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I blend every single model I paint. I have been mixing blues, oranges, bone colors, and greens for me army for many, many years now (never ending army).I have a slight inconsistency over the years for several different reasons. They aren't terribly noticeable unless you know what you're looking for, but I see them. One such inconsistency is the different mixes of blues, the ratios, etc. So, I started using a wet palette (I know, slow to get on board with the trend, but you know the saying about old dogs and new tricks...) and I am have a couple of issues that I can;'t seem to find a resolution for online.

1) The parchment paper on the sponge curls when I put in. If I let it curl, then flip it over so it curls around the sponge, it starts curling the other direction.
2) The parchment paper doesn't sit flat on the sponge.



So, the sponge I use is not one of those older-style kitchen sponges. It's one of the newer sponges with very small pores and the scrubby pad on one side.
It's about an inch thick. Is the sponge too thick for a wet palette?

I have been cutting the parchment paper to slightly larger dimensions than the sponge. This was making the curling effect REALLY bad.

I also tried cutting it large enough to fold over the sponge, but that raised the paper off of the sponge even more. Almost like a very shallow arch across the sponge. This causes the parchment paper to slide all over the sponge when I swirl the brush to thin it and blend colors.


All in all, it does seem to keep the paint from drying up a lot longer, but it still thickens ever few minutes to the point that I need to add water to keep my consistency. Any idea what causes these things and what I can do to combat them?



Ghidorah

honestly a good wet palette can be bought for less than 20 buck at most art stores that works wonders. I gave up on the sponge thing

I use some sprues cut down to fit the size of the sponge. I lay them on top of the parchment to keep it pressed down.

HFN

I've had the same problem. My fix was twofold:

1. Make sure to briefly soak the parchment paper before putting it on the damp sponge
2. Make sure the parchment paper is slightly smaller than the sponge surface. If any bits stick out over the edges of the sponge, it tends to dry out and curl.

Yep- it's surface drying that's the issue. I find this happens a lot when it's hot, and I need to keep my wet palette's reservoir topped up. Nice idea about the sprue though, may try that.

I fit the sponge to the container (personally, I make a small cutout from both paper and sponge for checking water level and topping off without swapping out the paper), then cut the paper slightly larger than that. After wetting the paper and laying it on the sponge, I simply push down the edges with the back of my brush. The damp, pliable paper either gets wedged in place or clings to the container walls. Never had any problems with shifting, air bubbles, or curling once it's in place, but it still lifts off without any effort.

1) I would definitely use a different sponge. The hard "scrubby" side of the sponge isn't going to be as absorbent as the sponge itself. Get yourself a cheap, normal kitchen sponge from your local grocery store.

2) For me, the problem with parchment curling wasn't actually the parchment itself, but that I had not loaded the palette up with enough water. I was getting the sponge wet, emptying it some, and putting just a small amount of water into the palette itself. I found that I had to fill it to nearly 50% capacity(I use a 1" thick sponge cut to fit a hard plastic lockable food container) before the paper stopped curling and behaved as it should. Now, things are working great.

Regnirok wrote:1) I would definitely use a different sponge. The hard "scrubby" side of the sponge isn't going to be as absorbent as the sponge itself. Get yourself a cheap, normal kitchen sponge from your local grocery store.

I am currently using one of these:




You're saying I should use one of these?

Regnirok wrote:2) For me, the problem with parchment curling wasn't actually the parchment itself, but that I had not loaded the palette up with enough water. I was getting the sponge wet, emptying it some, and putting just a small amount of water into the palette itself. I found that I had to fill it to nearly 50% capacity...

My problem here is that the sponge started floating in the water when I filled the container more than 20% or so.


I guess I'll try a smaller piece of parchment and see if that works.


Ghidorah

Yeah, use the sponge in the second picture.

In my case, I trim the sponge to fit somewhat tightly into one of these locking containers(http://www.target.com/OXO-SoftWorks-LockTop-6-3Cup-Canister/dp/B004HFDH68/ref=sc_qi_detaillink) You could easily use any plastic container, but these get fairly airtight once they're sealed as the locking mechanism pushes air out of the container when sealed.

I then cut my parchment paper, but I actually cut it a little larger, and wrap it around the sponge just a little. Get the sponge wet, wring it out a little, set it into the container, and fill it about halfway with water. The parchment may want to come up a little at first, but it should settle and flatten after a few minutes.

If I think about it, I'll take a quick picture when I get home.

You could also simply cut off the green bit of the first sponges, and get the same effect
But yea you do need a tight container to avoid the floating

Soak your paper in hot water for 10 minutes before applying to your sponge, and make sure you have a sponge that will be wet all the way through. The scrubber sponges won't stay wet in the scrubber area, which will draw water away and lead to faster drying.