If you're looking at this instructable you may know what a wet palette is already but for those who don't, a wet palette is as it sounds - it's a painting palette that keeps your paints wet.

If you're painting miniatures, you're typically using very small amounts of paint at a time and, unfortunately, those little drops of paint tend to dry out pretty fast which can mean it also changes consistency as you're working and it's also a huge pain if you're mixing colours as it means you have to keep trying to remix and match the colour you were using that just dried up!

Of course you can buy a wet palette online, there are plenty of options that work very well but to be quite honest they just felt a bit pricey so I thought I'd at least try to make one before I buy anything!

I'm big into 3D printing so I designed one in Tinkercad and printed it but don't worry if you don't have a printer as you can use the same technique for the inside and simply use a Tupperware box instead of the printed parts!

If you just want to know how to make your own refills for a palette you already have, jump ahead to Step 3 :)

If you just want the files, you can grab them for free from here :)

Supplies

Paper Towel (Kitchen Towel)
Baking Paper/Parchment - This is sold under different names but you want the stuff with a non-stick coating (usually silicon)
Water (distilled is ideal but tap is fine)
Either Printer and filament OR Tupperware Container

Optional Extras: Paint, top coat, silicon sealant

Step 1: The Box

If you're not printing, this is a pretty easy step!

Just figure out how big you want your palette to be and buy/find a Tupperware container of that size!

If you're making use of one you already have, it kind of goes without saying that the paint will stay wet longer if it has a good air-tight seal.

If you're printing, you've got a little more work ahead of you :)

My STLs are available free here but in case you want to make any changes here's a link to the Tinkercad project for you too.

This should be a very simple print - I designed it to be as straightforward as possible. I'll leave the slicing to you but if you just place everything grid side down you should be good to go without supports or anything.

The insert is optional, I just like it for keeping certain colours completely separate.

Design Tip: You may have noticed the grid pattern on the box - this is a trick I picked up to prevent large, flat pieces from curling up at the corners and coming unstuck by breaking it up into smaller parts. It's not necessary at all but thought I'd take the opportunity to share a little tip!

Step 2: Paint/Coat/Seal (optional)

You can skip this step if you're happy with what you have already, it should work just fine as is but here are a few optional extras to improve looks and performance of the palette:

Paint! I printed in a transparent PETG which I don't particularly like the look of so I gave it a quick coat of black acrylic
Coat! Especially important if you've painted it already but a top coat never hurts and helps to ensure your palette is totally waterproof - it's never going to be wet enough to leak so this isn't as important as you might think but it can help it hold in moisture for longer!
Seal! In the lid piece I designed there is a groove where it fits onto the base to give a (close to) air-tight seal. If you just run around this groove with a small amount of silicon sealant it'll ensure a tighter seal meaning it'll stay wet for even longer!

Step 3: The Important Bit

Let's make this a palette!

If using Tupperware: I would suggest using the lid as the palette and what is normally the bottom of the box as a lid. The lid is nice and shallow and won't get in the way of your brushes whereas I can imagine reaching into the box every time you need paint could get irritating.

Take a couple of sheets of kitchen towel (you may need more depending on brand and the size of your palette)
Fold the sheets in half in one direction, then fold it in three in the other direction - this should fit just right in your palette if you're using my design but adjust for your needs. (pic 1)
Take your insert (or the base if you're not using one) and draw around it onto your parchment paper (pic 2)
Cut out the shape you just drew (if you used the base, cut just inside the lines to make sure it'll fit inside the palette)
Wet the kitchen towel (you can just pour or spray water onto it) then allow any excess to drain out of the box by simply tipping it up on one corner until no more water drains out.
Place the parchment you cut earlier on top of your wet paper (ensure it's shiny side up!) (pic 3)
Fit the insert on top. (pic 4)

You may need to adjust your kitchen towel a little to fit just right but do try to do this before adding the paper and try to keep everything flat otherwise you'll have wrinkles in your palette - not the end of the world but annoying to work around.

Step 4: Paint!

Fab, you made it - now how do you use it?

Just the same as any other palette to be honest!

It should make a big difference, your paints will now stay wet for hours, if not days rather than just a few minutes.

Obviously it won't last forever - you'll need to replace the parchment paper and paper towel whenever things start getting a bit worn out.

Given you've got yourself a big boxful of wet, there's always a chance things will get a little mouldy if you leave it sitting around too long as well - using distilled water can give you a bit more time before that happens and I've also heard of people putting pennies under the paper towel or adding a few drops of vinegar to their water as it apparently kills the mould. I find just cleaning it out between projects is plenty - I've not found any mould yet. :)

I hope this was helpful for a few people - whether you're painting an army of miniatures, props, costumes or even yourself, I hope this helps make it that little bit easier!