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I’m about to upgrade to a wet pallet, is there anything I should know in terms of changing how the paint works when compared to a standard pallet.

For example does the wet pallet this the paint slightly? Can I add flow enhancers or other mediums to the paint in the wet pallet or do I need to mix before I put them in the pallet

Wet palettes vary based on five main things; your environment (temp/humidity), how much water is in them, how airtight they are, how hydrophilic the paint, and the paper/sponge used.

Change any of those variables and the effectiveness of the wet palette changes. There is no perfect wet palette that is ideal for everyone because of this; someone in Arizona, USA needs a different setup than someone in Lancaster, England. How dry you keep your home will impact how quickly your paint dries out.

The ideal is you want the paint to stay moist, but not overhydrated. This is easier said than done, and how long your wet palette will stay viable depends on how well you tune it and the individual paints that are out on it. The vast majority of wet palettes will keep paint workable for multiple hours, regardless of set-up and environment. If you live in a very dry, hot climate, you'll need to go much heavier on the water and potentially even mist the wet palette while it's in service. On the other hand, if you're in a wet climate you may not even need a wet palette at all, or use one that doesn't need much hydration.

I'm a fan of the DIY options, simply because they're readily available and use common household materials. Even if you get a commercial wet palette I'd suggest using kitchen parchment paper (baking paper) over any of the branded papers. In particular the fine art palettes are tuned for tube acrylics, which are much thicker than anything miniature painters use. There are several options for sponge. Personally I like kitchen paper towel because it's, again, available and recyclable. If you leave your palette set up for multiple days it may get smelly - if it does, definitely time for fresh paper and paint. I give my box a good spritzing with isopropyl alcohol if that happens to clean it.

I find I need to water my paint less when I'm using the wet palette. In fact for some paints I don't thin them at all, because they're hydrophilic enough to soak up extra water rather quickly. Paints usually either get a bit thicker or more watery when left out on a wet palette for a while. Which way they go depends on the paint / pigment. For the ones that dry a bit, simply work them with a wet-ish brush. For the ones that get a bit too wet, spreading them out more can help (more surface to evaporate) or position them closer to the edges where the paper dries out more easily. I've also made double paper spots for some paints that are particularly prone to overhydration, and that seems to work well. Most metallics don't keep well on a wet palette - good for a working session, not for multiple days. Same for paints that separate badly in the bottle/pot, like most Vallejo - they will do the same thing on a wet palette.

You can add flow enhancers right into the wet palette, along with any other mediums. Mix right on it like you would a dry palette. I usually keep a droplet or two of flow enhancer water somewhere on my wet palette (yes, it'll sit there on top and not disappear into the paper) for easy adjustments. Inks are best left on the dry palette unless being mixed with standard paints. My record is about eight or nine days with the same paints still viable, but usually I'll paint in 3-5 day stretches with the same wet palette.

A very important note on set-up. Pre-soak your paper! Just dunk it in water in the sink or a bowl for a minute or two, push it under until it gets translucent and stops doing that infuriating curling wrinkly thing. It'll behave like a dream after that. Use a spare bit of plastic card or similar to smooth it onto your sponge or paper towel.

Get a good sized palette. You can always use less than the full space, but it's harder to get more. Wouldn't recommend anything smaller in area than both your hands together.

My only tip is that I noticed zero difference between my home-made wet palettes using plastic boxes, household sponges and baking paper compared to the top-of-the-range purpose-built wet palette that I purchased.

So this is really something you can save some money on if you don't want to buy a purpose-built one.

Actually, the purpose built one is nice because it has a larger palette area while not being as high. But the difference in the consistency of the paint and the actual workings of the wet palette are negligible to non-existent.

Fire_forever pretty much nails my thoughts on the topic of wet palettes without me reiterating his points. Just make sure you get baking paper/parchment and don't use greaseproof paper as it doesn't let water through.

I will say that if you're making your own, the Ferrero Rocher boxes are great to work with as a DIY wet palette. They can be sealed which is good, and they are low enough to where you don't have to stick your brush at an angle to get some paint. I personally like mixing or whatever at a low angle so those boxes are great.

I am now using the Redgrass Games wet palette and the transition from my ferrero rocher was tougher than I expected. That being said, I wouldn't go back as I like the paper they use and the palette is a lower profile than the ferrero box. I also like that the paper is a neutral colour, all the baking parchment I've found in the UK is a horrible brown colour.

+1 for the Redgrass wet pallet, though I do paint a lot! and get through a paper slip every few days, used to get fed up cutting batches of baking paper slips.
Biggest improvement over my home made one is it doesn't seem to go moldy.
I will probably upgrade to the larger one though at some point.

I have the red grass one on the way, thanks for your thoughts. Sounds like it will be easy enough to make the transition. It’s a key point for me that inks don’t work but it comes with a wavey plastic thing that I assume is a little dry pallet for such needs

If you are gonna use it over a long period of time. Make sure to check the palette periodically to make sure it isn't growing mold.

I have accidentally left mine sealed for like a month because I thought I cleaned it out and hadn't only find the entire thing ruined by mold. I currently am sitting at two weeks and not a sign of mold at all.

