Crafts

Knife Painting

Materials Required :

Canvas Board
Oil Colours
Knives - 2 (one pointed and the other curved)
Brushes
Colour Palette
Old Cloth
Carbon Paper (Yellow)
Cello tape
Turpentine
Linseed Oil
Picture
Enlarged Photostat of the chosen picture

In knife painting we apply the paint on the canvas with knives (special ones just for painting) instead of brushes. Two types of knives are available - pointed ones and curved ones. We make impressions on the paint with the knife to give it the distinct knife painting look. Usually the pointed knife is used, but for some situations we use the curved knife. While using a knife, we should make sure that only the front tip of the knife is used to apply the paint. The backside of the knife should not touch the painting at all. Other wise the painting will look like a normal FLAT oil painting.

Method :

Before Painting:- Take the canvas board and cover it up with the carbon paper. Now stick the enlarged Photostat of the picture on the canvas board. Take a pencil and draw over all the objects in the picture. This can be done by looking at the real picture, because the objects in the Photostat might not be all that clear. This is done so that while we are painting, we will know where every object is placed on the canvas board. It is just to know the position of the object, so that we won't go wrong. After doing so, take off the Photostat and the carbon paper from the canvas board.
Preparation for Painting:- It is better to wear an apron while we paint with oil colours, so that our dress won't get stained. It is really hard to remove oil colours from our clothes once it gets stained. Another thing to take care of whenever we are painting a picture is to start from one particular point, so that we finish it part-by-part and complete the whole picture without any complication. But if we do our painting here and there, at the end it will be a total mess and we wont even feel like painting the whole picture. So start from a particular point.
Points to note while Painting:- When we are painting a picture the colours and the colour combinations should be exactly like the ones in the picture. You could experiment with the colours, only if you are sure that the combinations will turn out good. If you are a beginner it is better to stick to the exact colours in the picture. A knife painting has a bumpy nature, so a large quantity of paint is required to do it when compared to all the other types of paintings. Be ready to use a whole lot of paint even for doing a small area. While painting, whenever we are taking a different colour, the knife should be properly cleaned or the colour may get mixed with the other colours and may give entirely wrong colour combinations. Whenever a different shade is used on the same object in a picture we should remember to merge the different shades on the object because if some shades are not merged then they will stick out and will give the product an artificial look.

In the picture demonstrated, Cobalt Blue and white are the colours used for the blue part of the sky and yellow and white are used for the yellow part of the sky. Chrome yellow, lemon yellow, plume, crimson red, yellow occult and brown paints are used for the leaves of the tree. A touch of orange colour in between gives a vermilion hue. Point the knife the way the leaves are falling to give a natural look. Black is given for the branches and crimson red in between for the shaded part.
After Painting:- The painting will take about 2-3 days to dry. So after it is dried, we can give it for framing. But before giving it for framing we should apply a coat of paint varnish on the painting. For applying the varnish, first we have to keep the painting under the sun for a little while. Remember to keep it upside down when kept under the sun. As the canvas gets heated up, quickly give a coat of varnish on the painting. After that coat dries, give one more coat. Now we can give it for framing. A knife painting is never framed with a glass cover. It is just put in a wooden frame. So a coat of varnish is given to protect the painting from the dirt and dust.