Why Use a Wooden Palette For Oil Painting?
For oil painting, wooden palettes are used. They are light, durable and easy to clean. They also look beautiful.
Many paintings of artists working have survived. Some depict a wooden pallet like the one Vermeer employed.
To make a wooden palette, wipe the surface clean with dry oil, such as linseed. This is essential because a thin layer of oil helps to keep the palette clean.
Lightweight
Contrary to glass or tear-off ones, a wooden palette is light and can be easily held on the easel. Its thickness makes it rigid and solid. This stops it from bending when under pressure. It can also be sanded and stained to give it colour. A wood palette is also more durable than other kinds of materials and does not be damaged by fungi or insects. The wooden palettes are great to mix alkyds and acrylics.
The most popular wooden palettes are made of maple or pine. Both of these woods are resistant to cracking and warping. However, it is essential to choose the kind of wood that has been treated with heat to prevent fungi and insects. This is essential to the longevity of a wooden palette. Additionally, the surface of a high-quality wooden palette should be smooth and evenly sanded. It should also have a low moisture content, which will minimize the chance of damage or wrinkling to paints.
A wooden palette has another wonderful benefit: it's simple to clean. Painters can clean the palette after each painting session using an oil that is drying to maintain it. Linseed oil is a great choice because it is inexpensive, readily available and fast 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 helps to avoid the perception of the colors as being darker or lighter than they actually are. Vermeer used a typical wooden palette and in a 1676 probate inventory there is mention of "twee schilders eesels, drye paletten" (two painters easels and three wooden palettes). In Pictura, Frans van Meieris painted a Vermeer style palette and Roger de Piles suggested that artists put flesh tones on a wooden palette that ranged from light to dark.
Sturdy
Palettes made of wood have been used by artists for centuries because they are sturdy and durable. They are lighter than glass or tear-off pallets and more sturdy than paper palettes. This makes them more comfortable to hold and use when painting. They also make an excellent choice to mix oil paints and alkyds. But, it's essential to select a high-quality wooden palette that has been heat-treated. This process gets rid of bugs and fungi that could damage the wooden palette.
A top-quality wooden palette will be smooth and well-made which allows your brushes to glide smoothly across it. It should be sprayed with a drying oil to protect the wood from water and solvent damage, and to help it keep its shape. You can find ready-to-use, pre-finished palettes or build your own using raw wood. If pallets near me using a wooden palette, ensure that you clean it after every painting session. Wet paint left on a palette made of wood can cause it to crack or warp over time.
Wooden Palettes remain popular among artists. They were the first mixing surfaces to be used to mix oil paints. They are lightweight, sturdy and can hold a lot of paint without breaking. They are great for mixing thick paints like alkyds, acrylics and heavier-bodied ones.
In Vermeer's time, the popular palette with a hole to accommodate the thumb was replaced by the rectangular type that had an handle. The thumb was used to support the palette, which allowed the artist to use the rest of his fingers to use brushes and the mahlstick.
A good quality palette is made from wood like spruce or other that has been treated with heat to get rid of any fungi or insects. A treatment that heats wood also makes it harder to scratch or scratch the surface of the palette. After years of use, a well-used, conditioned wooden pallet will have a smooth, almost glass-like surface. This is due to a buildup of thin layers of dried oil that help the surface to keep its shape.
Easy to clean
If you are looking for a smooth, easy to clean palette that lasts for years then a wood palette is the way to go. This type of pallet is popular among oil painters because it won't break or crack like glass palettes. You can purchase a wood palette pre-oiled, or seal it yourself. To seal it, you'll need boiling linseed oil purchased from the hardware store, nitrile gloves, and high-quality paper towels or rags (if it leaves bits, don't use it). The process of sealing a palette with drying oil fills in the tiny gaps in the wood and creates a smooth surface that will improve with each painting you make.
Once you have your palette cleaned, you'll need to recondition it after every painting session. This is crucial since it will keep your paints evenly mixed on the palette and protect your hands from solvents. Start by lightly sanding your palette with 180-grit papers. This will open up the wood grain and help it to absorb oils more easily. Then pour a bowl of linseed oil on the palette and use a rag to apply it evenly to the entire surface. Let the oil dry for one or two days.
After your palette has dried you can use a paper towel to clean it off, and if any paint remains just a tiny OMS on a rag will remove it. You should not use anything sharp to scrape away the dried paint. This will cause damage to your palette.
If you need to scrape dried paint off your palette, it is recommended to employ a soft brush rather than cutting. If you scrape it too hard you will splinter the wood and ruin your 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 easily across the brush when you pick up and mix paint. Palettes made of wood are available in various sizes and are lightweight. They are available in various styles and finishes to match your preferences.
The wooden palette is among the oldest mixing surfaces. It has been used since the time of art. They have a natural warm brown tone that doesn't alter the color of the paints it houses. This is important since the perception of colors is influenced by the dominant tone which they are mixed. A wooden palette can also help you see the shades of your paints since it has a mid value that shows the hues.
The earliest palettes were constructed of paper or tin foil However, the ones Vermeer used were likely made of wood. In the 1676 probate inventories, two painters easels were included along with three palettes. In an allegorical painting of Pictura, Vermeer's peers Frans van Meieris and Jan Vermeer employed the same kind of palette. A traditional wooden palette used for oil painting is usually designed to hold the thumb hole that is used to support the palette, while the remaining fingers hold brushes and the maulstick to steady the hand over the canvas while painting.
After a clean-up Clean the surface of your wooden palette with dry oils - like linseed, or any otherto keep it in good condition for the next time you work with it. This will help to fill in the pores in the wood grain, creating an even surface for your brushes. With time, a well oiled palette will develop an attractive patina that adds to its appearance.