PALETTE & PAINTING KNIVES

Palette and painting knives are handheld tools for handling oil and acrylic paint. They feature wooden handles connected to thin, flexible metal blades. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, the tools are not exactly the same. A palette knife is for mixing paint, whereas a painting knife is for applying paint to the canvas.

PALETTE KNIVES

The blade of a palette knife can either be flush with the handle or slightly bent away. The blade tapers to a rounded tip, and its edges are long and straight. Use a palette knife to mix paints on your palette by scooping and spreading the paint repeatedly. You can also use a palette knife to apply and spread oil primer across a canvas.

PAINTING KNIVES

Generally diamond- or trowel-shaped with a pointed tip, blades come in a variety of sizes and proportions. You can apply the paint thickly or scrape it across the surface for thin, irregular marks.

Painting Knives

Avoid overmixing your paint before applying it to your surface with a painting knife. Leaving mixes loose results in striations and gradations that give your strokes extra texture, depth, and spontaneity.

PAINTING TECHNIQUES

Holding the blade at an angle to the palette, scrape the paint toward you so it collects on the back of the blade. Spread the paint on your surface, pulling or pushing the knife perpendicular to the length of the blade. Then rotate the knife and apply horizontal strokes.