Home › Forums › Explore Media › Oil Painting › Painting from the Masters › Need help painting flesh tones like William Adolphe Bouguereau
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May 13, 2018 at 1:06 am #455991
I am mesmerized by the way Bouguereau handled skin tones and want to learn his glazing techniques. His skin tones are so natural and realistic. How did he achieve such smoothness and luminosity in his paintings?
May 13, 2018 at 7:42 am #621275Like in most old master’s paintings, smoothness and luminosity come from tonal values very precisely adjusted.
May 14, 2018 at 4:38 am #621276Check out Cesar Santos on YouTube – he comes really really close to Bouguereau (and has several copies after him in his sketchbook videos).
I’m pretty sure I read that Bouguereau didn’t glaze but painted alla prima? Santos paints in stages, a bit similar to the Flemish method.
Still clueless myself as to how to paint like Bouguereau, but that’s the ultimate goal here too!
CC/Corrections welcome
May 14, 2018 at 4:27 pm #621284It is not a big deal, you just need to time to build the forms and blend the paint while it is still wet. Check from time to time the Artist Magazine, there you will see that painting like that it is possible, if you are lucky, you can also find tutorials.
https://www.artistsnetwork.com/store/portrait-painting-with-oil
May 15, 2018 at 11:48 am #621280I’m pretty sure I read that Bouguereau didn’t glaze but painted alla prima?
He did not work alla prima in his ‘finished works’. From what I’ve seen, he used at least three layers. A rather dull (colorwise) underpainting, a colored, (semi-)opaque overpainting and a finishing layer of glazes, highlights and details.
Like in most old master’s paintings, smoothness and luminosity come from tonal values very precisely adjusted.
I agree. The ‘secret’ is getting all the subtleties right.
May 25, 2018 at 10:16 pm #621286A lot of people don’t know that Bouguereau was a knife painter. Apparently, the lower layers were accomplished via brush, brought to a degree of finish, and then were refined with a palette knife. He was able to use that tool to attain transitions that were almost airbrush-like.
Here is a description of his technique:
https://www.artrenewal.org/Article/Title/bouguereau-at-work
I’ve seen only two Bouguereaus “in the paint,” and I must confess that I never would have thought that a knife was employed at any point.
May 26, 2018 at 4:59 am #621281Bouguereau was a knife painter.
I don’t think the information in the article justifies calling Bougeureau a knife painter. I’d say he used a knife to ‘cut’ away thick paint and ridges, to make a smoother surface and to increase transparancy. I do this too, sometimes, and the best time to do this is when the paint is starting to solidify – just like the article mentions.
May 27, 2018 at 2:50 pm #621287I recently found some interesting threads in the Wet Canvas archives which mention Bouguereau.
I was searching for information on the “velatura” technique.
Just one example
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=345599
There are a few more if you search
Best wishes
May 27, 2018 at 11:45 pm #621285I recently found some interesting threads in the Wet Canvas archives which mention Bouguereau.
I was searching for information on the “velatura” technique.
Just one example
[URL]https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=345599[/URL]
There are a few more if you search
Best wishes
Velatura or Veladura is “Glazing”, but translated from the Spanish Language.
May 28, 2018 at 6:23 am #621277He did not work alla prima in his ‘finished works’. From what I’ve seen, he used at least three layers. A rather dull (colorwise) underpainting, a colored, (semi-)opaque overpainting and a finishing layer of glazes, highlights and details.
Thanks for the info! Makes me slightly more hopeful that I can one day come close (because no way I can do this all in 1 go). Do you have a source for this? I’d love to see his underpaintings!
CC/Corrections welcome
May 28, 2018 at 4:35 pm #621288Velatura or Veladura is “Glazing”, but translated from the Spanish Language.
“Trenta, quaranta velature!” was apparently something Titian said.
The Wet Canvas archives have a number of differing opinions on whether it is a distinct technique or not.:rolleyes:
It is certainly a useful one.:)
May 30, 2018 at 3:20 am #621282Thanks for the info! Makes me slightly more hopeful that I can one day come close (because no way I can do this all in 1 go). Do you have a source for this? I’d love to see his underpaintings!
In the images below you can clearly see his underpainting in many places and also some overpainting. If you study high-res images of his finshed works, you can see this kind of underpainting there as well. Bouguereau left some of his underpainting visible, especially in the shadows and half-tones.
In the third image you can see how he used a lighter scumble over darker tone in his underpainting to create a cooler half-tone. He was very effective in using optical effects caused by the interplay of layers.
May 31, 2018 at 3:56 am #621278Thank you !!
CC/Corrections welcome
May 31, 2018 at 12:31 pm #621293Thank you everyone so much for your replies. It helped me a lot.
I have been trying to copy one of Bouguereau’s paintings and this is the result. The colors are a bit distorted due to lighting. It took me around 5 months to paint this. What improvements can I make?June 2, 2018 at 9:28 pm #621289You seem to be doing well
I suspect the only way to master a technique is long years of practice.
Did you find this thread?
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=501953
Best wishes
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