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I've been trying to make a wet palette using an old ice cream container, some Tesco greaseproof baking paper, kitchen roll and water. I followed Youtube instructions but I think the paper is letting too much water through. My paint keeps over-diluting and separating.

Any tips on what paper to use? I am in the UK.

The paper should be waxed on one side only, unfortunately most of papers are waxed on both sides.
Try to find stickers paper, you can ask in bigger companies (they are using tons of stickers), or in bigger market.

Griff Glowen wrote:
I've been trying to make a wet palette using an old ice cream container, some Tesco greaseproof baking paper, kitchen roll and water. I followed Youtube instructions but I think the paper is letting too much water through. My paint keeps over-diluting and separating.

Any tips on what paper to use? I am in the UK.

In the uk the difference between baking, greaseproof and parchment papers is in most cases one of name only, nearly all brands are now treated with a silicon coating and that makes them less than ideal for a wet palette as it stops enough water wicking through the paper to keep the paint workable without constant maintenance.

With that in mind, and since you describe your paints being overly thin and seperating, I think you may be using too much water with your wet palette. You're using kitchen roll for your water reservoir which will make it easy to over fill and this can be exacerbated by using greaseproof paper which tends to make even small amounts of water on its surface pool and collect. This can make managing paints on this type of wet palette with this kind of paper a bit of a ballache. you can get by with a palette like this but I wouldn't recommend it.

I prefer a thin sponge for my water reservoir since they're easier to use, washable and a lot harder to overfill. Also I'd use a proper wet palette paper. https://www.amazon.co.uk/STA-WET-Palette-Re-Fill-Acrylic-SHEETS/dp/B0017RCBK2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549739699&sr=8-3&keywords=wet+palette+paper I've seen and tried lots of suggestions for paper over the years but for the most part none of the alternatives in the uk work anywhere near as well as proper palette paper (These can also be rinsed and reused to an extent). They used to! but as I said earlier they're all pretty useless now.


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Oh and I should probably mention this if you want to keep trying with culinary type papers. Don't use waxed paper... or sticker paper or any type of paper that has a water repellent finish! At that point you might as well stick to using a tile or something cause the paints aren't drawing moisture through the paper in that case.

If the water collects and forms puddles that pull up from the paper rather than soaks into it then it's not functioning as a wet palette and any extra longevity in paint working time is purely down to the fact that it's in a damp enviroment rather than its drawing moisture through the paper as is the intent of a wet palette.

I have recently started using a wet palette. It's home made, consisting of a fast food container containing a large piece of sponge and a sheat of proper wet palette paper. I get the same issues.

My current thinking on why is that when closed, the box is airtight. The top normally has a coating of condensation inside. This is dropping onto the paper... Diluting the paint. The solution is either to make a small hole in the lid to vent, or reduce the water in the tub.

You want the silicone paper to have a shiney side and a rough side, and when placed in the container have shiney side up this allows moisture to pass through from the bottom and the paint to stay on the top

You also want a couple of water drops on the top too

 Rybrook wrote:
You want the silicone paper to have a shiney side and a rough side, and when placed in the container have shiney side up this allows moisture to pass through from the bottom and the paint to stay on the top

You also want a couple of water drops on the top too

Are you saying that one side is allowing moisture to pass through but the other isn't? Cause that's not how it works. Water can either pass through or it can't (which could explain why you need a couple of drops of water on the top since that may be your only source of moisture) the only other factor is pressure. For example with certain papers working the paint with your brush will slightly increase the amount of water drawn through from the reservoir.

What you're probably seeing is that the rough side, being permeable, is absorbing moisture from the paint drying it out faster. you'll also see some of the paint absorbed into the paper in this process. The fact that the paint can't be absorbed into the shiny side tells me what you're working with doesn't allow moisture to pass all the way through the paper in either direction.

I may be being uncharitable here but this seems to be another case of paint in a damp enviroment having a longer working life than an actual wet palette.

No, I just followed these simple instructions

https://youtu.be/96mjmqWTPfM

 Rybrook wrote:
No, I just followed these simple instructions

https://youtu.be/96mjmqWTPfM

Ah I've seen that video before though it was a fair few years ago now. What you described isn't quite whats in the video. For one you're using a silicon treated paper while he's using a parchment paper, you notice that he says there's no difference in which side is placed down? that's because neither side has been treated/coated (he mentions a waxy feel but that's just from the material not a coating.)

