Sunflowers always make me smile! They are these beautiful, cheerful heads of bright yellow nodding their heads in the breeze.

I used only a palette knife for this painting. I am in the process of teaching myself to use a palette knife with some particular subject matter in mind that lends itself to this style of application

A palette knife is a blunt tool used for mixing or applying paint, with a flexible steel blade. I usually use it primarily for mixing paint and only recently approached it with some trepidation as a way of applying paint.

Art knives come primarily in two types:

• palette knife resembling a putty knife with a rounded tip, suited for mixing paints on the palette;
• painting knife with a pointed tip, lowered or “cranked” like a trowel, suited for painting on canvas.

I use both especially when I am applying artist medium such as modeling paste, and mixing paints but never really for applying paint. The result is a lovely thick buttery impasto application adding a vibrancy and liveliness to the already exuberant sunflower.

 

Acrylic on canvas

50 X 70 X 2cm

Acrylic paint colours used:

• Burnt Umber
• Raw Umber
• Green Gold
• Ultramarine Blue
• Natural bamboo
• Cadmium Yellow light
• Pyrole Orange
• Cadmium Red