The magic erasers are awesome for this. Just scrub over it once and no beading whatsoever. So quick and easy

I wish manufacturers would make those palettes without the thumbhole. It's basically a wasted mixing well. Thank-you for the anti-beading tip.

Rubbing alcohol also works to remove that residue. I use this trick at our sign shop when we wrap vehicles to remove wax that prevents the vinyl from sticking. I super appreciate you showing how you filled your palette. I don't typically fill the wells that much, but can't wait to do it again soon as they are all running quite low at the moment.

a scotchbrite pad or tarter-control toothpaste works great. Also fine steel wool or very fine wet-dry sandpaper.

I seriously thought the beading on my pallet was something I was doing wrong! It's been driving me crazy that my pallet doesn't look like any of the videos I've been watching. Thank you for making this video!! TT__TT

Why is it so fascinating to watch someone squeezing paint into a palette???? Swatching paint gives me the same warm fuzzies, lol. Love your videos Emma Jane ❤️

THANK YOU FOR THAT TUTORIAL - IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE. As a newbie, I thought that beading was NORMAL!!! lol! It was great to see you fill a palette, too! Thanks, Emma!

I love how your videos are instructive, rather than just demonstrative. Very nice.

This is so helpful! I didn’t realize it was the plastic, I figured either I was doing something wrong, or needed tubes instead of pans or something. Thank you!

I knew that beading was aggravating but I never knew there was anything I could do about it. Thanks for showing this!!

ALWAYS love to watch a “setting up a new watercolor pallet video”!!! What a cool gift!!!

Great refreshing tutorial! I've been an artist for 60 years. And I'm still learning. 👍

Videos like this are wonderful! There are some many things that go into watercolor and it's hard to be a newbie with all the stress of figuring things out.

Wow - what a difference. You have just changed my watercolor world 🥳🤗. Have said some not very nice words when trying to mix colors. 🤣😂. It was and is hard enough learning how to mix colors (am a newbie) - when then the colors sort of disapear in very tiny drops - it is almost impossible. Hahahaha, haven't even thought about that I could change it. Now, I can learn without looking at tiny watercolor drops. Thank you sooooo much 🥰

Interesting. I tend to use cream cleaner, like you use to clean bathroom surfaces. Its mildly abrasive so it scrubs the oil layer off quite well. As you say, might need to do it more than once, but it does work. I was asking someone about the beading issue once and they actually got quite angry, lol - I think they said something along the lines of "why wouldn't you want that? Its just how watercolour pools on plastic!" I was like: "ok, thanks for your help", lol...

I use Bar Keepers Friend, and it works like a charm!

Also, applying a thin layer of acrylic paint and than rubbing it in before it’s completely dry, really helps too. Love your channel.

I started with a set of cheap tubes. I added a few drops of glycerine while placing them in my palette. It worked great.

Thank you sooooooo much for this, it’s one of those questions you are embarrassed to ask why the paint you mix disappears never to be seen again. I have plastic paint palettes but use china saucers and pin dishes to mix because they don’t bead up…… I’ve learned so much from your channel in such a short space of time. I didn’t even know I could paint until I had a go after watching your tutorials. Happy new year. Kind regards Craig 🎨

Holy cow, I never would’ve come up with this ideal. Good job now I’m on my way with my pallet. Thanks

What a lovely, generous gift

OMG. Thank you!! I kept hearing about toothpaste and magic erasers and still nobody shows you their results they just say oh you can do this and it'll look like mine. You're the first person I've seen that actually did it that quickly in front of us and showed that it works! Thank you so very much!

Thank you for these tips Emma! I bought the empty pallet a few weeks ago because I admired yours so much. I have been waiting on filling it and now I’m so glad that I did as I will now treat the mixing wells like you did.

yes, I use the same method, but I use water on the tissue, to properly remove the stickiness. It is quick and works on tin palettes too. Be mindful to use a tissue or serviette, a rag isn't a good choice as the lint comes off the rag. Thanks for this trick! Been waiting years for people to show this to the world. Thanks Emma! Eliza Australia 10:28am Thursday 13th of January 2022

I usually just wash mine for the first time with mild soap and a non-scratch scrubber. It takes the mold release off the plastic from the mold that was used to make those plastic ones.

Awesome tip. Thank you Emma

Wow, who knew! I thought I had heard all the solutions. I bet this would work on dip pen nibs too. Thanks for the video.

thanks so much for making this video. i've been watching videos for a long time - years - and one of my chief frustrations with mixing on a palette (rather than on paper) is the beading. and i honestly didn't think there was anything to be done about it. in fact it didn't even occur to me that different palettes behave differently and that some of my palettes enable me to get washes on the surface without beading. this is definitely a game-changer.

