Q: Besides brushes and palette knives, do you ever use other tools for painting – it looked like a credit card in one of your videos?

A: You betcha!

That was indeed an old credit card – I like to chop up the sides for fun effects. I don’t use tools like that very often because I can achieve so many fun techniques with brushes, but it’s helpful to remember that brushes and knives are just tools.

We should always be open to any tool that will help us work more efficiently or with greater imagination. I have been experimenting with more and more tools just in case something might be useful for our Master Oil Painting community and hopefully improve my own work!

A rubber tipped scraper tool works great for adding the look of subtle fence wire or tree branches through thick paint by sliding it through like a palette knife – rather than trying to keep a thin edge on a brush through all that paint – especially if we’re trying to be precise.

Do you have a question or tool you’re wondering about? Comment below and it might just end up as our next Painting Tip ‘r Tool!