A Canvas Scraper is an artist’s tool, sometimes called a painters knife or incorrectly referred to as a painting knife.

Essentially any hard flat metal object can be used to scrap back layers of paint from a canvas, some artists will use an ordinary paint scraper, kitchen knife or spatula, however some art supply manufacturers have produced specific tools called Canvas Scrapers that are shaped perfectly for the job and are easier to use with greater accuracy.

A canvas scraper generally looks like a large butter knife, however the blade is shorter and the curve more pronounced. A canvas scraper allows the artist to carefully but firmly remove layers of paint without fear of piercing or severely dinting the canvas surface.