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  • January 30, 2019 at 10:55 am #468358
    StegosaurTees
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        Does anyone know what Leonardo used for the Mona Lisa’s underpainting?

        A verdaccio, or a grisaille, or something else?

        I’m going to try painting it to test out my abilities (and patience!)

        Thanks in advance.

        https://stegosaurtees.digikiwimedia.com

        Action is eloquence" - Coriolanus

        February 2, 2019 at 9:44 am #772179
        WFMartin
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            It is claimed that Leonardo carried the Mona Lisa around with him for years, working on it from time to time, and never having considered it to be finished.

            I’m not sure even HE would have remembered the exact way he began his underpainting, but I wish you the best of luck in your quest for that information. Many of us would like to know that, I’m sure.:)

            My guess: a rather Raw Umber sort of “rough-in”.

            wfmartin. My Blog "Creative Realism"...
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            February 4, 2019 at 1:03 pm #772181
            KolinskyRed
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                Hi Anthony and Bill,

                Here’s an interesting article on reconstructing the Mona Lisa:

                https://journals.openedition.org/ceroart/3828#tocfrom2n2

                I think the meat of it starts at paragraph 19.

                In short: Shadowed part ~ Umber, then halftones/lit parts of face Lead White/ Vermilion 100:1 mixing ratio.

                Cheers!

                March 4, 2019 at 4:40 am #772183
                Pastel Art Prints
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                    The author discusses the detailed and painstaking method used by the painter at each step of the creation of the painting to obtain sfumato effect.

                    Browse gallery of Arts:
                    http://www.pastelartprints.com
                    Facebook page:
                    https://www.facebook.com/pastelartprints/

                    September 10, 2019 at 3:52 am #772182
                    StegosaurTees
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                        Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

                        In the end I just used a raw umber. I might experiment more with different colors, though, in the future.

                        I then decided to imagine what the original colors might have been like, drawing more from the Prado Mona Lisa and Jenness Cortez’s Mona Lisa.

                        All in all, it’s been good practice!

                        https://stegosaurtees.digikiwimedia.com

                        Action is eloquence" - Coriolanus

                        September 10, 2019 at 9:56 pm #772180
                        Virginia (vmrs) Administrator
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                            Wow, that looks wonderful!

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                            September 27, 2019 at 4:44 pm #772184
                            SurrealityArt
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                                My first thought: The Mona Lisa, Wow did you pick a difficult painting to reproduce. All i kept thinking when reading the comments is I hope he posts an image of the finished piece… and you did! :clap: It looks beautiful. You should keep that one in the family. Thank for sharing
                                T.J.F.

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