I think the red grass one has anti bacterial sponges

Even the best 'anti-bacterial' anything is just going to slow mould down, not prevent it entirely. Unless it's the chemical equivalent of a nuke, at which point you're probably not going to want it anywhere near your unprotected skin nor paints.

Clean out your palette a couple times a week and it shouldn't end up being a problem. I've heard some people using silver or copper wire as an inhibitor as well, though not tried it myself.

You can disinfect your palette regularly with diluted vinegar solution if it's an on-going issue. Regular dish soap may miss some spores/bacteria embedded inside the foam/sponge and between the texture of most store-bought palettes.

EDIT: apparently W&N recommend a dettol wash for moldy wet palettes.

I made this a while ago. It might help:

https://youtu.be/ZvAIo4COX40

Everyone says to use permeable parchment paper but I will suggest a different route.

Non permeable baking paper still works just fine, as long as there is no air gap between paper and waterlogged sponge. I think it works due to temperature, the water in surface contact with the paper keeps paint below evaporation point. This has the added benefit of your paint not becoming overthin through osmosis and is more sanitary.

I've left my wet pallet with lid closed for 6 months with no mold at all

What do you mean by non-permeable baking paper? Wax paper? I've never seen parchment paper that was hydrophobic.

Not wax paper, just regular non stick baking paper. It's coated with something I imagine, but not wax. You might know it as greaseproof parchment paper

I recently upgraded to a Redgrass wet palette.

It is worse in every way than baking paper over a utility sponge in an old blister of grass tufts.

Fire_Forever wrote:
What do you mean by non-permeable baking paper? Wax paper? I've never seen parchment paper that was hydrophobic.

Just regular baking paper. I believe the "waxed" version is the special one.

As the comment directly above testifies, it works great. The baking paper and house hold sponges are perfectly fine.

I have an "Everlasting Studio XL" brand wet palette: https://alphaspel.se/2750-red-grass-games/97788-everlasting-wet-palette-studio-xl

These were the most highly rated in all the reviews I read, but honestly I probably should have saved the money and just kept going with a home-made one. For all practical purposes you're basically paying for a expensive plastic box.

 The Pig-Faced Orc wrote:

Fire_Forever wrote:
What do you mean by non-permeable baking paper? Wax paper? I've never seen parchment paper that was hydrophobic.

Just regular baking paper. I believe the "waxed" version is the special one.

As the comment directly above testifies, it works great. The baking paper and house hold sponges are perfectly fine.

I have an "Everlasting Studio XL" brand wet palette: https://alphaspel.se/2750-red-grass-games/97788-everlasting-wet-palette-studio-xl

These were the most highly rated in all the reviews I read, but honestly I probably should have saved the money and just kept going with a home-made one. For all practical purposes you're basically paying for a expensive plastic box.

Interesting, I have just received my red grass pallet and wondered exactly where my 35 pounds has gone, but I haven’t tried it yet so I may be more convinced. However I have thought about making one before and never done it so I guess I am paying for convenience.

Green stuff world are advertising one that looks like a competitor to red grass at a third of the price but I couldn’t find it in the uk currently

Well I got the army painter one. Upgrading from a small home made one. £15 from Wayland (and free for me as I had a £50 voucher given from OnTabletop).
Love it. Very useful, don’t add water or anything to the paint, just straight on it.
Haven’t had to clean it out in 6 weeks it looks fine, only re added water once so far. Paints good for two weeks minimum from applications. (And a handy brush storage).

Mostly all the stuff in the posts above are as I do and such.
My old ones I used regular baking paper from Aldi or Sainsbury’s.
I guess I will with this one, but you get 50 sheets to size included, and I am only on the second as it’s a good sized tray.

Cynista wrote:
Not wax paper, just regular non stick baking paper. It's coated with something I imagine, but not wax. You might know it as greaseproof parchment paper

Ah, I think that's what I've got already; all our parchment paper is non-stick. Comes in big rolls from Costco. TIL there's more than one kind!

mrFickle wrote:

 The Pig-Faced Orc wrote:

Fire_Forever wrote:
What do you mean by non-permeable baking paper? Wax paper? I've never seen parchment paper that was hydrophobic.

Just regular baking paper. I believe the "waxed" version is the special one.

As the comment directly above testifies, it works great. The baking paper and house hold sponges are perfectly fine.

I have an "Everlasting Studio XL" brand wet palette: https://alphaspel.se/2750-red-grass-games/97788-everlasting-wet-palette-studio-xl

These were the most highly rated in all the reviews I read, but honestly I probably should have saved the money and just kept going with a home-made one. For all practical purposes you're basically paying for a expensive plastic box.

Interesting, I have just received my red grass pallet and wondered exactly where my 35 pounds has gone, but I haven’t tried it yet so I may be more convinced. However I have thought about making one before and never done it so I guess I am paying for convenience.

Green stuff world are advertising one that looks like a competitor to red grass at a third of the price but I couldn’t find it in the uk currently

Well there are some benefits. I haven't gone back to the old plastic tupperware solution, I guess for a reason.

The main benefits for me are that it has a larger palette area and is not so tall.