The French Impressionists of the last century were among the first to experiment with the use of knives in applying paint. Undoubtedly the painting knife, as far as the oil painter is concerned, is a very useful tool which can produce effects completely outside the scope of any brush. It is, however, a tool that requires moderation, as over use can produce a simplistic. The successful artist with a knife must needs be confident in application similar to that required in fresco, as an uncertain stroke will ruin the whole picture, draining out the freshness and spontaneous sparkle which the knife can produce, also an amendment to the painting is almost impossible to do successfully.

Painting knives should not be confused with those intended for use as palette knives. A pallet knife is a straight blade continuing out of the handle, and is primarily intended for cleaning the palette or for scraping off the canvas. The steel should be fairly stiff but allow sufficient elasticity for the blade to bend under moderate pressure. An important point is that the edges of the knife should not be sharp but should have a firm, squared-off finish, which will allow the knife to grip the paint without a danger of cutting the canvas or palette. Painting knifes are trowel shaped and may vary widely in width and length.

When buying a knife two points should be looked for: firstly the handle of the blade should be set at such an angle that will allow the fingers to be able to grip without dragging over the surface of the picture; the second is that the steel blade itself should be firm but very sensitive to slight pressure. When held gently against the canvas it should flatten in a controllable way. These knives vary considerably even; therefore, they should be carefully looked over and tested before purchase. If the painting knife is left so that paint hardens on to the blade, it is unwise to attempt to clean it with such sandpaper or a sharp instrument as the delicate steel may easily become thinned, and damaged. The safest solution is to use a non-caustic paint remover.

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