Painting With a Palette Knife

Painting With a Palette Knife August 2008


My friend Sheila O’Donnell just reminded me the other day how much easier clean up is, when using a palette knife instead of a paint brush. Wiping the blade clean with a paper towel or rag does not require the use of any solvent which is so toxic to the environment let alone to your skin. For plein air painting, when keeping the amount of supplies to a minimum is desirable, palette knives are a great alternative to paint brushes.

Palette knives come in all sizes and shapes. Technically knives fall into 2 categories; painting knives and palette knives. Palette knives are flat and resemble spatulas or spreaders. They are designed to pick up paint and clean the palette. Painting knives have a more distinct bend between the blade and the handle, and look a bit like a trowel. To me such distinctions are inconsequential, I use whatever feels right.

I usually have 3 ready to use; a large flat one that allows me to quickly spread a lot of paint, a medium size and a triangular shaped one for details and small strokes. I prefer to use the ones that have a metal blade and a wooden handle over the plastic ones which I find less sturdy.

Using a palette knife is ideal for a variety of techniques such as impasto, when a thick layer of paint is applied to create volume, shape and texture. It is also great for splattering, scratching and for sgraffito, a technique in which paint is scraped off of a multilayered surface to reveal a previous layer. It is an optimum tool for creating all kinds of texture.

With a palette knife paint goes on to the canvas like butter. One cannot be timid about it. When using a palette knife, I find that several layers of paint tend to sit on top of one another rather than get blended quickly to way they do when applied with a brush. It is easier to keep colors separated and clean.

Beyond the obvious advantages, I find the use of a palette knife over a paint brush less fussy. Indeed equipped with my palette knife, I approach a painting with greater spontaneity…pretty much the way I like to cook. I feel energized, ready to experiment and improvise, confident that the effort will somehow pay off.

Yvette Stenzel