Artist Palette+lid+Bag/Plastic / 51-Well [16 x 12 x 1 inches]

I’m glad i took a chance on this one. I like to use a lot of colors, this handles them all and leaves me room to grow. I like the large mixing area in the center, This is the way I like to arrange my colors; in order of color starting with yellow at the top, like the color wheel. Complementary colors are sort of across from each other and can be mixed in the middle. I use the second row with big wells for earth tones and neutrals. It’s plenty sturdy enough and the lid is very useful. Its weighted and stays on well but doesn’t seal, if that’s what you’re looking for. I wouldn’t use this palette for travel, though its certainly lightweight enough. The size is 12/16, the same size as my acrylic palette so it works for me. I enjoy the deep, slanted and rounded bottom wells much more than a square pan. It’s easier to get all the color on your brush and its easier on the brushes. The bottom right well has recessed walls and can be used to pour out the dirty mixing water and paint. I think this is a great value and I’m loving it. I find it very intuitive to use and there’s even plenty of room in the middle to store small mixing trays with your color mixes if you want to. I’m relieved to finally have my perfect palette; now I can concentrate on painting

This palette is big at 16 by 12. But I really enjoy it so far. The mixing space is great, and the wells for the colors are fairly deep enough that I felt like I wasn't lacking in anything. It came with the lid and bag as described, and the bag will be handy for this next year when I start some plein air painting and want to take my palette outside. I have a lot of colors (Though not quite 51) and liked being able to space them out across the rows as I did. I plan on using the second row for mixing certain colors and shades. One side can be for warm tones, the other side can be for cool tones. I like that it has the separator between the two mixing areas as well. I will certainly be using this palette for years to come. Especially since I put my favorite paints in it (M Graham and Winsor and Newton for anyone curious). I've only had the palette for a short while but so far it's doing what I needed it for and keeping the paints dust and fur free (I have pets and live next to a busy road). I looked at other palettes but they didn't have all the color wells exactly this size for my tastes. The downside is that it might be a bit big for some people, storing it was a tricky thing to figure out but with a bit of rearranging at my art studio I was able to find a flat surface to store it and still have it be easy to grab when I work on larger projects that require more paint than my smaller tin watercolor box can offer. The price is also what attracted me to this palette box when I looked at other styles like Porcelain or at different brands.In short, I would recommend this palette to anyone looking for a bigger palette and plenty of mixing space for lots of colors. Maybe not so much for someone who's limited on storage space because it's quite big.

Would I still prefer porcelain? yes. but at this price range it's a definite recommend. I love it's many many good features. However, just to note, here are downsides which may or may not matter to you. The bag is not convenient to use everyday...since I don't know why you would use anything other than watercolor this probably doesn't matter. The lid works fine. I wouldn't use it for my acrylics or oils, I don't think they would come clean. There is some staining for certain colors which stain EVERYTHING. For the most part though it cleans up quickly and easily. the slanted wells are good for holding extra paint and for making my own mixtures, but I have realized colored water gets underneath the paint instead of staying on top to be cleaned off, rendering the bottom layers unusable except as grays and browns...which is exactly what I do with them. I am simply trying to overcome my bad habit of unclean brushes when mixing, so I am okay with this, but you might want to consider whether flat wells is more important to you. Each well has a lip which I use constantly and keeps the mixtures from back flowing. It is not a thick durable plastic like a melamine but neither is it flimsy. I make sure not to place other things on top of it and have no problems. Lightweight can be a positive. Overall I am perfectly pleased for the price.

Numbers of wells is good

I like that the palette is large with 50+ wells for ink and after a few days it's still kept my original dollops wet. There's also a large area for mixing paints. Overall a very good product.

I like this palette a lot and use it for my Dr Ph Martin's Radiant liquid watercolors. They are way too concentrated in the bottle so the large wells of this palette allow me to squeeze a few drops in, mix with lots of water, and then re-wet next time I paint without wasting the paint. I was able to easily label the edge of each well with an ultra-fine Sharpie.The only issue I have is how HUGE this palette is. I knew the size of it, but it's really enormous in real life. I almost sent it back because of that but finally found a place to store it where it could lay flat and not have anything else on top of it. It also takes up a lot of table space when I pull it out to work with. I wish it were about 60% of the size it is. If I were going to use this with traditional watercolors, I'd send it back- the wells and size of the unit is too large unless you are using enormous brushes and need wells large enough to accommodate the brush.Only time will tell how the plastic holds up- some plastics get brittle and crack after a while, so I'll be sure to update my review if that happens, or if it becomes so stained (the center mixing area) that it's an issue.But besides how huge it is (which has an upside- LOTS of space to mix color) it's great.

Second time buying this. Like that it has a cover and a sturdy bag. Bottom was a little flimsy so I cut out a thin foam board covered it with duct tape and attached it with double sided tape. Lots of good sized wells and mixing area. Lid can also be used to mix colors. Travels well especially with the bag which has a slider closure. I use it at home and to go to watercolor art classes. Wells can be marked with colors using a fine tip sharpie.

Need much larger wells!!