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Choosing the best palette for acrylic painting depends on your personal preferences, painting style, and the size of your artworks. Here are some considerations and popular options:
1. Traditional Wooden Palettes: (With or without Thumb hole)
This is something I used when first starting out with oil painting. My father actually made it for me (with a hole using Masonite sheet) and it served its purpose well as the oils didn’t tend to dry out on it back in the day. However now that I have transitioned to acrylics- I only use this for small paintings and usually wrap it in glad wrap to mix paint on and to ensure acrylics remain moist for longer.
· These palettes are a popular choice for acrylic painters because they are durable, easy to clean, and provide a natural surface for mixing colors- as mentioned above- your acrylics will dry out quicker as the wood absorbs, so not ideal for larger projects if you want to keep your mixed paints for reuse.
· Look diligently for wooden palettes with a smooth, sealed surface as this makes cleaning dried acrylic paint much easier. (I have used a lacquered wooden palette- it didn’t hold up so well with the lacquer finish peeling and mixing in with the paints.
· With Thumbhole- is much more comfortable to use and hold.
2. Acrylic Palette Paper:
A great option again for smaller- quicker projects where you are not needing to reuse the paints.
· Disposable palette pads or sheets made of acrylic palette paper are convenient for easy cleanup. Once you've finished your painting session, you can tear off the sheet and start with a fresh palette next time.
· These pads often come with a non-absorbent coating, allowing the paint to stay workable for longer.
Look for: Mont Marle, Arttec, Meeden or go to Jackson Art Supplies for a look around
Picture from Artshed online
3. Acrylic Palette with wells:
· Some palettes are designed with small wells or compartments around the edge to hold individual colors. This can be useful for keeping colors separate and organized, I personally have foud these quite messy and not allowing enough room to free up.
· These palettes may be made of plastic or other materials and can be easy to clean, yes easy to clean- not 100% on keeping paints moist long term- so in my opinion, suits a more rigid style of painting and a moderate project.
4. Sta-Wet palettes
These are my absolute favourite palettes.
Picture from Artsup Website
You can small ones and large ones and once you complete your painting (Which could be 2 months doen the track, the left over paint can be remixed into a fresh palette. I only use Masterson Sta-Wet palette.
You can find these at all good art Stores and Amazon around the world.
Here in Australia, I find the paints last well for up to a month in Summer then longer for the rest of the year. A better option for plein air as doesn’t dry out so quick- great for plenty of room to free up with your mixing and retain paints for the next session. These palettes have saved my sanity in large projects when having to come and go from the painting.
· Stay-wet palettes have a special membrane and then disposable paper that keeps the paint moist for a longer period, reducing the likelihood of drying out during a painting session.
· These palettes are beneficial for artists who work slowly or want to keep their paint mixtures consistent over an extended period.
· Works best with “Structured” Acrylics as “flow’ Acrylics tend to run and spread into each other if left unused.
· These palettes also have an airtight lid for safe storage of your palette
5. Glass Palettes
Not something I have extensively used- I found these better than wood as not as absorbent- yet the inability to keep the palette for later use, can be frustrating.
· Glass palettes are smooth and easy to clean, providing a non-absorbent surface for mixing colors. Some artists prefer glass palettes for their clarity, allowing them to see the true colors of their mixtures.
· No ability to reuse the palette as can not cover to retain the paints.
· Be careful- it is glass- it can break, I have seen some artists have glass on a wooden block- like a rollaway chopping block type of thing. This would be pretty handy!
After doing some quick research- ones like New Wave look pretty good.
Picture from Senior art website
6. Custom Made Palettes:
· Some artists prefer to create their own palettes using materials like plexiglass or acrylic sheets. This allows for customization of size and shape.
If you are pretty handy then you can make your own- and if you have access to such materials mentioned above.
A palette on a simple smooth hard plastic chopping board will do, trialling them as you go you will begin to understand how they limit or enhance your painting experience and how you want to paint, trying different types to find what feels most comfortable and suits your painting style
Ultimately, the best palette for you will depend on your personal preferences, workflow, and the specific requirements of your painting projects.
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