palette knife

noun

, Painting.

1. a thin blade of varying flexibility set in a handle and used for mixing colors or applying them to a canvas.

palette knife

noun

1. a round-ended spatula with a thin flexible blade used esp by artists for mixing, applying, and scraping off paint, esp oil paint
2. a knife with a round-ended flexible blade used in cookery for scraping out a mixture from a bowl, spreading icing, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of palette knife¹

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

Tsehaye Afewerki’s art focuses on exploring feelings and expressions through portrait painting, created by using a palette knife with oil on canvas.

From Seattle Times

“What I do primarily is put on a background of color with a brush, then I work solely with a palette knife,” Bill says.

From Washington Post

This exhibition still showcases his extraordinary atmospheric effects — a sunset in a wash of mauve oils, a squall rendered with a few strokes of a palette knife.

From New York Times

Adnan applied her oils thickly and scraped them across her canvases with a palette knife, leaving the built-up surfaces like evidence of their own making.

From New York Times

She prized speed and spontaneity in both art forms, typically finishing her paintings in a single sitting, using a palette knife to apply dollops of pigment to a small canvas lying flat on her desk.

From Washington Post