GB2447663A - Silicone rubber artist's palette - Google Patents

Abstract

An artist's painting palette in the form of a durable surfaced mat, made from a high tearing strength silicone rubber 1 creates a non staining, non scratching and easy to clean surface. The surface of the painting palette is non porous as a result of the chemical properties of the silicone rubber. The surface repels all known artist's liquid mediums, preventing adhesion whether wet, or in a completely dried state. Paint is easily removed from the palette surface at any given stage using a flat bladed implement. Any residue can be wiped quickly and easily with an appropriate solvent or water. Although water based liquids repel and collect in pools, they retain a state of wetness for a longer period of time than with conventional palettes. The mat 1 sits exactly in the thin plastic tray 2. Their profiles lock together. Thumb hole 3 is smaller than thumb hole 4 for user comfort.

Description

Paint Palette This invention relates to a universal and more

sustainable painting surface for use as an artists' painting palette.

When an artist uses a painting palette, some surfaces are liable to incur difficulties with their surface properties, relating to everyday usage. These related difficulties can be overcome with the use of the surface material used in this particular invention. The flexible mats' high tearing strength, and the non porous surface of this material repels all staining and permanent visual surface marking. All known liquid painting mediums can be used with this painting palette surface. Either wet or dried patches of whichever liquid medium used, is easily removed from the palettes' surface. All of this is due to the chemical properties of the material used as the palette surface. Furthermore, the cleaning time is reduced with this type of palette in between and after usage of the palette compared to conventional palette surfaces.

The painting palette surface is a durable flexible mat, which while in use, is held rigid and flat by housing it inside a thin plastic tray creating a base. The flexible mat is removable for extensive maintenance if and when required. Wet or dry mediums lift easily off the surface of the palette with a flat bladed implement.

Both the flexible mat and plastic housing tray are manufactured by a simple moulding process.

The invention will now be described using drawings to indicate the coupling of the palettes surface mat and thin plastic base.

Figure 1 shows an overhead view of the painting palettes flexible mat, along with the indication of a thumb hole.

Figure 2 shows an overhead view of a thin plastic tray that houses the flexible mat shown in figure 1, along with the indication of a thumb hole.

Figure 3 shows the opposing profiles of both the flexible mat and the plastic tray, and how they sit alongside each other prior to coupling.

Figure 4 shows how the profile of the flexible mat marries with the profile of the plastic tray after coupling.

The two units are now inteilocked. The two thumb holes are also shown in situ after coupling.

The fl,exible mat 1 in figure 1 sits exactly inside the thin plastic tray 2 in figure 2. The opposing profiles of both the flexible mat and the plastic tray, when coupled together create a locking of the two units, illustrated in figure 4. The two units are easily separated because the mat is totally flexible and never loses its exact shape because of its material chemical properties. The thumb holes of both the flexible mat and the plastic tray are positioned one above the other when the two units are coupled. The thumb hole 3 is smaller than thumb hole 4. This is solely for the purpose of comfortable use ci the painting palette. The thumb hole 3 within the flexible mats' surface, cushions the thumb when in use. The thumb hole 4 with the plastic tray is larger than that of the thumb hole 3. This keeps the harder edge of the thumb hole 4 within the plastic tray from digging into the users thumb.

Claims (4)

1. Claims 1. A universal artists' painting palette with a Silicone Rubber

   mat as its painting surface, and because of its universal status can be used with all known artists' liquid mediums, with the Silicone Rubbers' chemical properties being the key feature of this invention, which is housed in a thin plastic base.
2. 2. A durable painting palette surface, according to daim 1, Which, given the chemical properties of the Silicone Rubber mats surface, is non porous and because it has such a high tearing strength, is able to repel staining and virtually all surface marking normally created with usage, regarding artists' daily working brushes, tools and other bladed implements, although it must be pointed out that this Silicone Rubber mat is not designed as a conventional cutting mat, as a surgical or craft type blades will penetrate the surface, most of the liquid medium being used at the time whether wet or in a dried state is easily removed with a flat bladed implement, as the Silicone surface will not allow any medium to stick to it at any given time.
3. 3. The Silicone Rubber mat, according to claim 1, sits inside a profiled thin plastic housing creating a rigid surface, keeping the mat flat while in use and the mat is easily removed for extensive cleaning, because it is totally flexible.
4. 4. Both the Silicone Rubber mat and plastic base unit according to claim 3, are manufactured by way of a moulding process, and with opposing profiles, sit exactly together, locking the flexible Silicone Rubber mat together with the thin plastic tray as a base while being used by the artist