Why Use a Wooden Palette For Oil Painting?
For oil painting wooden palettes are employed. They are light, durable and easy to clean. They also look gorgeous.
Many images of artists at work are still around. Some of these depict wooden pallets similar to the one that Vermeer employed.
To prepare a palette made of wood, wipe it with drying oils like safflower or linseed. It is crucial to keep the palette in good working order by applying a thin layer of oil.
Lightweight
Contrary to glass or tear-off palettes wooden palette is light and can be carried easily on the easel. Its thickness makes it rigid and sturdy. This stops it from bending when under pressure. In addition, it can be stained and sanded to add colour. A wood palette is more sturdy and resistant to insects and fungi than other materials. Wooden palettes are also ideal for mixing alkyds and acrylics.
The most popular wooden palettes are made of pine or maple. Both of these woods can resist cracking and warping. It is essential to select the wood that has been treated with heat to stop the growth of insects or fungi. This is vital to the durability of a wooden palette. In addition, the surface of a good wood palette should be smooth and evenly sanded. 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 is easy to keep clean. At the end of each painting session, artist can wipe the palette with drying oil to condition it for next time. Linseed oil makes a great choice due to its low cost and easily available. It also has a quick drying time.
The natural brown hue of wooden palettes is ideal to mix colors since it is a similar color to the predominant color of the canvas. This can help to prevent the impression that the colors appear as being lighter or darker than they actually are. Vermeer employed the standard wooden palette. In a 1676 inventory it is noted that "tweeschilders eesels" (two easels for painting) and "drye paletten" (3 wooden palettes) were in the inventory. Frans van Mieris illustrated a painted version of a Vermeer-styled palette in his allegorical representation in Pictura and Roger de Piles recommended painters to paint the flesh tones ranging from light to dark on a wood palette.
Sturdy
Artists have been using wooden palettes for ages because they're strong and durable. They are lighter than glass or tear-off pallets, and more rigid than paper palettes. This makes them much easier to carry and use while painting. They also make an excellent choice to mix oil paints and alkyds. It is essential to choose an untreated wooden palette of top quality that has been treated. This process removes bugs and fungi that could cause damage to the wooden palette.
A high-quality wooden palette will be well-made and smooth that allows your brushes to glide smoothly across it. It must be finished with drying oil that shields the wood from water and solvent damage, and helps keep its shape. You can find pre-finished, ready-to-use palettes or build your own using raw wood. If you're using a wood palette, make sure to clean it after each painting session. Paint that is wet on a palette made of wood can cause it to crack or warp over time.
Wooden Palettes are still popular for artists. They were the first mixing surfaces that could be used to mix oil paints. They're light and sturdy, and they can hold large amounts of paint without breaking. They are also great to mix alkyds, acrylics, and any other thick-bodied paints.
In Vermeer's time, the common palette with a hole for the thumb was replaced by the older rectangular kind with a handle. The thumb was used to support the palette which allowed the painter to use his other fingers to use brushes and the mahlstick.
Woods treated with heat, such as spruce and other hardwoods are used in the creation of high-quality palettes. This eliminates any fungi or bugs. The treatment of wood with heat also makes it harder to scratch or sand the surface of the palette. A well-used, maintained wooden palette will develop a smooth, glass-like surface after years of usage. This is due to a buildup of thin layers of dried oil that helps the surface to keep its shape.
Easy to clean
A wood palette gives you an easy-to-clean, smooth palette that will last many years. This type of palette is popular among oil painters because it will not chip or shatter like a glass palette. You can purchase a wooden palette pre-oiled or seal it yourself. To do this you'll need boiled linseed oil 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 will fill in the small gaps and smooth the surface. This will improve with each painting.
Once your palette is oily, you'll need to condition it following each painting session. This is important because it keeps paints from mixing in a smooth manner on the palette and shield your hand from solvents. Start by lightly sanding your palette using 180-grit paper. This will help open the grain of the wood, allowing it to absorb oil more easily. Then pour a bowl of linseed oil onto the palette and then use a rag wipe it evenly over the entire surface. Let purchase used pallets for a few days.
After your palette has dried you can use a paper towel to clean it off, and if there is any remaining paint just a tiny OMS on the rag will get rid of it. It is not recommended to scrape the dried paint off with anything sharp because this will scratch and damage your palette.
If you need to scrape dried paint from your palette, it is recommended to employ a soft brush instead of cutting. If you scrape too hard, you could damage your palette.
Aesthetically pleasing
A wooden palette is a stylish and sturdy mixing surface that makes 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 smoothly over the brush when mixing and pick up paint. Wooden palettes are also lightweight and come in many sizes to accommodate your hands. They are available in different styles and finishes to meet your preferences.
The wooden palette is among the oldest mixing surfaces. It has been around since the time of art. They have a natural warm brown tone that doesn't alter the colors of the paints it houses. This is important since the perception of colors is affected by the dominant tone which they are mixed. A wooden palette helps you to see the hues of your paints because it has a mid-value that displays the hues against.
The earliest palettes were constructed of tin foil or paper, but the ones Vermeer used were probably made of wood. In a 1676 probate inventory, two painters easels were listed along with three palettes. In an allegorical painting of Pictura Vermeer's contemporary Frans van Meieris and Jan Vermeer employed the same kind of palette. A traditional wooden oil painting palette is made with a thumb hole which is used to support it, while the other fingers are used to hold brushes and maulsticks to steady the hand while painting.
After a clean-up After a cleaning session, clean the surface of a wooden palette with dry oils - linseed or other -- to keep it conditioned for the next time you use it. This will fill the tiny pores of the the wood and create a smooth surface which is easier for your brushes to work on. With time, a well oiled palette will develop an attractive patina which adds to its appearance.