When painting miniatures, whether for Dungeons & Dragons or Warhammer, there are various gadgets that can make the hobby easier if you’re willing to invest the necessary money. MeinMMO editor Caro also worked for a long time with simpler methods to paint her miniatures, but a purchase finally helped her with one of her biggest problems – and it doesn’t even have to be expensive.
I have been painting miniatures for almost a year since discovering the hobby through Dungeons & Dragons. Besides the miniatures, brushes, and paints, I have been rather sporadic in acquiring other utensils. I had an old mat, used my regular desk lamp as a light source, and cardboard from old packages as a palette.
That was completely sufficient to find out if I wanted to invest more time in the hobby or not. However, after almost a year, I can say: Yes, it’s just really fun.
I want to improve, finally see differences in my first attempts, which is why I took a closer look at my biggest problems (literally).
One of my biggest problems to this day is that I use too much paint when I want to fully cover a miniature without too much gray primer showing through. Everywhere, whether on Reddit or YouTube, it’s preached: Dilute. Your. Paints. Otherwise, you’ll lose too much detail. Unfortunately, this proved to be a huge hurdle on my scrap paper.
That’s exactly why I decided to invest in a gadget that would help me overcome this painting sin. And during the first test, I found that I was already grateful after 5 minutes that I made this decision.
Thanks to a Wet Palette, my figures can finally smile
First, I want to explain to you why a Wet Palette is such a lifesaver when you have a problem with too thick layers of paint.
A Wet Palette, also known as a moisture palette, ensures safe transport and keeps the paints fresh when you take a painting break, as it protects against evaporation. On the other hand, the moist substrate ensures that the paints do not dry out and can be easily mixed with other colors or diluted with water.
A Wet Palette, regardless of the provider, always works the same way: In a shallow container, there is a moisture-retaining, sponge-like layer. This must be saturated with water before a moisture-permeable membrane is placed on top, which will ultimately hold the paint.
To illustrate this, here is my Wet Palette:
With the moisture from the sponge under the paper, I can dilute my paints much more easily without them being absorbed by the material, as was the case on the cardboard. Already on my first attempt, in which I started with a primer, I could see how much easier it was for me to maintain thin layers. Instead of making my miniatures mute as if with wallpaper paste, I could still see a lot of detail even after two layers. They actually have a face!
From my experience over the last two weeks, the paints remain moist for at least 2 days, with larger amounts even 1–2 days longer. This not only saves me paint but also allows me to correct mistakes at any time when I later paint over a wrong spot without having to sacrifice fresh paint for a small splash.
If you want to save money, you don’t have to miss out on the luxury of a Wet Palette
I was ready to buy a ready-made Wet Palette. I own the XL Wet Palette from The Army Painter, which is so large that I can share it with the whole table when painting with friends. I really didn’t compare it to other palettes; it was simply the one available in the store.
However, if you don’t want to invest more money in a hobby that is already not one of the most affordable, you don’t have to miss out on a Wet Palette. You can also build one from items you find at home.
All you need is a plastic container (often the lid is sufficient) as a holder, a sponge cloth from the household section as a moisture reservoir, and baking paper as a membrane on which you can apply your paints.
In this video from RookieBrushes on YouTube, you can see what a DIY Wet Palette can look like:
I am still at the start of my young but hopefully steady path to becoming a true miniature artist and would greatly appreciate your tips and tricks. Whether regarding the Wet Palette or other useful gadgets you have discovered while painting.
I have faced (and still face) some initial difficulties that can really take away the optimism of ever getting better at a new creative hobby. But I am not the only one with this feeling: A miniature newbie wants to give up the hobby due to ‘ugly’ results, but the community knows the words that really help at the start
