Not Just for Jelly

I've been working a lot in my studio, and the one thing I hate most about oil painting are the tubes of paint that are squeezed and gross and messy and disgusting.  Problem solved.  Bernardin Jelly Jars.  They are air-tight and reduce a lot of waste.  For studio work, these jelly jars are perfect!

 

I purchased them on Amazon.com - Bernardin's 125 ml jars.  They come in a box of 12.  With disposable gloves, stickers, marker, palette knives, and my oil paints, I was ready to fill the jars.

I labeled the jars.

And I squeezed out the oil paint into each of the jars.  Right to the last drop of oil paint in each tube. I added Artist's Painting Medium to the oil paint making it creamier.

I used my palette knives to stir the paint, adding the medium until each jar was the consistency I wanted.

It was easy, and so was the clean up.

There are so many advantages to preparing your paint in the jelly jars.  First of all, it makes preparing your studio palette easier.  Simply use a palette knife to scoop out the paint you want.  Cleaning up is a breeze.  I use a palette knife to separate the contaminated paint from the pure color then put the remaining pure color back into the jar when my day is done.  Less waste, and that is a good thing since oil paints are expensive!

If you are not going to be painting in your studio for a while, just put your paints in their box and slide them into your refrigerator.  Just so you know, though, they will last for months and months at room temperature with no skin on the paint at all.  Adding medium to your paints also helps preserve their creaminess. 

Also, the small jars are great because as you use your paint, there will be less air in the jar making for perfect preservation. 

Of course, tubes are still the best choice for plein air painting.

Happy Painting!