New Supplies - Palettes I like to use. (Patreon)

I love getting new supplies. You can never have too many art supplies! I ordered some new palettes and I just wanted to show you the ones I like to use.

The number one criteria I look for when I buy a new palette is that it must have sloping wells. The number two criteria is that I prefer it to be ceramic.

I like sloping wells on my palettes for two reasons. The first reason is that I like to put my paint on the highest part of the sloping well. That way the paint isn't sitting in water causing it to remain sticky and wet. I like to paint when my paint that I squirted out, has gone hard. When I want light colour I use the watery paint that has pooled at the bottom of the well and when I want rich, dark pigment I wipe my wet brush over the paint at the top of the well.

I rarely mix colours on a palette. It's not something I do often, apart from mixing up my trusty grey. If I do any mixing, it's usually on the paper when I drop different colours onto the wet surface. This helps to keep my paintings bright and full of light and it's how I avoid muddy paintings. 

The second reason I like to use palettes with sloping wells is because it keeps my paint clean. All the dirty sludgy stuff falls to the bottom of the well and the paint squirted out at the top of the well stays clean.

I like to use ceramic palettes because they don't stain and you can see all your colours properly. I've got so many plastic palettes that I don't use any more because they are stained. All of the painting I do is inside the house so ceramic palettes suit me better. If I was painting outside I'd use plastic palettes.

The metal palette in the photo above also has sloping wells. It has all the colours that I use often on it. It also closes so it keeps the dust off my paint.

As a cheaper alternative I also use cheap white ceramic plates with wide edges. I bought a set recently for $7. I put the paint out around the rim and the watery paint falls into the main body of the plate. This is ok but sometimes all the watery colours on the main body of the plate start to mix together so then I have to wipe it clean and then keep going.

I bought the little flower shaped palette in the photo above because I thought it would be handy when I do occasionally mix paint. It will certainly be useful for me when I mix my grey paint.

I'd love to know what types of palettes you like to use. 

I got these from Jackson's Art Supplies https://www.jacksonsart.com/studio/palettes/ceramic-palettes