Ceramic Sumi Ink Palette

I have two of these palettes and like them very much. The wells are especially useful for thinned paints and washes. In addition I use  several ceramic wall tiles  as palettes. Ceramic cleans up easily and has enough weight to stay in place.

Cheap, homemade wet palette.

Wet palettes have their uses but I find them too messy. Even though I live in a relatively dry climate my paints remain manageable using retarders like Liquitex Slo-dri. Choice of palettes is just a matter of personal preference as are many aspects of the hobby.

The Sumi palette fits in a plastic container with wet sponge. The paint will remain workable for over a week. I use this system to store custom mixes during long projects or anytime I'm in for an interupted painting session.

There are alot of different palettes available for miniature painters and an endless list of items that work in place of a palette for mixing and thinning paint. Blister packaging, CD-ROMs, plastic lids, ceramic tiles,  glass, plastic bags, etc. All of these things work but painting should be an enjoyable experience and for me a good palette makes it more fun. These are my choice for palettes: