Home Forums The Learning Center Color Theory and Mixing Ground Colour: What’s Yours?

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  • #993085
    DaveAndrews
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        I always use a ground colour when starting a painting. I know why but I don’t know why? It’s actually quite hard articulating why deploying a raw sienna ground is so important to a figurative painting, but it’s so obvious in an intuitive sense. I’d love to hear somebody explain why it works? As I said I generally use a raw sienna ground, but have seen no ground only white primer, a sort of pink ground used by John Constable etc. Mostly they’re not visible by the time the painting is finished, which adds to the mystery. What ground colours do you use, figurative or abstract?

        #1226757
        annaspasky
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            White color is always neutral and safe for further work

            #1226731
            WFMartin
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                For oil painting, I’ve found nothing better than Lead White, tinted with Raw Umber. It is sort of a “taffy color”, and it’s been working for me for several years now. I apply the paint by conditioning it with a medium of 1 portion Stand Oil to 5 portions Distilled Spirits of Gum Turpentine. I mix enough of this medium into the paint so that when I apply it with a brush, it is quite “self-leveling”, meaning that the brush strokes flatten, and level themselves shortly after having been applied.

                Prior to that, I used equal parts Burnt Sienna, and Raw Sienna, lightened with a bit of white, and that created a very warm color.

                Each one works well, and I’ve used them both. The first one is what I’ve been using for my ground, most recently.

                wfmartin. My Blog "Creative Realism"...
                https://williamfmartin.blogspot.com

                #1226753
                SamL
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                    I always use a ground colour when starting a painting. I know why but I don’t know why?

                    The reason I heard is the following:

                    If you apply colors on white canvas, everything you put down looks darker than it really is. So, people misjudge and apply colors that are lighter than they should be. And eventually, the final painting is lighter than it should be.

                    So, a ground will bring the white canvas to a value of 5. And looking at the value of 5, the artist will no longer misjudge, and will apply colors with the correct values.

                    #1226735
                    budigart
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                        So far as I’m concerned, there are two main reasons to apply a toned ground.

                        The first is to kill the white so you can better judge values as you paint. In the beginning, even light yellow will appear dark against a white canvas. In this instance, a neutral ground is fine. It can be made from various mixes . . . raw umber/blue . . . blue/ivory black . . . then try to rub it off.

                        The second is purposefully choosing complementary colors. If you’re going to paint a large blue shy, use something like cad red light as a ground, and let small bits and patches of red show through. Also, where your blue sky paint is applied thinly, the red ground showing through will create optical grays.

                        #1226756
                        HaydeeFab
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                            I love painting on a black canvas. It makes the whole work looking more stylish.

                            #1226754
                            SamL
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                                The second is purposefully choosing complementary colors. If you’re going to paint a large blue shy, use something like cad red light as a ground, and let small bits and patches of red show through. Also, where your blue sky paint is applied thinly, the red ground showing through will create optical grays.

                                What can be achieved with red under paint and blue top paint for the sky?

                                Less blue?

                                #1226730
                                Andrew
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                                    I always tone down my new canvas with a wash of an earth tone. On rare occasions, I will take the grey that I get from my palette leavings and tone to a more neutral (sometimes warm, sometimes cool grey) value. I use these more for my plein air paintings and value studies.

                                    Andrew

                                    "Never ascribe to malice what adequately can be explained as stupidity"
                                    - Robert J. Hanlon

                                    “What a genius, that Picasso. It is a pity he doesn't paint.” - Marc Chagall

                                    #1226739
                                    Crystal1
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                                        I’ve been taught that one of the reasons to use a light tan color ground on portraits, is so that if you’re brush drags on the canvas and the color doesn’t go all the way down, then you’ll still have a color showing that blends with your paint color, instead of a bright white showing through. I think some people like the white showing through on a rough canvas sometimes.

                                        #1226751
                                        Bradicus
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                                            I use a simular method to WFMartin, adding a bit of burnt umber to lead white.
                                            The base purpose is to kill a bit of the white, otherwise you just work that much harder to cover “bright white”.
                                            Underpainting, though, can serve many purposes. Artists have used it for many effects both seen and perceived.

                                            However, for me much of my work is blocked, and there I do not tint.
                                            No real point.

                                            Make sure you add at least one more layer of acrylic gesso even to a pre-primed canvas. To completely seal the canvas.

                                            Cheers,
                                            Brad

                                            #1226742
                                            opainter
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                                                Make sure you add at least one more layer of acrylic gesso even to a pre-primed canvas. To completely seal the canvas.

                                                I mix my gesso with Nickel Azo Yellow (PY150) or Indian Yellow (PY139) acrylic paint before I apply it.

                                                Do I still need to paint a layer of acrylic paint over the gesso before painting the elements of the painting? :confused:

                                                If I have to paint over the gesso, it is a waste of time and paint (and therefore money) if I mix paint into my gesso! :eek:

                                                What do you experts think?

                                                AJ (opainter), C&C always welcome
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                                                #1226759
                                                flameprincess
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                                                    Some good answers. I’ve always used burnt sienna as per my oil painting teacher years back. When I switched to acrylics i started using a dull green, think it was hookers green with a bit of red oxide – not sure why i used those, maybe i didn’t have money for bs. But i’m going back to it now, love the warm glow it lends to the painting.

                                                    :heart: nazia
                                                    "...Not all those who wander are lost." (Tolkien)

                                                    #1226760
                                                    flameprincess
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                                                        AJ if you’re tinting your gesso, you don’t need another ground layer. You’re good to go : )

                                                        :heart: nazia
                                                        "...Not all those who wander are lost." (Tolkien)

                                                        #1226752
                                                        Bradicus
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                                                            I mix my gesso with Nickel Azo Yellow (PY150) or Indian Yellow (PY139) [I]acrylic[/I] paint before I apply it.

                                                            Do I still need to paint a layer of acrylic paint over the gesso before painting the elements of the painting? :confused:

                                                            If I have to paint over the gesso, it is a waste of time and paint (and therefore money) if I mix paint into my gesso! :eek:

                                                            What do you experts think?

                                                            AJ, I agree with FP above, tinting your acrylic is saving a step if you dont need/want another base coat. If I add a lead ground, its better to tint there if I do it at all.

                                                            Cheers, Brad

                                                            #1226755

                                                            Hi!!… I usually use a yellow ochre ground

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