Thank you dear Emma ! You are a great teacher !

🤣😂 I thought it was me! Thank you for answering this question, which I never woulda guessed was a problem with the palette! 😂🤣😂😅

Excellent video! I just discovered your channel, and I am very impressed with this first video if yours that ive watched. So far, that is. Now I'm going to watch some more of them! 😊

Omg I can’t believe this has such an easy fix lol now I feel dumb, dumb but very thankful 🙈😅

I just bought this pallet and am starting a class next week. This was super helpful!

Loved the tip! I’m going to do that now! Thank you! ❤️

I also did the glue trick onto one of the sections of my new palette, just that I peeled it off because it's satisfying and my palette becomes clean. I believe it also takes away that little shiny layer.

Great tips Emma!! I use a magic eraser and that works great also

Thank you! You are awesome. You answered two of my questions in one video. I have been having problems with the beading up and the cheap watercolor falling out of the palette. I do have a new palette and some of the Cotman watercolor that I got for Christmas so now I know how to set them up 🙂

Thank you!!! This is just what I needed. I was becoming frustrated with my plastic palette.

Scrub the wells with toothpaste and an old toothbrush. Or scouring powder (Comet) and a toothbrush. Or toothpaste and a little bit of comet. You can use a scotch brite pad and toothpaste/comet too.

Having paint bead up on plastic palettes is a real pain particularly if you only need a little bit. Hence I use ceramic palettes or even little dishes! But I’ve learned something new today, thanks Emma 👍

I haven't been watching your videos lately. Therefore, I don't know how long your videos normally are. So when you said, "Today is going to be a quick video." and I saw it was 21 mins long, I thought, "Wow! I wonder how long her other videos are!" 😂😆

Thank you Emma for this very helpful and informative tutorial. 🤗

Great information Emma, to help us newer watercolorists!!

One of the best surface to mix color is glass...recently I have used it and it really feels great. Glass is wonderful to clean up, just be careful not to break it though.

What a great tip! I have been using magic eraser, I think it's okay. But I will have a chance to compare. I have 2 identical sets, 1 new, 1 used lightly, but in that one there was an orange that wouldn't come off. The magic eraser is doing the trick. Then it's glue stick time for both. I use a toothpick and ear swab to push bits of eraser around.

Great topic to cover. Thank you for an easy fix!! Happy New Year!

This is so awesome. What a great gift

Great video! Would I do the same process for a metal or tin palette? Thanks for all you do!

Thank you for this, I’m new and had this problem and didn’t know why

Emma, a great video and quite useful instruction. Thank you

steel wool is very effective...just scrub it thoroughly and rinse well.

I've used toothpaste on my plastic palette and it worked well, too.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! YOU MADE MY DAY!!!!!

Thank you Emma❤

I'm excited to receive your brush set I just ordered!

Great video no really want to get going with some watercolor but have no clue LOL. I liked seeing you set up the palette!

I didn’t have a glue stick but I did have a magic eraser. Worked perfectly!

Thank you so much! Your videos are extremely helpful!

I have a ceramic pallette, but I also have some plastic 'one cup' coffee filter lids which I use when I'm just doodling whilst watching TV, so I'll give the glue stick trick a go. 😊

Hi Emma - thank you for the info in this video. I'm a beginner water colour artist based in the UK. I started your tutorials in the Autumn last year and really love the way you present and teach. I searched your video library so apologies in advance if I have missed them - could you please do a beginners tutorial in painting cherries (I'm trying them and keep failing to get a deep, rich looking cherry) and also chestnuts and their cases (conkers in the UK) as I love the tones of brown but again am finding it hard to get that rich shiny look.

Thanks for the tips and happy New Year!

I would love to se the pallet when it's dry. I'm all new to watercolor and I've been wondering about the tube stuff 😅 now I know, thanks 🙂

Hi Emma. Thank you so much for your videos. They have enabled my daughter and I to learn to use watercolours. Please tell me what the gorgeous blue is 4th from the end in your palette. It's the light blue / cyan looking one. I cannot see it in the W&N Cotman range. Thank you so much. K x

Thank you for this helpful tips. Love it 😊❤️

Always such helpful information, thank you.💜

Thanks this makes sense.

