Ok … I’ve crawled out from the Dark Ages and into the Real World at last. My most recent purchase was a gasket-sealed palette – replacing the paper plates I used to use. The Heritage Paint Palette is an awesome item. There are three variations in the line: the smallest palette has 18 paint wells, 2 divided mixing areas, and a separate removable water tray; the medium has 24 paint wells, 2 divided mixing trays, and a separate larger mixing tray; and the largest has 33 paint wells but only 1 mixing tray. This is a very compact unit that seals & locks to keep paints fresh.
The box says ‘watercolours’ but I use mine for acrylics. Each individual paint tray holds a good quantity of paint (from a tube) and the 18-paint well palette is a good choice for those using a limited palette of colours. After an afternoon of painting, I simply closed the palette up and made sure it clicked to ensure that the seal was complete. The next day I went into my studio to continue painting. To my surprise the paints inside were in the same state as the day before – without spritzing the paints with water first, no moist paper towel, no damp sponge inside – nothing. Not only were the paints in the individual trays still pristine but the mixed colours in the two divided trays were also ready to be used.
To further test the gasket seal I left the paints within the palette closed for 3 days (tough not painting for 3 days). However, to my surprise, when I went back in to paint, the paints in the wells were still moist and pliable, ready to use. The mixed colours in the mixing trays, without any additional moisture, were dried, except around the edges next to the paint wells where the paint was thicker. To my pleasure, I was able to continue painting without wasting my precious paint!
How did I ever manage without this palette? Heaven only knows.
These are VERY affordable and compact enough to take with when painting outdoors, in classrooms, etc. No worries about paint oozing out from beneath a snap-on cover, as can happen with other palettes. The Heritage Paint Palette is a great asset for any painter.
