The Dry Palette: Explained

Q: Is there a midway between a dry palette and a wet palette?

Yes - our Ultimate Dry Palette design bridges the gap. It includes a light dampening sponge to moisten the brush when you need a little more working time. A dampening sponge gently rehydrates paint to a minimal level without fully hydrating it. Just a light dab to re-engage paint flow the tiniest amount.

Everything You Need to Know About Dry Palettes for Miniature Painting

If you’ve ever struggled with streaky dry brushing, overloaded paint or ruined highlights, this article is for you. We explain how our original dry palette works and why it’s changed the way thousands of miniature painters approach texture and control.

Understanding Paint Behaviour: Wet vs Dry Surfaces

Acrylic paint is a delicate suspension of pigment in a polymer binder. Additives, whether water or medium, shift its chemistry. A little water extends flow. Too much, and the structure collapses. An engineering mindset helps here: acrylic paint is a precision fluid. Like fuel in a spacecraft, the binder to pigment ratio must be carefully balanced. Over thin the mix, and performance breaks down, pigments separate, coverage weakens, control disappears. Wet palettes, through capillary action, feed moisture from below. Extremely useful for some contexts, but not for techniques requiring paint control. Dry palettes offer stability. No creeping water, no unpredictable flow. Just a consistent, responsive surface. Like a well regulated system, with every variable under your command. This distinction becomes critical when working with:

Heavy paints & metallics that rely on intact structure.
Specialty mediums where water skews ratios.
Dry brushing which demands control, precision and minimal moisture.

Why Use a Textured Dry Palette?

At first glance this might seem simple – perhaps old fashioned. But in miniature painting, where precision is everything, simplicity can be the ultimate sophistication. This isn’t just about having a dry surface. It’s about intentionality, control and a tailored environment for high performance paintwork. When you use a wet palette, you’re working in a system that prioritises hydration – beautiful for basecoats or large blends. But what if you want your paint to behave a very specific way? This is where the dry palette shines:

Full control over moisture content & how your paint behaves.
Without underlying wicking, what you mix is what you get.
Paint ratio stays stable and controlled.
Textures provide friction for paint prep & even brush loading.
Texture zones to separate different mixes.

These aren’t just functional, they’re strategic. At Anarky Creations, we pioneered the use of designs that fit directly into The Army Painter’s Wet Palette lid. Our design didn’t just enter the conversation – it reshaped it. With high-resolution prints, thoughtfully engineered surfaces and options for both standard and moisture controlled use, we’ve set the standard others now follow. This isn’t just a tool. It’s a rethink of how painters manage precision. Evolved, elevated and original.

Better than paper towel – which can microdeposit fibres on your brushes, soak moisture unevenly, wick pigment and waste paint. Just use them for spills.

A Complement to Your Wet Palette

Dry palettes aren’t replacement wet palettes, they’re strategic additions to your workflow. Modular systems are gaining traction among pro-level painters, with many now crafting airtight environments to control humidity and maintain paint consistency. A purpose-built dry palette integrates seamlessly into these high performance setups, offering precision and efficiency where it matters most.

WET palette: For basecoats long sessions and wet blending.
DRY palette: For dry brushing and advanced medium use.

QUICK START GUIDE:

Dispense a small amount of paint.
Add medium if needed — or use as-is for dry brushing.
Mix to desired consistency.
Test on your glove, dry palette texture, or test mini.
Paint with confidence.

Why Dry Brushing Demands a Dry Palette

Dry brushing delivers bold, beautiful results when executed well, but moisture is its natural enemy. Using a dry palette for dry brushing offers superior control, efficiency and consistency compared to a kitchen towel. Providing the surface tension you need to thin the paint just enough, while maintaining the load and spring in your brush. Before committing to your model, you can refine technique, consistency and flow. The result? Cleaner transitions. Sharper edges. Less frustration. Unlike absorbent paper, a dry palette:

Prevents paint from drying too quickly.
Maintains the right consistency, ensuring better pigment retention.
Minimises waste by allowing paint to remain usable longer.
Provides a stable surface for blending before application.

Smoother finish – Completely dehydrated paint is more likely to streak or blob. A textured dry palette helps maintain the right balance.

Our Range: Designed for Precision

The Original Dry Brush Palette – Modern
The Original Dry Brush Palette – Fantasy
Ultimate Dry Brush Palette – Modern (integrated dampening sponge)
Ultimate Dry Brush Palette – Fantasy (integrated dampening sponge)
The Original XL Dry Brush Palette – Modern (fits Wargamers Edition)
The Original XL Dry Brush Palette – Fantasy (fits Wargamers Edition)

When you order a customisable Anarky Creations Dry Palette you order with confidence. Choose from either a grey or black primer and custom tray colour. Each one is printed to order using high quality PLA filament. These six designs incorporate a carefully considered, unique collection of textures, designed to suit both aesthetic and dimensions of that palette.

