Term: Palette Knife

Palette knives have long, straight blades or are shaped like spatulas. They are used primarily for mixing paint, mediums, and sizing before applying them to a support. They are also used to scrape a palette clean but are not designed to apply paint to a canvas. A palette knife can be made from metal, plastic, or wood and will either be completely straight or have a slight crank (or bend) between the handle and the blade.

Although the term palette knife is often used to describe all knives used in the painting process, a painting knife is different than a palette knife. Painting knives have triangular, pear or trowel-shaped blades that are smaller and more flexible. They are used in place of a brush for applying paint directly onto a canvas or painting surface, but they can also be used to mix paints on a palette as well.

Painting knives are most commonly made from metal with a wood handle. Between the handle and the blade there is usually a large crank or crook, to keep the artist's hand off the paint surface. Painting knives come in a wide variety of styles, shapes, and sizes. Painting knives blades are blunt but can become sharper as the blade is rubbed over a rough painting surface.