Palette Predicament

I now find myself painting with oil, acrylic, and also out of a Yarka Plein air easel. I want to have just ONE palette for everything -- and I don't want to have to clean it.

So I made an 18"x14" palette out of 1/4"(5mm) plywood. That was as big as I could make it and still have it fit in the Yarka. To avoid cleaning - and allow it to be used for both oil and acrylic - I cover it with "cello wrap". Cello wrap is a clear plastic wrapping paper - sometimes used to wrap gift baskets. I chose one that's 3mm thick (but thinner would work also).

this is the one I bought (cause I got tired of looking at all the options and just clicked on it). lots of other good choices too.
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There are other ways you can make a disposable palette but the advantage of the cello wrap is that it BEHAVES LIKE GLASS. If you like glass palettes, you will love this - same feel and mixing properties.

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30 seconds later (attached with painters tape on the back)
not as wrinkled as it looks, and flattens out when you use it - not a problem.
 
When I started oil painting, and plein air - and I told myself I would have a fresh start and not fall into all those bad habits I developed when using acrylics.

Have you seen these people that use a traditional wood palette and after using it for years, wiped(scrubbed) clean after every session till it's just a smooth slick "grey". Well I tried that, and after the second time out it was so destroyed I threw it away.

My paint tubes are completely coated with paint you can't read the labels - I have to look at the paint crusted around the threads to figure out what color it is. All my clothes have spots of paint. and Oil paint is much worse too when it comes to spreading paint around- since it can take days to dry . Despite that, I am very well organized. Everything has a place and is in its place - albeit coated with paint.
 
I use freezer wrap paper that comes in rolls. I use push pins on the corners to fasten to a plywood work surface. When done with a couple sessions, I smear the left over colors around with a palette knife, set it aside to dry and save them on a shelf. Some day I’m going to start cutting and tearing them up to make collage. I hate tossing out plastic and toxins, so this is one small contribution to a cleaner world.
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All my clothes have spots of paint. and Oil paint is much worse too when it comes to spreading paint around- since it can take days to dry . Despite that, I am very well organized. Everything has a place and is in its place - albeit coated with paint.
There are two kinds of clothes, those that have paint on them, and those that don’t have paint on them......Yet.
 
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