Technique:

After lightly sketching my basic composition, I mix several piles of background and hillside colors. (See Materials List for more info on paints.) I then start applying the shadowed areas of the background with loose broad strokes using mostly shades of dark lavenders and then working my values forward with grayed greens.

It is important that the white canvas doesn’t show through and that my design and colors are correct so far. I want to be satisfied with my background at this point as it will be difficult to make changes after the foreground trees are added.

I then paint the sun-lit areas of the foreground trees in upper left of painting while working the darks of the trees and then add the branches, keeping my strokes long and broad using a variety of green and grey tones.

Once I’m finished with the background, my next step is to start creating the foreground foliage and fireweed. I mix several piles of colors that will be needed for the entire foreground so that I can grab a variety of colors to make the hillside look natural with some of it in the sunlight and the rest in the shade. I always start with the highest value where the sun is the lightest and then work the nest darker colors on top. This way I'm not having to add the lightest colors on top of thick darker colors and the white canvas shows underneath to give the right sunlit look that I am looking for.

My next step is to start blocking in the aspen trees. Again, I have made piles of colors I know I will use in the trees from the shaded edges to the lightest areas. I keep working on developing the branches of the trees with the tip of the knife. I then add a few leaves still hanging on before they drop to carry the yellow/orange colors into the darker background colors.

My final touches are adding the brilliant deep red hues to the fireweed plants and little individual leaves of plants in the sunlight as well as adjusting the aspen tree branches or adding more. This was a quick draw painting so I was working from a photo and had just an hour to complete the painting. If this was a plein air piece, I would have been able to take a little more time on the details but would have still moved very fast to catch the fast moving light changes.

Don't be afraid to scrape out areas you are not happy with and repaint them. If you are going to add trees after you have painted the background, like I did in this painting, then I would scrape the paint off in that area being careful not to take off too wide an area. I don't want to have to re-mix and add paint back so it is better to scrape of a smaller width of the tree and adjust if you need to. Also don't be afraid to use all surfaces and edges of your knife to achieve different effects. Also, be aware of the amount of pressure you are using especially when adding new paint onto a thickly painted area-go very lightly so you don't end up "pulling" the paint from underneath.

I hope this little demo helps you with learning more about painting with a palette knife! copy here

Painting consistency is vital to knife work.
Mix several piles of colors to use in a particular area. Don’t always mix colors completely for interesting variations. You can also grab a variety of colors on the tip, edge or back of your knife to produce interesting “accidentals.” Learn how to use all areas of the knife blade to achieve an infinite number of great painting effects. Remember, if you don’t like how it looks, scrape the paint off and try it other ways until you get the look you want. Don’t be afraid to use little specks of color straight from the tube in dark areas to make them “sparkle.”
I always have two whites on my palette. The importance of using two brands of white is one should be a “buttery” white and the other a stiffer white (I always use Grumbacher Original Formula). I can mix either of these with various colors to achieve the texture I need for a particular area. For example, realistic foreground foliage and moving water can be achieved easier with a stiffer white that holds points and thick edges. If I’m trying to “drag” color over the top edges or points of wet paint, I use my buttery white. This can result in nice, broken color areas that look like foliage, frothy water, rock color variations, etc.