And here's where we find our biggest stumbling block for people making wet palettes when they are getting advice from people in different countrys. Different papers have different names, and sometimes properties in different countries. For example pretty much everybody in America advises using baking parchment but that was really hit and miss in the uk as nearly all baking parchments here were coated with silicon. What we needed to use was baking paper, but as I mentioned in my first post this has since changed and now both baking parchment and baking paper are near universaly silicon coated. You can still find some uncoated papers if you're lucky! But odds are if you go to your local shop the baking paper you find there is gonna be silicon coated.

Honestly?

For a shade over 3 quid, just get this and save yourself some hassle.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B015WICDU4/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cut them in half and use half sheets at a time.

Rik

 Rik Lightstar wrote:
Honestly?

For a shade over 3 quid, just get this and save yourself some hassle.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B015WICDU4/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cut them in half and use half sheets at a time.

Rik

Honestly?

If only I hadn't already linked to something similar in my first post.

The Frisk paper is what I use. Paint splits, water pools on it and for some reason it doesn't sit flat, so some dry up. I've tried it both ways up, both halves did it.

Maybe I need to rethink using soldering iron sponge as the base layer...

 Sasquatch wrote:

 Rybrook wrote:
No, I just followed these simple instructions

https://youtu.be/96mjmqWTPfM

Ah I've seen that video before though it was a fair few years ago now. What you described isn't quite whats in the video. For one you're using a silicon treated paper while he's using a parchment paper, you notice that he says there's no difference in which side is placed down? that's because neither side has been treated/coated (he mentions a waxy feel but that's just from the material not a coating.)

And here's where we find our biggest stumbling block for people making wet palettes when they are getting advice from people in different countrys. Different papers have different names, and sometimes properties in different countries. For example pretty much everybody in America advises using baking parchment but that was really hit and miss in the uk as nearly all baking parchments here were coated with silicon. What we needed to use was baking paper, but as I mentioned in my first post this has since changed and now both baking parchment and baking paper are near universaly silicon coated. You can still find some uncoated papers if you're lucky! But odds are if you go to your local shop the baking paper you find there is gonna be silicon coated.

My pallet works and lasts about a month before going mouldy (if it’s not forgotten)

I’ve worked in a bakery (Tesco), my dad owned one in Ireland and I had to ask him what baking parchment was, so I know thing or two about different papers and how they react in a 250*C deck oven
I had a small roll of silicon lined baking paper left which was bought from Tesco and it worked, there was no you have to use a certain paper

Btw the country flag next to the username is forum pinpointing where you ip address is, mine will change when I get back to the UK

 Rybrook wrote:
My pallet works and lasts about a month before going mouldy (if it’s not forgotten)

I’ve worked in a bakery (Tesco), my dad owned one in Ireland and I had to ask him what baking parchment was, so I know thing or two about different papers and how they react in a 250*C deck oven
I had a small roll of silicon lined baking paper left which was bought from Tesco and it worked, there was no you have to use a certain paper

Btw the country flag next to the username is forum pinpointing where you ip address is, mine will change when I get back to the UK

Right.... So you know how to bake with baking paper? I'm glad for you but i'm not sure what bearing that that has in this thread? But to repeat my statement from earlier silicon coated paper lets a fraction of the moisture through and is therefore less suitable for use with a wet palette! (as in the only reason it lets any water through is because of imperfections in the coating). I'm glad yours is working for ya but I think if you'd ever used a proper wet palette you'd notice the difference immediately.

To take it from the top. I'm glad its working for ya! very cool and stuff! But to everyone else I'm gonna advise against using silicon coated paper because its not a very good choice for the reasons I've already outlined in this thread, and because I think there are much better alternatives. I also think your paints are only lasting longer because they're in a damp enviroment rather than because your palette is behaving anything like a wet palette.

But with that I'm done! Take what advice from this that you will folks.


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Also not sure what the hell you being from the UK has to do with anything? I was specifically refering to the video when I mentioned advice from different countries causes problems....