Main content
Course: Special topics in art history > Unit 2
Lesson 7: Painting terms in action- Art Terms in Action: Turpentine Burn
- Art Terms in Action: Palette Knife
- Art Terms in Action: Stain
- Art Terms in Action: Emulsion
- Art Terms in Action: Enamel
- Art Terms in Action: Paint
- Art Terms in Action: Tint, Shade, and Tone
- Art Terms in Action: Viscosity
© 2024 Khan AcademyTerms of usePrivacy PolicyCookie Notice
Art Terms in Action: Palette Knife
To experiment on your own, take our online studio course Materials and Techniques of Postwar Abstract Painting. Created by The Museum of Modern Art.
Want to join the conversation?
Why is the shape of a palette knife the way it is?(8 votes)
The shape is quite crucial, you can use the tip to both remove paint from the drawing, and to add paint to the drawing/ Also you can use the tip's edge get a thin line/(1 vote)
Can you bend the palette knife? It seems as if it is made of metal but it can bend.(1 vote)
Yes, a palette knife can flex if you put enough pressure on it.(1 vote)
- How useful is the Palette Knife in painting?(0 votes)
For mixing/scraping big amounts of paint. It is more convenient because you can just wipe the paint of with a cloth or tissue if you want to mix a new colour, than using a brush to clean the bristles again and again. There are also several palette knife painters who use the palette knife as their only told for painting. If you're an abstract painter, you can easily makes textures using the palette knife as well.(3 votes)
- So a palette knife both mixes and scrapes different hues, tones, shades, and tints of paint. Are there any other real uses for a palette knife besides that?(1 vote)
Pallet knives can also be used for working textures into thickly applied paint, mark-making (perhaps instead of a brush) or for removing excess paint from the canvas while still wet.
(They're also sometimes used in clay modelling.)(1 vote)
why is the knife shaped that way?(0 votes)
were palette knives used a long time ago too?(0 votes)
Yes, palette knives were used a long time ago. The palette knife was invented in the 17th century, however, not many people used palette knives for painting until the 18th century(0 votes)
Video transcript
Voiceover: Palette
knives are typically used to mix paint on the canvas. Sometimes paint with paint. Sometimes paint with solvents. Sometimes paint with more medium. Pallet knives also have
been used by artists to apply paint directly to the canvas, and in some cases artists can use a knife to scrape paint off of canvas.