Following up on the importance of thinning your paints with airbrush medium, how do you keep the paints wet long enough to work on a large project? I was struggling with this on a hot summer day a few years back and posed that same question to my readers. The two solutions that were provided was a wet pallet and paint retarder.

Today I use both options, the wet pallet if I’m painting at the desk or doing blending and the paint retarder when using a standard pallet on the couch.

You add a drop or two to your mix and it significant increases the drying time of the paint. This keeps the paint on the pallet usable for longer stints without having to rewet the paint.

I have also used it to help with wet blending – though admittedly I am still working on this skill. Since the drying time is increased, you have more time to add the additional colors and work them together.

A bottle of the Liquitex brand is only $10 on Amazon for a 4oz bottle. While this may seem like a lot for the convenience of keeping the paint wet longer, it has more than paid for itself by not having to get more paint out of the pot when the first batch dried.

How about any of you, have you used paint retarder to good effect or have had issues using it?