Some of the best tips I’ve gotten for painting have been ones I initially ignored, only to adopt later and wonder why I didn’t incorporate them into my painting practice sooner? Using a palette knife to mix my paint is one of those.
To watch in full screen, click the icon in the bottom right corner.
There are many great resources out there on how to select a good palette knife depending on what you want to do (check out this thorough article on trembelingart.com about different kinds of painting knifes). Personally, I love a metal knife with a diamond shape on it - but you can use whatever you feel most comfortable with! It’s not about the tool, it’s about how you use it.
One of the most common questions I get from acrylic painters is “How do you keep your paint from drying out on your palette too quickly?”
The size of your palette knife can matter as well - I have a bigger knife for mixing large quantities of paint when I’m working really big, a medium-sized one that you’ll see in the video, above, and a little one for when I’m painting while travelling.
A palette knife helps me create a bigger mix of paint, which stays wet much longer than the thinner skinned blog I would make with a brush.
I prefer not to add medium to my paint unless absolutely necessary, to preserve the opacity and brilliance of the hue. But even when I do add medium to my paint, I tend to add it with a palette knife. This is mostly true for me when I’m working in oils and want to add a little fast dry medium to the first layer of paint.
AND there’s the added benefit of extending the life of your brushes. When you mix paint with your brush, paint gets pushed up into the ferrule, which can soften the glue that holds your bristles into place, and disfigure the shape of the brush as well. You could end up with a badly shaped brush that has bristles falling out. Sound familiar?
Whatever medium you’re working in, you can benefit from mixing your paint with a palette knife. And you may start to feel comfortable enough with that knife to start using it in a painting! (Subscribe to my infrequent email newsletter for a future article about using a palette knife to “deconstruct” your work!)
What do you think about using a palette knife to mix your paint with? Have you tried it?
I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comment section, below. Let us know what kind of palette knife you prefer, whether you’ll continue mixing with your brush, thank you very much, or want to try something new - lay it on me!
