Keeping Acrylics Wet
~Prolonging the usefulness of Acrylics~
Acrylics dry very quickly, so use small amounts of it - just enough to suit your needs. If you are using a simple plastic palette, you can keep your mixtures moist with the use of a fine mist spray bottle. There's no need to do this if you use a Stay-wet palette, which is simply wax paper place over damp watercolor paper or damp paper towels. Keep the paper towels wet after each painting session by lightly spraying it. Replace the towels once in a while. Otherwise, your mixtures may start molding.
If you have to leave the painting session, you can keep your paint moist by covering it with a wet paper towel or fabric. If you're going to be away for a while, cover the paper towel with aluminium foil to keep the moisture from evaporating too quickly.
Acrylic painters utilize various ways of containing their mixtures and keeping it wet. For instance, if you are on a tight budget, an egg carton works well to hold plenty of paint and for mixing. To keep the paint wet, simply cover it with a damp paper towel and close the lid, then place it in the refrigerator. The paint will stay moist for days. A great way to keep your mixtures wet for a longer period of time is to use 35mm film containers. They are air tight and can be obtained for free from your local photo center. They will happily give you the containers. I will often store my mixtures this way, as I work on other projects. If you do this, you should label the container by placing a dab of the color on the lid.
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