How to Paint Acrylics With a Painting Knife
Acrylic paint is popular among artists for a very good reason: it is one of the most versatile media available. It has a fast drying time that can be prolonged with the use of an acrylic painting medium. Acrylics can be thinned with water for watercolor-like paintings or used straight from the tube for an impasto effect. Using painting knives to apply acrylic paint to the canvas is useful for adding large amounts of paint and texture to the painting. Applying paint with a knife can be done as an addition to a brush or as the only means of painting for a more stylized look. A painting knife is also used to remove paint from the canvas. Landscape artists often use a knife to scrape tree limbs and grass blades into the canvas.
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Things You'll Need
- Acrylic gesso
- 4-inch brush
- Canvas
- Palette
- Acrylic paint
- Painting knives
- Paper towel
Instructions
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1
Use a large brush to apply a layer of acrylic gesso to a canvas or purchase an acrylic primed canvas. Allow it to dry before moving to the next step.
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2
Squeeze out the colors you will be using onto a palette. If you will be mixing colors, use a small painting knife to mix them on the palette.
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3
Load paint onto the painting knife by inserting it into the paint and sliding it toward the center of the palette.
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4
Apply paint to the canvas with the painting knife. It is possible to use the knife held at almost any angle depending on the effect you desire. Experiment by using just the tip as well as the broadside of the blade. If you want to avoid mixing colors, use a paper towel to clean the painting knife between colors.
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5
After applying paint to a large section of the canvas, use a paper towel to clean off the painting knife.
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Removing paint from the canvas can be just as important as adding paint to the canvas. Touch the painting knife to the surface of the canvas on an area already painted and slide the knife along the surface, removing most of the paint. Experiment using the tip as well as the broadside of the knife.
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References
- Photo Credit yellow image by Pefkos from Fotolia.com
