Intro and questions! (Watercolor palette)

Hi, all

I'm impressed with how large and active these forums seem to be, and also how overwhelming! Where to look?

So, at the risk of violating some guidelines I haven't stumbled on, I'll bundle some noob questions in with my intro:

I'm a watercolor painter and really enjoy perfecting and customizing my tools, finding tools from outside the craft (like my favorite dental scrapers that have all sorts of useful applications around paint tubes and dried paint), and trying weird stuff...which is what brings me here. I love the idea of designing my own perfect palettes for arranging and mixing paint. I've bought dozens and none seem quite what I'd like. SO... I'm thinking, cool, maybe I could design my own here and get it in either plastic or white porcelain, wow!!

OK, but I'm also not rich, so what I'm imagining would be some way of making sure I can stay under some set budget as I play around with shapes, making prototypes knowing that so long as I do blank, blank, and blank, I can try my new idea out and know I can afford to print!

The basic shape I'd want to start working within would be a 5 or 6- to 9-in. circular or rounded rectangle plate or saucer with multiple shallow depressions and/or ridged divisions for holding and mixing paint. The shape and arrangement of these are where the experimentation would be; the overall shape and the base should be able to be pretty much fixed, based on both economy and printing requirements.

So, any and all tips about where to start, if there are any price-point quantum leaps that would help me stay under budget, or existing projects that would be good models to emulate, anything really, very much appreciated!!

Btw, if this idea of mine proves good, I think there might be a market amongst other painters for custom palettes; interesting to explore!

TIA, and happy Mem. Day, US'ers...

David Coffin

Hello and welcome from one new guy to another,

Sounds like you have a good idea, of what you are looking for.

Hope you can find exactly what you are looking for, and if I can help in anyway, please don't hesitate to ask

Well there are introduction guidlines. The best place for your questions would be in work in progress or the 3D design section. If you need help designing it you can also post in the modeler needed section.

Thanks, I'll head on over there...

The last post I did from my phone, so I couldn't grab the link to the introduction guidelines. Welcome to the forums! Questions are always welcome.

To keep prices down, keep material down. Except for ceramic, which is by surface area. I've been playing with 123D Make to make a frame work of my design so use less material, and then it can be filled in, or coated in post processing.

Thanks again, Michael; will check out 123D Make.

Ceramic is my first choice for materials, since it's the only one I know without testing will be perfectly suitable for paints and water.

So, to think in surface areas, does that mean that if the top of my palette is full of little depressions or spherical boolean cut-aways (like an egg tray), a flat smooth bottom rather than one that reflects the depressions on top would be cheaper even if heavier?

The two saucer-like models I've so far made (using the Sake-cup designer) come pretty close to my initial concept and just need a few spoke-like raised ridges to divide the outer ring into paint containers. I guess the more ridges, the more surface...

Should I move this discussion over to work in progress?

dpc

I'm in Oregon, btw, and an almost a complete beginner with 3D software; almost because I have dabbled about a little with various free and demo packages, and have so far decided that they're all way too complicated for whatever I'd want from them. 3D printing is the first application that's upped my motivation to look at them more seriously; I've always wished for a simple way to manufacture little gizmos that don't seem to exist exactly as needed...

Doesn't appear that I'll be able to use any 123D apps with my older Mac, so I'm going to give Hexagon from Daz a go...

dpc