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GENERAL INFORMATION
AND UNDERPAINTING
The palette
When I started painting my palette was - one red (light red), one
yellow (yellow ochre), a blue (cobalt) and white. Next I needed some bulk
earth colors and purchased burnt and raw sienna and similar umbers. Later
I added some cadmium reds and yellows, a crimson, cerulean and ultramarine
blue. Finally I purchased some transparent colors like alizarin, Italian
pink and thalo blue. I stupidly have many colors I never use. surface preparation
I will paint on anything that will hold paint but It must be dry
and have a little tooth (roughness). I like to underpaint the surface with
a couple of coats of gesso (a flat, thick, water based, supermarket white
paint). If I intend to paint with glazes I will lightly sandpaper the surface.
Make sure the surface is completely dry before using oil paints (two or
three days). underpainting
Use the cheaper opaque ground colors (umbers ochres and siennas)
and apply thinly. Try and establish the darkest areas and leave some white.
Don't be too precise as everything will change. It always does. Just get
a general idea- see design lesson for successful compositions. glazing
Glazes allow light to penetrate the layers and enhance color. They
also permit the artist to construct the painting in stages. I use a glaze
'medium' (the liquid to add to the paint) of oil (linseed or the like)
varnish (any good commercial variety) and sometimes a little white spirit
(turpentine). Modern lacquers dry rather quickly and may be retarded with
the oil or speeded up with the white spirit.
Just as black keys play louder on the piano the dark paint dries
faster than light. (I'm serious about the paint). I usually work from dark
to light with the final 'impasto' (thick) paint being used for the highlights.
Thin layers of paint over thick will crack due to the drying differentials.
The use of the glaze medium can help unify the drying and promote beautiful
depth effects in subtle light greys.
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