How do I clear my panel if my painting isn't a keeper?

I’m just starting out with oil painting and haven’t found clear instruction on how to clean my panel if I’ve created a “wiper”. My paint is still wet. Do I just wipe the panel with a cloth dipped in linseed oil? Do I need to recondition the panel? Do I need to let it dry before I can paint on it again?

Hi Emily! I just take a paper towel and wipe off most of the paint. I throw that away and then dip another paper towel in mineral spirits and wipe the panel again. Repeat until it’s clean-ish. Then you’re good to go again! No need to recondition or let dry. Unless you just prefer painting on a dry surface. I find it’s better if it’s wet anyway. : )

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Hi, if you’ve worked impasto, you might scrape off the paint with a palette knife or an old bank card.

A couple of years ago I purchased a set of paint scrapers from Jerry’s Artarama. Definately one of my favorite impulse buys! I tend to paint pretty think, and these are nice heavy tools that take off even old crusty paint.

After cleaning it off with thinner, a baby wipe works really well to get it almost white again! Don’t ask me if it harms the suface – I don’t know, but I’ve used many of those panels over again, so I guess it doesn’t.

Scrape it with a palette knife first to get rid of the majority of the wet paint. My favorite weapon of choice is my Bob Ross #10 palette knife. Then I take a paper towel dipped in OMS and wipe the whole panel down. After waiting for a little bit, 15 minutes or so, it should be dry and ready for painting. And there is the added benefit that the panel is now nicely toned with a neutral color. :smile: