Are Grey Toned Palettes Better For Art?

What’s the Buzz- Find out why so many people are making the switch to Grey Palettes

Answer: Grey Toned Palettes are better for seeing color – See colors more accurately – Grey surface does not reflect light

Why? The way a color appears on stark white is extremely different from how it appears on a tonal painting. White palettes reflect light and create shadows, thereby altering the appearance of the actual color of the paint.
A true middle grey color – the ideal tone for mixing natural and life like colors!

Many artists have found a fairly new product on the market and are going crazy for it. Grey Palettes have technically been around for the longest time, but are just resurfacing in popularity. Painters in very olden times used to put their paint on slabs of marble because the grey color of the marble didn’t reflect light off of it distorting the image of the color like a white or wooden palette would. Grey palettes offer a toned, neutral background that lets the artist see the colors as they will appear on their paintings. Compared to a white palette, the way a color appears on a stark white is extremely different from how it appears on a tonal painting. White palettes reflect light and create shadows , thereby altering the appearance of the actual color of the paint.

A Popular Grey Toned Palette Pad: SoHo Grey Toned Disposable Palette Pads

SoHo Grey Toned Disposable Paper Palettes, a great value for students and painters of all skill levels. See colors more accurately – Grey surface does not reflect light.  One of the best features of the SoHo Grey Toned Disposable Paper Palette Pads are that when you are finished with your paints for the day, you can tear off the used sheet and throw it away. Know immediately if a color is too light or too dark right on the palette!

The SoHo True Color Peel Off Neutral Grey Palette is a neutral, middle grey toned palette that is sturdy and ideal for mixing colors while providing lots of compartments to keep your colors pure. It has a large mixing area that is solvent resistant so you can mix oil paints with turpentine or mineral spirits without worrying about damaging the palette itself. It is also available in three different ergonomic shapes (the Artelier Airtight Palette even comes with a paint preserving lid). Now lets see why artists love it so much and see what the buzz is all about:

“The gray color of this palette makes it so easy to judge the color of your paint before you apply it to canvas, many wells to keep paint separate, and more than adequate mixing area. I am very excited about this Palette.“-billean01

“The Palette ad tells it like it is. The gray color of the palette gives the true color of the oil paint. The color seen on the palette is the the color that goes on the canvas. The seal allows you to use your oils for about a week, longer if placed in the freezer. Cleanup is a breeze.“- Kitty the Artist

“A gray palette was recommended by an instructor so this is the first time I tried it. This particular palette was good for traveling, light, easy to clean and best of all, the lid kept the oil paints fresh overnight.“- Squeak

“I just ordered a second Artelier Grey Palette. The acrylic and oil paints stay fresh at least two weeks. Mixing on gray palettes gives the true color on the canvas. No longer any need to throw away dried paints. Saves time for set up to paint. The Palette cleans up easily with no staining. I highly recommend the Artelier Grey Palette.“- Painter Ann

Grey Matters Paper Palette

This grey palette is slightly different than the Mijello. This Grey Matters Paper Palette offers 50 disposable pages for holding and mixing your paint until you’re finished with your masterpiece. Then when you finish, throw that sheet away! No clean up whatsoever. It even includes a mixing reference guide for your colors so that you can mix them properly without any color distortion from the palette. Now, lets see what real artists have to say about it:

“Super Convenient. Quality product at a very reasonable price. Keeps things from getting messy. Great for classes or Plein Air.“- Anonymous

“My art teacher recommended this palette paper. The grey color provides ease in mixing, and blending of oil colors. Love it“- Sandee

“The grey color is perfect for color mixing and allows true colors. This is so much better than the traditional white paper palettes. I encourage all my students to use this product.”- Life of a Daily Painter

Grey Palettes are definitely stirring up quite the buzz!

Remember, keep sending us your opinions on our products and you might just find yourself up here on the next edition of What’s the Buzz!