out as you're using them "live" so to speak.

Having said that, quite a few of the thicker GW ones survive just fine for days..

 

[Aginor]

I wouldn't consider a wet pallet super useful for storing many points overnight, more for stopping them drying out as you're using them "live" so to speak.

That's also my main use for the wet palette. If you have small drops of paint on a dry palette it dries faster than you can paint, and I hate wasting color. The wet palette definitely helps with that.

 

[n810]

Have you tried a ceramic palette ?

 

[tom ndege]

So I use baking paper or some leftovers from my 90g transparent paper from drawing plans... but it's definitely the colors that make the mess... I have gw and Vallejo in the same pallet... maybe there's some chemical in the sponge towel that the colors are reacting with?

And I haven't tried a ceramic pallet... only plastic...

And as a last point... the separation of the colors into pigment on the ground and a watery medium above it is quite common if you store them for more than just a few hours but that can often times be solved by mixing it up again with an older brush...