Palette Knife Painting Tips

Palette knife painting is all about big - gooey blobs of paint and texture you want to run your fingers over when it dries. Here's some basic tips to getting started. 

1. Pick a photo that you love. Make a photo copy in black and white to clearly identify the lines in the image.

2. Sketch the image in a light pencil. – This allows you to erase and get a feel for the painting. Take it line by line if you have to. 

3. Once you’re ready to paint, decide the colors you’d like to use and set your palette up.

   1. Set up paper towels. 

   2. Get a big garbage can ready. 

   3.  Leave your paints out so you can remember what colors you used.

   4. Start with only a few colors so you don't overwhelm yourself. You can always add more later. 

4. Additives or mediums aren't necessary but can be fun to play with. Sometimes I use acrylic based painters caulk to thicken up my oil paint and help it dry faster. Mixed Media Impasto paintings are fun! You want the paint to be the consistency of frosting. (yum. I love frosting.)  "Squirrel". 

5. Select 5 standard knives. 

6. Begin applying the paint but don’t over analyze too much. This is the fun of knife painting. It will feel like you're frosting a cake. 

7. Step back several times during the process to see your painting from a distance.

   1. I've learned that taking a picture of your painting during the process also helps you see where things need to be added.

8.  Paint another one

9.  Repeat and repeat again

Things to consider- Don’t take yourself too seriously.- Try listening to music. It is amazing how different a painting can look depending on the kind of music you listen to.  Happy Painting. 

Cincinnati Skyline - palette knife painting time lapse

This is a time lapse of me painting the Cincinnati skyline using only palette knives. It was a commissioned painting for a local collector.

Today I was thrilled to complete this commissioned painting for a local collector. He has a deep love for the city of Cincinnati and wanted an original painting he could put up and enjoy in his home.  

He and I went through several sketch drafts prior to me painting this piece. I wanted to be sure to deliver exactly what he wanted. 

This piece took me about 11 hrs to complete. 

The beauty of setting up a time lapse is that you can easily show the progress of a painting (or anything) in a very condensed time frame. The audience doesn't have time to get bored and you look like the fastest moving human ever. 

Tips for using the time lapse feature (on iPhone):

1. Set up a tripod. You may need to pick up an iPhone mounting bracket for the tripod if your tripod doesn't have one. 
2. Prep before you begin recording. 
3. Once you're ready to begin, turn your video camera setting to time lapse. 
4. Pres the record button
5. Have fun. 
6. I like to check the camera a few times to make sure it's still running ok. 
7. When you're done, push the red button again to finalize the video. 

Bam! You're done. iPhone does the rest. 

Too bad I can't actually paint that fast. 😉

2015 Masters Painting

There's something so romantic about leaving parts of yourself behind - little footprints of yourself in a busy world. When I think about my paintings hanging on the walls all over the country and some parts of the world, I get a little smile inside just knowing that I'm there; I made an imprint or impression in someone's life. Maybe my painting was the topic of a conversation or an ice breaker for someone's first date, maybe it brought up a memory at a family dinner. 

Last weekend it was the Masters.  I watched as Jordan Spieth @JordanSpieth broke records in the golf world. I watched in amazement as his score continued to go down. On the 18th green, during the final round, he found himself surrounded by a sea of people.

I noticed the colors, the people, the course, and something about it grabbed the artist in me. So I set up a canvas, got my paints out, and went to town. 

I got lost in the piece and didn't know until I was finished that I painted until 5a. I had work that morning (in just a few short hours) but I didn't care. It felt amazing to get lost in it. 

Sometimes it's an image that inspires me to paint. Sometimes it's a feeling. Sometimes I force myself to paint when I really am not feeling it and then 1/2 way through, I connect with the piece. 

Mostly, I just paint because I love creating something with my hands, that I can leave behind, and make imprints in the lives of others. When I am long gone, my work will still be here and I guess that makes me feel like a part of me will still be here too. 

Here is the time lapse of "18 Under on 18 - The Masters". 

Mount Timpanogos LDS Temple Painting

I dusted off the paints and it felt so good to be back in the studio getting all rowdy with some paint and some palette knives. Yee-haw!

First I got myself a bunch of this stuff...

*Props to Mike Doyle for this beautiful work of art. http://michaeldoyle.com/

...then I threw some paint down on a canvas. I have several commissions to get completed and it was uber nice to finish this bad boy.

It turned out pretty great. I'm happy with it. I really love the muted colors and I enjoy LDS art that isn't so cookie-cutter. Deseret Book style is great for some but for me I want some texture. I know - I know, I'm always on my soapbox about texture but I just can't help myself. :)

Cheers. 

-T

Sneak peek at new series "Buds"

My most popular painting is a painting called "petals". It's large globs of painting in bright neon colors in a abstract format. I've decided to release a new series in this similar style entitled "buds".

"Mint & Tangerine" was created using similar technique and style. Large buds of impasto color in turquoise, gray, white, tangerine, orange, mint.

I imagine this hanging in a modern family room or child's bedroom. The great thug about this style of painting is that it works for girls bedroom art, boys bedroom art, common area art.