Paper Palettes

[Bongo]

Never used them, but with how I'm working now - it might make sense. I would need the 12x16 size and the cost breaks down to around 25-30 cents a sheet from what I've found. So my questions - are they any good? Which brand to buy or avoid? Is that a reasonable price?

 

[AES]

Palette paper is a rip off. Use this:

4-5 dollars a roll, as big as you want. I staple it to a piece of cardboard to keep it flat. Ironing the back or hitting the corners with a heat gun works too.

 

[Artyczar]

Hmm. I never tried freezer paper. I will try it. I have exclusively used palette paper for dozens of years. Not the kind with a hole in it. I like that I can use it on the pad so it stays flat. I usually use Strathmore. I have two or three going at a time. I do feel bad that I am making trash, but that's just how I work.

This is for oils mind you.

 

[AES]

Hmm. I never tried freezer paper. I will try it. I have exclusively used palette paper for dozens of years. Not the kind with a hole in it. I like that I can use it on the pad so it stays flat. I usually use Strathmore. I have two or three going at a time. I do feel bad that I am making trash, but that's just how I work.

This is for oils mind you.

I hate waste too, but I I hate cleaning up even more lol. Freezer paper is tough, so you can even wipe it down a few times before it goes, if you're so inclined.
I also use glazed ceramic tiles and plates too, for an easy to clean surface.

 

[Enyaw]

Parchment paper would work. Similar to freezer paper.

 

[Marksmomagain]

Freezer paper works great. I use other kinds of palettes also, but always have a stock of freezer paper around.

 

[16ga]

I use paper palettes.

I started with the idea that they would be more expensive in the long run and it was just a temporary solution until I got a better palette. Well once I got a better palette I decided I liked the paper ones better.
For one I have about 5 oil painting in the works at any given time. And each painting has its own paper palette. I continue using the same sheet for the whole painting at it tells me what colors I've been using in this painting and I have old paint splotches that I can just remix a color right next to or partly on top of. The paint can also stay usable for days or sometimes weeks so I don't waste as much paint and don't have to worry about it drying on a good palette and ruining it.
And then when I'm done with the painting I just pull that layer off and I have a nice little paper that could pass as some sort of modern art.
Also if I consider that with a better palette I would have to clean it after every session then the cost of a little thinner and paper towels would actually add up to more then the sheets.

As for brands. I don't really know and mine all have the front with that info ripped off. I just get whats the cheapest and keep in mind the number of sheets when figuring that out.
I do however prefer the ones with more than one side glued down. Nothing like having the fan flip the surface or your pallet over if you sit it down the wrong way
I also prefer ones with a hole and of a shape I like but that’s just a personal preference and many of mine are just rectangle

I’ve never tried the freezer paper approach.

 

[P. Barrie]

I use freezer paper, much less expensive than palette paper pads. I tack it down to my plywood working surface with push pins. The tricky part is dealing with the curl while tacking it down. After my session is done or when I need clean mixing space, i un-tack it, scape off any paint that is reusable and transfer that to another sheet. Any paint mixings that remain on the removed sheet are smeared together with a palette knife. The sheet is set aside to let the paint dry. I’m saving these sheets to someday tear up and make a collage. It’s fun to smear the paint around and I feel better about recycling it into a collage or another mixed media.

 

[snoball]

I’ve used paper palettes for years. I particularly like the Grey Matters Palettes. They are a nice neutral gray color so your colors look more true.

 

[Artyczar]

I also use the Grey Matters palettes as well. I forgot to mention.

 

[ntl]

Why not glass or smooth tile?

 

[stlukesguild]

When I was still painting in oils I had a large painting table (perhaps 3 1/2 or 4 feet square tabletop) on caster wheels that was topped with a sheet of glass. I set up my palette there. Now, working mostly in acrylics and pastels I don't really use a palette at all. If I need to mix up a large amount of paint for an area I do this in a plastic cup. For smaller amounts of paint, I usually mix this up on paper (Chinette) plates. Most of the paint I use on my paintings is applied in flat areas (perhaps not unlike Pop Art).

 

[Artyczar]

Why not glass or smooth tile?

Laziness? Well, and needing to have many palettes going at once.

 

[Bongo]

Laziness? Well, and needing to have many palettes going at once.

Bingo!!
I used a glass palette for acrylics, but now I'm migrating to oils and what would happen is my shirt sleeve or the side of my hand would pick up a bit of paint, and since oil "never" dries would transfer everywhere. So I've been using 3mm clear cello-wrap -

Amazon.com : iLovepaper Clear Cellophane Wrap Roll 33''x115Ft, 3 Mil

Great stuff - feels and acts like glass. BUT it's a pain(for me) to tape down on my wood palettes. It's so slippery and hard to cut straight.
Plus I can't put any tape on the underside of my palette (for reasons for another post). On top of that I have three 14"x18" palettes - one for acrylic, one for oils, one for Plein air. It's just a pain to deal with 'cause I'm a sissy.

I've used parchment paper before with acrylics on a stay-wet palette. Don't like the feel, and you can't scoop up paint like you can on glass, since it tends to smear on the paper. I think freezer paper would be much the same - and you still have to tape them down, which is one of the things I'm trying to get away from.

SO a pad of paper in my situation seems like a good solution. Just paint on the pad, move it around as needed - and like the cello - no cleanup.

 

[laf.art]

I have a couple of glass palettes, so easy to clean and they last for years, unless dropped ha
but I mix a lot on the canvas or for large amounts use old paint tubs

 

[ilya]

Before trying paper palette, I also thought in terms of cents per sheet. But you do not need to throw them away after each session, so forget your calculations. I use one sheet for many weeks (painting mostly on weekends though). And because they are covered with wax or something, scraping off the paint rests is much easier than with a wooden palette. Of course, only for the first few uses - then the paint begins to accumulate by thin layers. But you do not need to really clean them, just scrape off.

 

[Bongo]

Is Grey Matters, or some other brand glued on two(or more) sides. I'd only use them on the pad and would want them secure and "wind Proof"

If only glued on one side, it seems to me you could take a piece of masking tape and temporarily tape another side to the pad (and easily remove)- no?

 

[16ga]

If only glued on one side, it seems to me you could take a piece of masking tape and temporarily tape another side to the pad (and easily remove)- no?

Tape would probably work but stray oil might effect the glue. I've never tried it but I've heard a bead of hot glue will seal the edge and still let you easily pull a sheet off.

 

[ilya]

The glue on mine tends to break so don't rely on that. Mine are stapled at one point, which I complement with a paper clip on the opposite side.

 

[Artyczar]

All my pads are only gummed on one side. If I were outside, I'd use some drafting tape on one side.