Palette Knives & Oil Pastels Review: The UK Impasto Artist's Most Expressive Tools

Some of the most exciting painting techniques involve applying paint not with a brush but with a knife — or working with a medium so rich and buttery that it practically applies itself. The 7pcs Large Painting Knives — Stainless Steel Spatula Palette and the DELI HM721 Extra Soft Oil Pastels — White, 12pcs for Blending & Colouring are tools for artists who want to work boldly, expressively, and with maximum tactile engagement with their medium.

7pcs Painting Knives: The Impasto Artist's Essential Set

Palette knives are one of the most versatile and underused tools in painting. The 7-piece stainless steel set provides a comprehensive range of blade shapes and sizes that cover every palette knife technique:

What Palette Knives Do That Brushes Can't

• Impasto texture — apply thick paint in bold, textured strokes that retain the mark of the knife; the defining technique of artists like Van Gogh and Monet
• Smooth blending — blend large areas of wet paint smoothly and quickly without the streaking that brushes can leave
• Scraping back — remove wet paint to reveal underlying layers or the canvas surface, creating textural effects impossible with brushes
• Mixing — mix paint on the palette without contaminating brushes; the knife is the professional's preferred mixing tool
• Colour application — apply paint in flat, even layers with a clean, sharp edge that brushes can't produce

Seven Shapes: A Knife for Every Technique

The 7-piece set covers the key palette knife shapes — from small, pointed knives for detail work to large, broad knives for sweeping impasto strokes. Having the full range means you can choose the right knife for each part of a painting without compromise.

DELI HM721 Extra Soft White Oil Pastels: The Blending Essential

White is the most important colour in oil pastel work — used for highlights, for lightening other colours, and for the blending technique of scumbling (applying white over other colours to create a hazy, atmospheric effect). The DELI HM721 Extra Soft Oil Pastels in White — 12pcs provides a generous supply of the colour you'll use most, in an extra-soft formula that blends beautifully and applies with minimal pressure.

Why Extra Soft Matters

Oil pastel hardness varies significantly between brands and products. Extra-soft oil pastels apply more pigment with less pressure, blend more easily with fingers and tools, and layer more smoothly than harder alternatives. For blending and colour mixing techniques, extra-soft pastels are significantly more responsive and forgiving.

12 White Sticks: Never Run Out

White is the colour that oil pastel artists use fastest — it's used in virtually every artwork for highlights, blending, and lightening. Twelve sticks is a generous supply that ensures you never run out mid-session.

Palette Knives + Oil Pastels: Unexpected Synergy

Palette knives work beautifully with oil pastels — use the knife to blend large areas of pastel, scrape back to reveal underlying colours, or apply pastel in thick, textured strokes. The combination opens up a range of mixed-media techniques that neither tool achieves alone. Browse our full art supplies range at TTPEN UK.

Paint boldly. Work expressively. Shop the 7pcs Painting Knives Set and DELI White Oil Pastels 12-Pack today.

Free UK delivery on qualifying orders at www.ttpen.co.uk.