Customer Reviews

Don’t just take our word for it – Anarky Creations Etsy Reviews

We often hear from our customers and love listening to product feedback. In fact both the XL and Ultimate were developed directly from customer wish lists. Customers asked for a dry palette to fit The Army Painter Wargamers Edition so we designed and developed our XL palette. Customers asked for a deeper tray for chunky brushes so we designed and developed our Ultimate palette, and with that extra head height available, added in a dampening sponge. We believe in a collaborative design and development process. If you would like to join our team of testers, sign up for the newsletter to receive notifications, news and discounts. A dry palette won’t transform your painting alone, you will still need to practice. But it will unlock a higher level of control and it is control is what separates casual techniques from refined artistry.

Ready to refine your technique? Shop the original dry palette here

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a dry palette?

A dry palette is a dry textured surface used for loading and manipulating paint, especially useful for dry brushing miniatures, bases and terrain. It helps you control your brushwork technique by providing a consistent and controlled surface for removing excess paint. A level of finesse that wet palettes and kitchen roll cannot match. A dry palette doesn’t replace a wet palette, but is used in conjunction with it.

How does a dry palette work?

The slightly textured surface of a dry palette pulls excess paint from the brush as you swipe or roll it across. This loads the brush with a highly controlled amount of pigment, making it easier to catch raised edges without flooding shadows or recesses. A dry palette provides the surface tension you need to thin the paint just enough, while maintaining the load and spring in your brush. Before committing to your model, you can refine technique, consistency and flow. The result? Cleaner transitions. Sharper edges. Less frustration.

What’s the difference between a dry palette and using a sheet of kitchen towel?

While kitchen towel is often used as a quick alternative, it’s not the same. A true dry palette, especially a textured one, is engineered to remove paint evenly across the brush surface without soaking up too much moisture. Kitchen towel is inconsistent, can fray and removes too much paint too quickly. Giving you less control, less predictable results and too often, a rough finish.

How do a dry palette and a wet palette work together in miniature painting?

A wet palette is ideal for keeping paint moist over long sessions, perfect for layering and blending. A dry palette on the other hand gives you controlled, low moisture application. Essential for dry brushing, stippling or edge highlighting. Most miniature painters use both: mix and preserve colours on the wet palette, then transfer a small amount to the dry palette for precision techniques. Used together, they give you maximum flexibility and control.

What makes our dry palette different from the copies out there?

Our Anarky Creations Army Painter Wet Palette compatible product is the original one. Designed to fit inside The Army Painter wet palette lid for a compact, desk space friendly, travel friendly solution. Anarky Creations needed one and so designed one. It was created to serve a function, not as a trend. Every texture choice was tested by real painters, not copied from product photos.

Can beginners benefit from using a dry palette?

Absolutely. If you’ve ever struggled with dry brushing that looks dusty, streaky, or too strong – it’s probably not you. It’s your paint handling. A dry palette gives you instant control and helps shorten the learning curve.

Does paint dry out faster on a dry palette?

Yes – but that’s kind of the point. You’re not trying to keep paint wet, you’re trying to control the load on your brush. That said, most painters only add a few drops at a time to their dry palettes. A kitchen towel will dry paint out much faster.

Is there a midway between a dry palette and a wet palette?

Yes – our Ultimate Dry Palette design bridges the gap. It includes a light dampening sponge to moisten the brush when you need a little more working time. A dampening sponge gently rehydrates paint to a minimal level without fully hydrating it. Just a light dab to re-engage paint flow the tiniest amount.

Can I use any brush on a dry palette?

Technically yes (and there is a time and place for that) but for fine work, dry brushing miniatures is best done with brushes designed with that purpose in mind. From one UK maker to another – we’re big fans of Rosemary & Co.’s handmade dry brushes. Made with natural bristles and serious attention to detail, they’re a perfect match for dry palette work. They also have the absolute best reviews. For all brushes, be sure to refer to our general guide on how to care for them.

FAQ

What is a dry palette?

How does a dry palette work?

What’s the difference between a dry palette and using a sheet of kitchen towel?

How do a dry palette and a wet palette work together in miniature painting?

What makes our dry palette different from the copies out there?

Our Anarky Creations Army Painter Wet Palette compatible product is the original. Designed to fit inside The Army Painter wet palette lid for a compact, desk space friendly, travel friendly solution. Anarky Creations needed one and so designed one. It was created to serve a function, not as a trend. Every texture choice was tested by real painters, not copied from product photos.