Redgrass - The best desk lamp, wet palette and tools for miniature painting and fine art. (2024)

FAQs

What is redgrass? ›

macra is a low-growing tussock grass with greenish to brownish sparsely hairy leaves, but up to 1 m high when the slender reddish-purple flowering stems are produced during summer and early autumn, hence the common name 'red grass'.

Work your paint over the wet palette's surface with a brush and thin it down until you've reached your desired consistency. Then, simply load your brush, and it's time to start painting. For extra-long hobby sessions, we recommend using clean water and a pipette of sorts to redistribute water to the palette.

A wet palette typically consists of a plastic case, a layer of absorbent material like a wet sponge, and a sheet of porous paper, usually parchment paper, on top. The palette delivers the right amount of moisture, keeping your paint workable for hours.

For that, and for DIY wet palettes, most painters use baking parchment. The baking parchment paper I like is Reynold's Kitchen Parchment with SmartGrid. This very thin parchment paper has a grid on the back which makes it very easy to cut to size.

Setting Up the Palette: Place the foam pad inside the wet palette. Add water until the foam is fully saturated but not submerged. The correct water level is crucial for maintaining the consistency of your paint.

How long? Hours to days (if using the lid). It's really a game-changer for acrylic painters, particularly those of us in dry climates, where your acrylic paint dries very quickly on a regular palette.

You can reuse wet palette paper if it's not too soiled with paint. Carefully clean the sheet, without ripping it. If it tears, it's done. Toss it.

Parchment paper sheets – do not substitute waxed paper or tracing paper – the parchment paper worked the best)

Cold press paper

This sits in the middle of paper finishes – it has some texture but a more even surface than rough paper. Cold press watercolour paper has little pockets on its surface that hold more water, giving you time to blend and create wet-on-wet effects.

A hot pressed paper is often criticised for being slippery and hard to control, but it is the smoothest option and best-suited to artists doing fine detail work, including botanical art. 100% cotton is ideal, although some wood-pulp and cartridge papers can also be used.

What is the handmade paper for miniature painting? ›

Wasli, also referred to as wasli paper, is a type of handmade paper used specifically for painting miniatures. It was devised in India, in the 10th century, and figures widely in Mughal-era painting.