These tips were great. I do have a question though...I also tried to prepare a plastic palette with tube paints to give to a friend for Christmas - but when she opened the palette all the paint had dried and popped out of the wells. It was a mess because the paint broke off into little pieces. I used good quality paints for the - Sennelier, Winsor & Newton, etc...so I am not sure what happened. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks for your help.

I wonder if baking soda scrub would work? I use it in the place of magic eraser all the time and it works just as well to remove stubborn residue.

Where did you get that glue stick it looks really good ? Thank you for the tip it’s great learning new tricks

Any tips to get paint to stick in the wells after paint dries? Im having the issue with my dried paint falling out of the wells

Hope you added color swatch and all the rest of the paints, between kids it will get used fast and well. Good Auntie you are

I've tried everything but it doesn't work out for me, but I'll try this out. Thanks again

this was so helpful! thank you!

Clever! Thank you for sharing! 🙂

Thanks Emma!

You can also spray paint white enamel paint and it will do the same thing..or fine grit sandpaper, toothpaste, soft scrub..really any mild abraisive... you just need to take the "shiny" off

I just gave up on that exact Vivid palette for that exact reason yesterday, and switched to a more expensive palette. It was the worst for beading of any of the 3 palettes I've bought so far. I tried Mr. Clean eraser, glue stick, toothpaste and a few other solutions, and none of it had much effect. I must admit I didn't try any of them more than once. I was even going to throw the palette away rather than giving it to a thrift shop, so no one else would waste time on it! But I'll donate it now. And I'll try this trick on my new palette if I have any of the same problem.

Magic Eraser: one and done. But I don't use plastic anymore because the darker colors stain and laying down fresh color gets distorted.

There are other methods to stop beading or cleaning a palette. Use a toothbrush and paste toothpaste works great. The magic eraser is an easy and mess-free way to eliminate beading in a plastic palette. You don't need to buy a Mr. Clean magic eraser the cleaner is not what does the magic it is the sponge itself. Purchase cheap sponges without cleaners and save a lot of money. I highly recommend ceramic palettes for separate paint mixing. They are a dream to use with no beading, wash with water, deep wells, reusable etc.

I wish I could figure out how to put that layer back on for my plastic acrylic pallette, lol. I need them to peel off again😢

You just need to wash it with liquid dish soap / washing-up liquid before use.

This is very helpful. I tried toothpaste and it worked but not as good as the glue!

I just watched Ann Kerr use toothpaste to stop the beading. Before you put your paint down, spread a little toothpaste around the palette’s mixing wells. Then just wipe the toothpaste with a cloth or cotton pad. The paint and water will no longer bead. The reason toothpaste works as it is slightly abrasive.

Other pallet question...the holes next to the thumb hole, what are they for? Thank you for answering our questions, very much appreciate this.

Thank you, Emma! I can attest to the Magic Erasers working, as that's the only thing I'd heard of doing until today. All that being said, anyone have any thoughts on those of us with animals ~ thinking their hair, and dust for that matter, would potentially stick to the palette. I already have a gang of trouble combating it without adding anything sticky in the mix. I'm so curious to try this but afraid at the same time. What a chicken. LOL

I wonder what this does to the archival / lightfastness properties of the paint and /or paper?

Emma, all - how do you keep track of (or remember) which colors you used so when it’s time to refill - you know which to use???? Especially in this demo where you mixed brands? Do you label the pallet somewhere??? Thanks!

It's the perfect trick! Some ppl recommend to use toothpaste... I was afraid to use that :(

The easiest way to stop beading is to add a couple of drops of ox gall to the water where you rinse your brushes.

Muchas gracias. Me ha servido de mucha ayuda 🥰🥰

I've gotten so frustrated I actually used a super fine grit sandpaper on mine. It worked, but it also makes the palette stain way faster. I'm still using that palette years later though.

How about Dawn dish washing liquid? I think I'll try that, and I'll report back after!!!

Thank u!

Does this work for the metal/tin products as well?

this is the perfect video thank u so much!! 😊 I just got a begginer watercolor set for Christmas n was getting annoyed w the beading so excited to try this! I was also wondering abt ur pallet (if u bought that set up or did urself now I know! 😊) I was wanting to set it up that way but per ur tip I have artist loft so maybe I won't lol Thanks again really been learning a lot from your videos! ☺

Hello happy New year 2022

Why do my paints crack up and fall out after I put them into the pallet. I use Windsor and Newton watercolours

The magic eraser works much better!

Can this be done on a metal one?

Where did you get that cool glue stick?