http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistMarch 2020 33
PRACTICAL
body paints such as Royal Talens Expert
acrylics work exceptionally well with a
palette knife, as shown (right).
Oil pastels can be manipulated very
easily. For example, oil pastel and oil
bars can be spread across the surface,
especially if you dip the knife into a
little turps fi rst to soften the media. The
more solvents you add, the thinner the
glaze. Broken soft edges of oil pastel
on a rough surface can quickly be made
sharper by using the side edge of the
blade to scrape pigment fi rmly away in
chosen areas.
Palette knives are great when working
with liquid charcoal; I use them to
scarify the painting surface before I
begin or to apply the liquid charcoal
during the painting process. Lovely
indents, wet-in-wet effects and fl at
areas of tone are just some of the
uses of palette-knife techniques when
using this expressive and exciting
drawing tool. The painting surface
soon becomes full of interest and
expression and techniques such as this
look exceptional on bespoke textured
grounds and over collage work.
Choosing palette knives
You can buy knives in sets or
individually to suit your needs. When
choosing, be aware that artist-quality
palette knives last longer because they
tend to be made with better materials.
There are two different types – fl exible
(those with more spring to them) and
stiffer, more rigid knives.
My preference is for a knife that feels
comfortable in the hand and has a bit of
spring to it. I tend to be pretty energetic
when I work and apply lots of pressure
to my painting strokes when in full fl ow!
Surfaces for palette-knife
painting
I fi nd it much easier to apply paint on
a rigid support or a canvas that is tight.
Weaker, stretched canvases can sag a
little, especially when fi rm pressure is
applied. My fi rst choice is stretched
linen canvases by Royal Talens: these
are beautifully made with high-grade
linen and are tight as a drum. Paint and
auxiliaries such as texture paste hold
easily on the surface and are quickly
worked into to create exciting layers,
without cracking.
An alternative to stretched canvas is
to glue a canvas sheet to a rigid surface
such as MDF board. This is a really
economical way of working and you can
make sizes to suit your needs. Ready-
made canvas boards can of course be
purchased in standard shapes and
sizes. I often buy square ones to which
I add gesso additives and mediums to
10 TIPS FOR PALETTE KNIFE PAINTING
� Perseverance and experimentation will pay o – don’t give up.
� Leave the brushes at home when you paint directly in front of your subject. You’ll
be surprised how exciting your paintings will look.
� When painting, be as exible in your approach as you are with your wrist and
elbow!
� Don’t just stab at the paintings, use the ats and edges, as well as the tips, to create
a v ariety of palette-knife marks.
� Regularly change between palette knives when painting – don’t just rely on the
same one.
� Load plenty of paint on the working side of the knife – don’t be mean with your
paint!
� Experiment with di erent surfaces and textures. Find the surface that suits you best.
� Remember, scumbling is your friend; work with the marks you make (especially on
a textured ground), not against them.
� Don’t think of palette knives as brush replacements – they create very special and
unique ways of painting.
� Go scratchy – use the sti er and pointed knives to scarify the surface before and
during your painting process. Exciting results will ensue!t Press a at
blade rmly into
the paint to create
blends, textures
and stipple e ects
with mixtures of
paint directly on
the support Palette knife
pointed and
scraping
Use a sharp-edged pointed
sti blade to drag colour
across the surface for
interesting mixes of wet-in-
wet paint. Marks made with
this type of knife are very
evident and have a dynamic
presence in your paintings Use the knife
with an angled
at blade to
spread the paint
across the surface
for a smoother
application of
a solid area of
colour