Explore the use of texture in acrylic painting using a limited palette and a painting knife

The painting knife differs from the palette knife in that it has a more flexible blade and a cranked handle. The cranked handle allows the artist to apply paint to the surface without touching the support and the potentially wet paint, with their hand.

Painting knives are available in numerous shapes and sizes, each capable of making different marks. Materials also vary, being either plastic or metal blades with a wooden handle. Experimenting with a variety of knives to see which suits you best is a worthwhile exercise.

An important rule is always to clean your knives carefully after each use. Dried paint on the blade prevents you from laying down a smooth layer of paint.

To further develop your knife painting skills try replicating particular textures and effects. You’ll discover even more ways knife-work can enhance your paintings.

Exercise 1 - Practice

As with brushes, it’s a good idea to test a new shape in your reference sketchbook. Try using the knife to lay down flat colour, but also scratch into wet paint, print with the blade and use the side of the knife. Draw around the blade, to remind you which shape you used.

Exercise 2 - Blending

Put several colours on your knife without mixing them. With gentle pressure, spread the paint across a coloured surface as though you were buttering a piece of bread. Notice how the individual colours remain bright. The colour begins as a continuous flow but then starts breaking up.

Repeat the process on a clean part of the page, but this time scrape the paint off while it’s still wet. A pale residue will remain on the paper, and plenty of paint will stay on the knife. Reapply the paint you have scraped off over the pale paint.

See how the colours are less distinct than before - now scrape off the paint and reapply again.

Notice how the more you use the knife, the more the colours blend. A muddy uniform colour is the result. This shows that it is important not to keep overworking or you lose the freshness of the colours. 

Exercise 3 - Scratching

Paint a smooth patch of any colour on to your paper. You could use a single colour or a few similar ones. When this layer is dry, paint a layer of a contrasting colour over the first one. Scratch into that wet paint with the tip of the painting knife to reveal the underlying colour.

This technique can be useful for fur, grasses or suggesting highlights on distant tree branches. Remember, this will only work if the paint is wet.

If you're new to acrylics, don't stop here! Explore our other beginner-friendly guides to learn all you need to progress and develop your acrylic skills.

Exercise 4 - Texture

In this exercise we will paint some distant snowcovered mountains, using the knife to create texture. Start by painting a mid-tone blue background.

When the background is dry, begin with a little white paint on the knife. Start with the peak of each mountain, spreading the paint away from the peak to the left or right. At this stage we are just establishing the varied shapes of the mountains.

Mix a little blue with the white but don’t use too much paint on the knife. You want the colour to break up rather than create a continuous blended line. The broken spots of colour will imply the shadows formed by ridges and hollows on the mountain’s surface. Make one side of the mountains shadowed and the other with more highlights, to show the light direction.

Now mix a darker blue and apply a little over the paler blue. It won’t cover completely, which will suggest there are areas of deeper shadows. If you find the colour is too solid, reapply white or pale blue over the top until you are pleased with the result.

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