Review: Redgrass Games Everlasting Wet Palette Painter Edition Complete Pack

In this review, we find out if Redgrass Games’ Everlasting Wet Palette lives up to the hype of its Kickstarter success, and how a wet palette can improve your painting even if you’re not a wet blending expert or Golden Demon level painter.

This item was kindly provided by Redgrass Games. Opinions are our own.

Redgrass Games’ Everlasting Wet Palette is available in two sizes, the 15 x 20 cm Painter Edition, and the larger Studio XL version, measuring 20 x 30 cm. The Complete Pack comes with 50 sheets of hydration paper, 2 hydration foam pads, 1 magnetic “Wavy” palette accessory, and 1 strap band. There is also a cheaper Starter pack with only 15 sheets, a single foam pad, plus the strap band.

Features

The palette is made from two pieces of sturdy, high-quality plastic, with a rubber lip for an air-proof seal once you install the strap. I have to say, I’m not too fond of the colour choices, the orange and grey make it look like a child’s toy, I’d have preferred a more subdued dark grey or black, but that’s up to personal preference. The size is about a sheet of DIN A5 paper, which should be plenty for most painters. In fact, on my compact paint station, I found I would prefer an  even smaller size, so I would appreciate it when Redgrass Games would come up with an extra small version in the  uture. But for most people, the size of the Painter edition will be perfect.

The included foam pads fit nicely, absorb water very well and stay hydrated for days and weeks, especially when you store the wet palette air-sealed in your refrigerator. The pads are mould repellant and, should they dry out, can easily be restored with adding water again. The hydration sheets also come in the perfect size, I wasn’t able to apply them perfectly wrinkle-free, I probably need some practice, but then a couple of wrinkles didn’t bother me at all when painting.

The Everlasting Wet Palette’s gimmick is the three magnetic docks to which you can attach “Wavy” palette accessories. The painter edition comes with one “Wavy” expansion that has five wells for inks and washes, as you don’t want to come them into contact with water. You can buy additional “Wavys”, I think Redgrass Games also used to sell a magnetic pot holder, but it seems to be no longer available. The “Wavy” is made from smooth hard plastic and is easy to clean.

I haven’t used a wet palette for years because I just thought it wasn’t necessary, as I rarely do any wet blending, nor do I mix paints that often. Having used this palette for a couple of weeks now, oh, how wrong I was. A wet palette is an essential hobby item, even if you’re not considering yourself a pro painter. I wrote a ToP Tip post with five ideas how a wet palette will change your hobby, make sure to check it out if you don’t use a wet palette yet.

Value

The Complete pack of the 15 x 20 cm Painter edition has an RRP of 29,90 Euro / £ 34.99, but there is also the cheaper Starter pack with fewer accessories priced at a very competitive 19,90 Euro / £ 18.00. The Studio XL version is 42,90 Euro / £ 44.99. Not too cheap, but I think the quality and thought Redgrass Games put into these palettes is worth it, plus you get a lot of sheets and foams that will last you for months or even years depending on your painting output. The wet palettes are available from redgrassgames.com or at our partner stores Wayland Games and Element Games at a 10% discount. Additional packs of Painter size foams are 4,50 Euro / £ 4.50, packs of 50 Painter size hydration sheets are 7.90 Euro / £ 8.99, with the Studio XL versions slightly more expensive.