Why Use a Wooden Palette For Oil Painting?

Traditionally wooden palettes have been used for oil painting. They are light, durable and easy to clean. They also look gorgeous.

Many images of painters in action are still around. Some of these depict a wooden pallet similar to the one Vermeer employed.

To prepare a wooden palette, clean the surface with a drying oil such as linseed. This is important because a thin layer of oil helps to keep the palette clean.

Lightweight

Contrary to glass or tear-off palettes wooden palette is lighter and can be easily held at the easel. Its thickness makes it sturdy and sturdy. This keeps it from bending when under pressure. It can also be sanded or stained to give it colour. A wooden palette is more durable and resistant to insects and fungi than other materials. The wooden palettes are perfect for mixing acrylics with alkyds.

The most common wooden palettes are made from maple or pine. Both of these woods can resist the effects of warping and crazing. It is important to choose one that has been treated in order to prevent insects or fungi. This is essential to the durability of the wooden palette. A quality wooden palette's surface must be smooth and evenly finished. It should also have low moisture content, which will minimize the chance of damage or wrinkling to paints.

Another great feature of a wooden palette is that it's easy to keep clean. The painter can wipe down the palette after each painting session with dry lubricant to make it more sanitary. Linseed oil is a good option because it is cheap easily available and quick drying.

The natural brown color of wooden palettes is ideal to mix colors since it is a similar color to the dominant color of the canvas. This can help to prevent the impression that the colors appear as being darker or lighter than they actually are. Vermeer utilized a common wooden palette, and in his 1676 probate inventory, there's mention of "twee schilders eesels, drye paletten" (two easels for painters and three wooden palettes). Frans van Mieris depicted a painted version of a Vermeer-style palette in his allegorical representation in Pictura and Roger de Piles recommended painters to lay out the flesh tones ranging from light to dark on a wood palette.

Sturdy

Wooden palettes have been used by artists for centuries due to the fact that they're sturdy and durable. They are lighter than glass or tear-off pallets as well as more sturdy than paper palettes. This makes them much easier to carry and use while painting. They are also an excellent choice to mix oil paints and alkyds. It is essential to choose an alkyd palette made of wood of good quality that has been heat treated. This eliminates bugs and fungi that can cause damage to the palette.

A good wooden palette is smooth and well-made which allows your brushes to glide smoothly across it. It must be finished with an oil for drying that protects the wood from water and solvent damage, and helps maintain its shape. You can purchase pre-finished palettes that are ready for use, or you can build your own from raw wood. If you are using an wooden palette, make sure to wash it every time you paint. If you leave wet paint on a palette could cause it to cause it to crack or warp over time.

Wooden Palettes remain popular for artists. They were the first mixing surfaces that could be used for oil paints. They're lightweight, strong and can hold a lot of paint without breaking. They are great for mixing thick paints like alkyds, acrylics and thick-bodied ones.

Vermeer's palettes replaced the older rectangular ones with handles. The painter supported the palette using his thumb inside the hole, allowing him to free his other fingers for holding brushes and the mahlstick.

A high-quality palette is made from spruce or another hardwood that has been treated with heat to kill any insects or fungi. A treatment that heats wood can also make it harder to scratch or sand the surface of the palette. A well-used, conditioned wooden palette will acquire an even, glass-like appearance after years of usage. This is due to a buildup of thin layers of drying oils that aid the surface maintain its shape.

Easy to clean

A wood palette will give you an easy-to-clean, smooth palette that will last for years. This type of palette is popular with oil painters because it doesn't chip or shatter like glass palettes. You can buy a wooden pallet that has been sealed or do it yourself. To do this, you'll require boiling linseed oil from the hardware store, nitrile gloves, and high-quality paper towels or rags (if it has bits, don't use it). The process of sealing a palette with a drying oil fills the tiny gaps in the wood and creates a smooth surface that gets better with each painting you make.

After you have coated your palette with oil and sprayed it with oil, you'll need to recondition the surface after every painting session. This is crucial since it will keep paints from mixing in a smooth manner on the pallet and also protect your hands from solvents. To recondition your palette start by lightly sanding it with 180-grit sandpaper. This will open the wood grain, allowing it to absorb oil more easily. Pour a pool linseed on the palette, then use a rag or a cloth to clean the entire surface. Then let the oil dry for a couple of days.

If any paint remains on your palette, a little OMS sprayed onto a rag should remove it. You should not try to scrape off the dried paint with anything sharp, as it can scratch and damage your palette.

If you are required to scrape dried paint from your palette, agrony it's recommended to use a soft brush instead of a knife. If you scrape it too hard you could break the wood and ruin the palette.

Aesthetically pleasing

A wooden palette is a beautiful and durable mixing surface that lets you feel like an artist. It can be used to mix oil paints, as well as acrylics and alkyds. Its smooth surface is easy to clean and glides effortlessly across the brush when you mix and take in paint. Wooden palettes are also light and come in a variety of sizes to suit your hands. They come in different finishes and styles.

The wooden palette is among the oldest mixing surfaces. It has been used since art was created. The wood has a warm brown hue which doesn't affect the hues of the paints. This is beneficial since the perception of colors is affected by the dominant tone which they are mixed. A wooden palette can also aid in identifying the hues of your paints as it has a mid value which shows the hues.

The palettes of Vermeer are likely to be made of wood. The earliest palettes may be made from tin or paper, but they were probably made of wood. In the 1676 probate inventories two easels for painters were included along with three palettes. Vermeer's contemporary Frans van Mieris can be depicted using the same type of palette in an allegorical painting depicting Pictura. A traditional wooden palette for oil painting is typically shaped to hold the thumb hole that serves to support the palette while the other fingers hold the brushes and the maulstick to hold the hand on the canvas while painting.

After a cleaning session, wipe the surface of a wooden palette with dry oils - like linseed, or any other- to keep it conditioned for the next time you will use it. This will fill in the pores in the wood grain, creating an easier surface for your brushes. With time, a well oiled palette will develop an attractive patina which adds to its appeal.