Artistic Polar Bear Challenge: 100 Ways in 100 Days. #18 - Palette Knife

We've explored a few different media and substrates, today it's a different method of application: the palette knife (taa-daa)!  This one will be a full value study so I can focus on handling rather than tone; I've never painted with palette knives before.

Let's start with a couple of values, and the chosen implements of destruction application.

The knives initially felt totally foreign and clumsy. It reminded me of my first attempt to use chopsticks at our local sushi restaurant.  While my friends ate and chatted, deftly handling their chopsticks with a seemingly unconscious ease, I was focusing on my Philadelphia Roll with predatory concentration, desperately trying to assuage my hunger by getting a bite of anything to my mouth.  When my chopstick-wielding hand finally cramped up completely and welded itself into the shape of a crab claw, I resorted to popping sushi into my mouth with my other hand when no one was looking.  Thankfully, my chopstick finesse has greatly improved since then.

The knives became more comfortable as the study progressed, and I enjoyed dabbing, pulling and scraping the paint around.  The method almost demands a thick application of paint, and I was happy to oblige.

Palette Knife Bear

Acrylic on paper

This turned out to be quite a hoot to do.  I'll have to take the knives out for another spin in the future.

And, hey...no brushes to wash!