How to Paint with a Palette Knife
Simple Techniques for an Artist's Alternative to Paint Brushes
How to use a palette knife in your oil or acrylic paintings.
In 1899 Charles Hawthorne, a New England artist and art teacher, established the outdoor painting school The Cape Cod School of Art, where he invented the palette knife. While teaching his students to use broader strokes in their painting he would use a putty knife to apply the paint. That putty knife blossomed into palette knifes of all shapes and sizes.
Today, the palette knife is used by artists everywhere, for many different reasons. No matter if you paint with oil or acrylic, loose or detailed, thick or thin, you can use a palette knife in you painting. Here are several techniques to add to your bag of tricks.
Making Texture
The most common use of a palette knife is to add texture to a painting. This is usually done with a larger, wider palette knife heaped high with paint. Then, the paint is smoothed onto the canvas like icing on a cake. Lifting the knife slightly off of the canvas while you swipe can produce beautiful, fluid ridges to build your painting upon. The more flexible the knife, the more control you have of the paint, though some artists prefer stiff knifes.
It is important to remember to only paint wet-on-wet when using palette knifes for this technique. Dry paint can get damaged by the knife as it sweeps by.
Please see example one, below, to get the general idea of what you may come up with. It takes practice to master laying down ridges exactly where you want them, but it is also a lot of fun.
Layers
Palette knifes are ideal for laying down large swaths of color for layering. This technique is particularly helpful for creating beautiful skies and stunning water. Simply start with your darkest color and layer lighter ones half a swipe down.
Example two is an illustration of layering done with a semi-dry, or not very paint-loaded, knife.
Adding Detail
If you've ever wanted to scratch out something on your canvas to add detail or texture, then a palette knife might just be your handiest tool. Small, tipped palette knifes are usually best for this. In example three you can see several scrapings with a palette knife.
Paint Removal
As you can see from the example above, you can easily remove paint from your canvas with a palette knife. This is handy for cleaning up mistakes, as well as for making designs. Just make sure that you do not damage your canvas.
