MIXING PALETTES

Mixing palettes are surfaces for preparing and mixing paints. The palette you choose depends on your medium and personal preferences.

PALETTES FOR OIL & ACRYLIC

Wooden Palettes

Traditional wooden palettes offer a flat, lightweight mixing surface for oil paints. The wood color provides a warm middle value so you can better judge your paint values as you mix. Wooden pallets are not the best choice for acrylic paint, which dries quickly and adheres to the wood.

Wooden Palette

Plastic Palettes

White plastic palettes are smooth, lightweight, and inexpensive mixing surfaces. Many are simple and flat, whereas others feature shallow wells to keep paint colors separate. If using acrylic, you can easily clean the plastic using soap and warm water; if using oil, you can clean the surface using a cloth and solvent.

Plastic Palette

SETTING UP A PALETTE

Artists often organize the colors on their palettes to maintain consistency and order as they paint. Consider placing your colors in “rainbow order” followed by earth tones, black, and white. Place the colors along the edges of your palette, leaving plenty of room for mixing in the middle.

Clear Palettes

Sheets of plexiglass or tempered glass make excellent tabletop mixing surfaces for oil and acrylic.

Palette Paper

Palette paper comes in pads and disposable sheets. The paper is poly-coated for a smooth, moisture-resistant finish.

Palette Paper

Sealed Trays

Many artists use shallow, airtight containers for storing their palettes. You can use the plastic bottom directly for mixing paint, but most artists use the containers to store disposable or handheld palettes.

Sealed Tray

PALETTES FOR WATERCOLOR

Simple Welled Watercolor Palettes

Simple Welled Palettes

The fluid nature of watercolor and gouache calls for palettes with wells for containing mixes. White plastic palettes are an economical choice, as they are lightweight and easy to clean, but some artists opt for uncoated aluminum, which offers a bright, reflective surface that is durable and resistant to rust.

Travel Palettes

Sometimes referred to as portable palettes, compact palettes, or watercolor boxes, these convenient folding palettes snap shut for painting on the go.

Potted Palettes

These palettes come with a number of lidded pots that line mixing wells. The pots keep water-based paints—such as watercolor, gouache, and acrylic—moist and ready to mix.

Potted Palettes