Transferring watercolor paint from one palette to another typically involves moving the paints themselves, whether from tubes or dried pans, into a new or empty palette setup.
When you want to use a different palette, perhaps an empty one, you are essentially setting up that new palette with your chosen colors. This often involves:
- Filling Wells: Squeezing fresh watercolor paint from tubes directly into the empty wells of the new palette.
- Moving Pans: Taking dried watercolor pans or cakes and placing them into the designated slots or areas of the new palette.
According to one source, when adding paint to a palette, especially plastic ones, it's worth noting that sometimes the colors can stain the plastic palette.
Steps for Moving Paints to a New Palette
While the term "transfer" might sometimes imply moving wet paint or scraping dried paint, in the context of reorganizing or switching palettes, it usually refers to the process of filling or placing your watercolors into the desired palette container.
Here's a general approach:
- Select Your New Palette: Choose the palette you want to transfer your paints to. This could be a travel palette, a studio palette, or simply a different style.
- Prepare the Palette: Ensure the new palette is clean and dry, especially if it's a used one. If it's a new palette, it's ready to go.
- Gather Your Paints: Collect the watercolor paints you wish to move. These could be tubes or pans.
- Place or Fill:
- For Tube Paints: Squeeze paint directly into the wells of the empty palette. Fill them to your desired level.
- For Pan Paints: Place the pans into the correct slots or sections in the new palette. Some palettes use adhesive sheets or magnets to secure the pans.
- Let Tube Paints Dry: If you filled the wells with tube paint, allow them to dry partially or completely before traveling with the palette to avoid spills.
Important Considerations
- Staining: As mentioned, some vibrant or highly pigmented colors can stain plastic palettes. This is a common characteristic and usually doesn't affect the paint's performance, though it might alter the appearance of your palette over time.
- Palette Type: Different palettes are designed for different paint forms (pans vs. tube fills) and uses (studio vs. travel). Choose a new palette that suits how you work.
- Paint Condition: You are typically moving the paint itself (from the tube or as a solid pan), not scraping dried paint from a previous palette's surface. While you can rehydrate dried paint from a palette and move it, this isn't the standard meaning of setting up a new palette.
Essentially, transferring watercolor paint to a new palette means putting your paints into the empty spaces of that new container, ready for use.
