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Occasionally I make an oil painting with knives using the 'wet into wet' technique. By using a knife it is possible to layer wet paint on top of wet paint without disturbing the layer underneath, thus maintaining a freshness in the painting.
Painting with a palette knife
forces me to loosen up. I focus on shapes and
colors, not being
consciously aware that I am painting a person or a tree. I let
the colors and values that I place on the canvas tell that
story.
Painting with a palette knife also gives me more of an
Impasto surface. The paint has dimension, a quality I like.
Knives are ideally suited for use in
oil paintings of
architectural subjects or for anything which is man made. All
of his
paintings are done with mostly three knives, a large one
with a straight edge, a smaller teardrop shaped knife and a
smaller diamond shaped one. With some subjects a small amount of
detail is completed with a brush.
I always begins with the
sky for a landscape, completing the
painting as I work down to the bottom. By using the texture of
the paint detail can be conveyed, such as rugged mountains,
trees and rocks in a landscape or rough seas in a maritime
subject.
For this technique it is
imperative that the paint is not allowed to dry, as it is
virtually impossible to control the knife as it skids over the
ridges of dried paint underneath.
The knives I use for
painting are known as
palette knives even
though they are really painting knives. A
palette knife is used
for mixing paint on the palette and not for actually applying
paint to the canvas. The blades on the ones used for
painting
are usually made from forged steel and are very flexible. The
handles are made from hardwood and the blade should extend
completely through it.
Of the three types of knifes that I use, one is straight and flat. This is used for rapidly filling in the large areas of paint on the canvas by holding the blade almost flat to the canvas. It is also used for creating straight lines on the canvas by holding the blade at an angle of 90 degrees to the canvas surface and for blending large areas. The other knifes are much smaller and have a cranked shaft with a diamond shaped head and a tear drop head. The head is offset from the handle to prevent the artists fingers being dragged through the wet oil painting. I use these knifes to add details and relief to the work. (www.buildart.com)
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Artist
Palette knife painting or
Painting knife
When an artist palette knife painting is done, the palette knife is sometimes referred to as painting knife. A painting knife is used for painting, sometimes called 'palette knife painting'. A painting knife has a cranked handle so that your knuckles do not smudge the wet paint on the canvas as you apply the paint. There are many different shapes and sizes to choose from. Some painters prefer to use their brushes instead of painting knives. If you prefer to use a brush, then you won't need a painting knife