One of the most commonly-heard complaints about working with acrylics is that they dry out, and dry out fast. You could be working on a painting, really getting into it when… whoops! That color you put on your palette thirty minutes ago has already solidified. And with the price of paint and the stress of re-mixing the same colors, you might be looking for a longer-lasting solution.

Guess what! You found it!

MATERIALS YOU’LL NEED (or will likely want to emulate as closely as possible):

-Resealable, airtight palette (these can be found at just about any art store; Masterson makes ideal palettes). Also, a large, FLAT tupperware container would work, too.

– Paper towels (absorbent ones). A flat sponge would also work, and a washcloth would probably do the job (but will have a bumpy texture). Sponges can get moldy so I advise against them.

– A water faucet

– CLEARPRINT 100% new cotton fiber Design Vellum pad (or a single sheet, but a whole pad will probably last you……. forever). There are no other substitutes for this, so far as I’ve heard; you can purchase this in art stores, though it may be a little difficult to find in craft stores.

First, get your paint palette ready… and write your name on everything in the event it should get stolen out of a locker (as that happened to me recently).

Next, take some paper towels and line the bottom of it. Generally I use 6, overlapping 3 on both sides, with more overlap of all 6 in the center.

…Just add water…

(and SOAK it– dump out excess water but make sure it’s completely damp and spongey)

Now, take a sheet of that 100% new cotton fiber Clearprint Design Vellum and lay it over the soaked paper towels.

Press it down to let the water absorb through this, and you’re done!

Using this, your paints will stay wet for weeks at a time. So far acrylic paint and gouache work fine on this palette. Be sure to completely seal it when not in use. And be sure to add more water every week or every two weeks, just to keep it moist (as that’s the key to keeping your paints wet). You may notice that as you mix your paint in small quantities, you may get watered-down results. Also, over time your palette will start to stink. That’s because, as disgusting as it sounds, mold will start to develop in there. You may want to “air out” your palette outside for a few minutes when this happens, before you start painting. Or, you may decide that mold is absolutely unacceptable, disgusting and unhealthy and you may want to change out your palette then. Trash your vellum paper and paper towels, clean out the tray and start over again for a fresher painting experience 😀

Kudos to Chris for this everlasting palette technique!