Why Use a Wooden Palette For Oil Painting?
For oil painting wooden palettes are utilized. They are light and easy to clean. They also look beautiful.
Many images of artists at work have survived. Some of these depict wooden pallets like the one Vermeer used.
To prepare a wooden palette clean it with drying oils such as linseed or safflower. This is important because a thin coating of oil helps to keep the palette clean.
Lightweight
A wooden pallet is lighter than glass or tear-off pallets and is able to be held easily at the easel. Its thickness makes it strong and stable, preventing it from bending under pressure. Additionally, it can be sanded down and stained to give it the color. A wooden palette is more durable and resistant to insects and fungi than other materials. The wooden palettes are perfect for mixing alkyds and acrylics.
The most common kind of wooden palette is constructed from pine or maple both of which are able to resist cracking and warping. It is crucial to select a wood that's been heat-treated in order to prevent fungi or insects. This is vital to the durability of the wooden palette. Furthermore, the surface of a good wooden palette must be smooth and evenly sanded. It should also have low moisture content, which will minimize the chance of wrinkling or damage to paints.
A wooden palette comes with a great feature: it's easy to clean. After every painting session, the artist can wipe the palette with a drying oil to condition it for next time. Linseed oil is a good choice due to its low cost and easily available. It also has a quick drying time.
The natural brown tone of a wood palette is perfect to mix colors because it is not that different to the dominant color on the canvas. This can help avoid the perception that the colors are more light or darker than what they really are. Vermeer employed a standard wooden palette. In a 1676 probate inventory, there is mention of "twee schilders eesels, drye paletten" (two easels for painters and three wooden palettes). In Pictura, Frans van Meieris painted a Vermeer style palette. Roger de Piles suggested that artists put flesh tones on a wooden palette ranging from light to dark.
Sturdy
Artists have used wooden palettes for centuries due to the fact that they're durable and sturdy. They're lightweight compared to tear-off or glass palettes and they're more rigid than paper ones. This makes them much easier to carry and use while painting. They are also a great option for mixing oil paints and alkyds. It is essential to choose an untreated wooden palette of top quality that has been heat treated. This eliminates bugs and fungi that can cause damage to the palette.
A good wooden palette will be smooth and well-made which allows your brushes to glide smoothly across it. It should be finished in a drying oil to protect the wood against water and solvent damage, and to help it keep its shape. There are pre-finished palettes that are ready for use or you can make your own from raw wood. If you're using a wood palette, be sure to clean it after each painting session. Paint that is wet on a palette made of wood can cause it to warp or crack over time.
Wooden Palettes are still a favorite with artists. They were the first mixing surfaces that could be used for oil paints. They're light, durable and can hold a large amount of paint without breaking. They are also ideal for mixing alkyds, acrylics and other heavy-bodied paints.
Vermeer's palettes had replaced the rectangular ones that were previously used with handles. The thumb was used to support the palette which allowed the artist to use his other fingers to use brushes and the mahlstick.
The heat-treated hardwoods like spruce and other hardwoods are used in the creation of a high-quality palette. This is a way to eliminate any fungi or bugs. The treatment process of heating wood makes it harder to scratch or smooth its surface. A well-used, maintained wooden palette will develop a smooth, glass-like finish after many years of use. This is due to the build-up of thin layers of drying oils that allow the surface to retain its shape.
Easy to clean
A wood palette gives you an easy-to-clean, smooth palette that will last for years. This kind of palette is a favorite among oil artists because it doesn't break or shatter like glass palettes. You can buy 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 has bits, don't use it). Sealing a palette using drying oil will fill in the small gaps and smooth the surface. This will get better with each painting.
After you have oiled your palette and sprayed it with oil, you'll need to clean the surface after every painting session. This is important as it will keep paints flowing smoothly on the palette and shield your hands from solvents. To restore your palette, start by lightly sanding it using 180-grit sandpaper. This will help open the wood grain which allows it to absorb oil more easily. Place a pool of linseed on the palette, and then use a rag or cloth to clean the entire surface. Allow the oil to dry for a couple of days.
Once your palette is dry, you can use a paper towel to wipe it off and if any paint remains just a tiny OMS on the rag will get rid of it. It is not recommended to use any sharp object to scrape off the dried paint. This could cause damage and scratching to your pallet.
If you have to scrape some dried paint off your palette it's best to rub it with a soft brush rather than using the knife. If you scrape too hard, you may harm your palette.
Aesthetically pleasing
A wooden palette is a beautiful and durable mixing surface. It makes you feel like an artist. It can be used with acrylics, oil paints, and alkyds. Its smooth surface is easy to clean and glides smoothly across the brush as you mix and pick up paint. Wooden palettes are also lightweight and come in various sizes to suit your hands. They are available in a variety of designs and finishes.
Palettes made of wood have been in use as long as art itself and are among the oldest mixing surfaces. 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 also helps you to see the color values of your paints since it has a mid-value which shows the hues against.
Vermeer's palettes are likely to be made of wood. The earliest palettes may have been made from paper or tin, however they are most likely made of wood. A probate inventory from 1676 recorded two "twee schilders eesels, three paletten" (two easels for painting and a dry palette). In an allegorical image of Pictura Vermeer's time, his contemporaries Frans van Meieris and Jan Vermeer utilized the same type of palette. 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 cleaning the surface, clean it with a drying oil -- either linseed or another- to keep the palette in good condition until the next time you will need it. This will fill in the pores in the wood grain and provide an even surface for your brushes. Over the years an oil-based palette will develop a gorgeous patina that adds to its appearance.