Wooden studio palettes
are traditionally made of Mahogany in a kidney shape with thumb hole and finger grip, held along the forearm between elbow and wrist. (New wooden palettes need to be oiled well with Palette Oil to prepare them for use).

If you don't want to go to the expense of a traditional wooden one, you can make your own from mdf or plywood (1/4" thick). Sand the palette to give a smooth thumb hole and edges. Apply at least two coats of varnish, rub down between each application and allow to dry thoroughly.
There are many shapes of palette on the market today and available in a variety of materials other than wood - clear and white acrylic, glass, porcelain, plastic and tear-off.
One thing they need to be is non-absorbent and preferably easy to clean.

Acrylic and plastic palettes are easy to clean, the oil paint can be scraped off using a palette knife and the surface wiped. Greaseproof paper and tear-off palettes are easy to dispose of at the end of a painting session.
Glass and Porcelain are more appropriate if you are seated as they are quite heavy.

Laying colours on the Palette
When laying the colours out on your palette, it's a good idea to lay them out in some sort of logical order. That order can be from light to dark, in colour families, following the colour wheel or frequency of use. It's also a good idea to put them close to the outside top edge of the palette, this leaves plenty of working/mixing area in the centre.
Try and judge how much paint you will need, too little can be frustrating as you need to squeeze out more and too much can be wasteful.
Laying the colours out in the same way each time is also good practice, you don't have to stop and search for the colour and it helps to prevent those little accidents - like picking up the wrong colour!

Notice also which colour you 'always' use and buy them in bigger tubes, it works out more economical.
 

If you have dried paint on the palette which you want to remove, scrape off what you can with a palette knife, smear a small amount of Zest-it Oil Paint Dilutant and Brush Cleaner or Zest-it Solvent (Citrus Free) over the dried paint, take 5 or have a cup of tea.
During this time the Zest-it will have softened the dried paint making it much easier to remove with the knife.
Wipe down between each application. Repeat as necessary, drying it off finally with paper towel.
Some artists clean the paint off the mixing area as they work, others leave the paint on until the painting is finished, again it's personal choice, whatever suits you best.

A new wooden palette needs 'seasoning', apply a thin coat of Palette Oil to the surface and allow to dry. Repeat often.
If you use the above cleaning process on a wooden palette that has not yet formed a protective patina, then it's as well to rub it over with kitchen towel dipped in Linseed oil after cleaning, this will help to protect the wood and build up the paint mixing surface.
 

Zest-it Oil Paint Dilutant and Brush Cleaner not only for thinning paint, also for cleaning your palette, tools and brushes.
A small amount on a paper towel can be used for wiping down palettes after use as per above instructions. Dry off with paper towel or lint free cloth.

Our Zest-it Solvent (Citrus Free) also works just as well.