Palette Knife Painting in Acrylics

Painting palette knives come in a wide range of shapes and sizes and have been used since the 1800s to apply paint directly to the surface of a painting. Palette knives allow you to apply paint thickly and freely and to create wonderfully expressive, vibrant results.The book starts with a comprehensive section on palette knife techniques and working with the relatively fast-drying acrylic paints. There are then be a series of eight projects that become more challenging as the book progresses, beginning with bold, blocky beach huts, moving through sweeping, scenic sea- and snowscapes, and ending with a striking sunset scene of Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, UK.Some of the projects will show how to use palette knives alongside brushes to introduce texture into your paintings, but most are created using palette knives only. The book also explores painting wet-into-wet, as well as collage and mixed media, incorporating paper clippings, sand and sea shells to create a vibrant painting based on a day by the sea.

This new book from Tim Fisher, tackles the art of painting in acrylics with a palette knife, which allows the paint to be applied thickly and freely. The technique has been used since the 1800s, but beginners tend to shy away from palette knives, leaving them to those with more experience.

Tim dispels the myths with an eminently practical guide to the techniques of knife painting. Opening with a comprehensive section on techniques, a series of eight projects allow you to practise what you have learnt. They start simply with bold beach huts and get progressively more complex as your confidence increases, ending with a sunset scene of Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland. Along the way Tim uses brushes, collage, mixed media and found objects to enhance his textured acrylics. This is a fun and inspiring way to explore the technique and achieve exciting results.

It is well written, the text is clear and dark enough to read easily. Tim explains the tools and processes very well – I like that all the equipment photographed is obviously his own. It has inspired me to dig out my few palette knives and have a go.

As soon as I saw the author’s name, I knew we were with a reliable guide and, even if you don’t have any of his other books, you may be familiar with Tim from Leisure Painter magazine.

There’s always a temptation when writing about knife painting to go heavy with the paint and use it pretty much straight from the tube. Although it’s not easy to gauge the third dimension from a flat reproduction, I don’t get the impression that’s the case here. In fact, it’s surprising how dimensionally flat Tim’s work is. This is much more about using knives as tools rather than showing off with them.

Tim is an extremely versatile artist and subjects range from landscapes and waterscapes to trees, flowers, buildings and even an extraordinarily lifelike lobster. There are plenty of demonstrations as well as exercises and examples and the book is simply a pleasure to read.

Tim Fisher was born in Leicestershire, UK, and has had a lifelong interest in art. He is well known for his love of colour and experimentation and works in a wide range of mediums. Many of his paintings have been produced as fine art prints and cards. Tim is a regular contributor to Leisure Painter magazine. He also runs workshops and painting holidays as well as demonstrating to art groups throughout the UK.Palette Knife Painting in Acrylics is Tim's fourth title for Search Press.low Tim on Instagram @timfisherartist

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