Old Flemish Technique

[llawrence]

Here is my foray into Flemish Technique (of the Flemish Primitives, that is): a mixed-media process of ink drawing, egg tempera and oil glazes, or just ink drawing and oil. My information on this process is taken mainly from here.

For the first two, I'm jumping right to oil paint after the ink drawing. For the third (not yet begun), I'll try to go through the full process, including egg tempera. I've got one completed so far. Here is the first layer, homemade natural walnut ink on gessoed panel:



Then oil paint - some of which, as in the hair, is completely transparent, letting the ink drawing show through. In contrast, the gray of the shirt is an opaque grisaille. Done with a student palette of natural earths, bone black and lead white:



(Some of the paint still a bit wet there.) Finally, glazes of lapis and natural carmine for the clothing.



I'm posting the ink drawings as I do them here in the Pen and Ink forum. I'll post more of these here as I complete them, and I've posted a more detailed explanation on my art materials blog. Feedback appreciated - thanks for looking!

[Bluegill]

Beautiful work. I like the end result, although I think my eye is more drawn to some of the warmth of the color in the second step.

[llawrence]

Thanks Mark! I think at least some of that warmth in the second pic is due to the still-wet paint - hopefully some of that will come back when I varnish in a few months.

[ivo55]

It is an excellent result.

[tommie]

This is very nice. Great portrait in every respect. Congratulations

[Erica Shipley]

I am so glad you posted this... As I got back into painting and drawing over the last year I have been trying to reteach myself that art is what I make it. I have tried for so long to do a good detailed painting but end up trashing it for my pencil most the time.

In college my teachers forbid any drawing and made us paint with no sketching or planing other then paint on canvas....For the life of me I couldn't figure out how they did it in the famous paintings I aspire to. Now that the internet has become more of a resource then very badly written books I have been learning from it all make so much more sense to me.

I cant wait to try this! Your research has inspired me to try again and that I don't have to follow some arbitrary set of rules I was given for years in school. Now I wont waste so much money buying supplies that will end up in the trash!

Thank you!

[Keith Russell]

I'm always angered when I read about experiences like this. I have had a few teachers who felt that spontaneity, and avoiding any pre-planning, were best--but they have (thankfully) been the minority.

There are plenty of "cutting=edge", living painters who could not do anything remotely like what they do, without lots of careful, detailed, intense pre-planning (drawing).

And it always amazes me when some professors basically ignore artists, genres, techniques, etc. they don't like. The artworld is too big a place, especially these days, for one "type" of art to dominate, and the professors ought to know, understand, and (for the most part) be able to accept this.

A few living artists who rely heavily on drawing and pre-planning:

Nicola Verlato
Ron English
Todd Schorr
John Currin
Madeline Von Foerster
Jeremy Geddes
Michael Hussar
Mark Ryden

Originally Posted by Erica Shipley

I am so glad you posted this... As I got back into painting and drawing over the last year I have been trying to reteach myself that art is what I make it. I have tried for so long to do a good detailed painting but end up trashing it for my pencil most the time.

In college my teachers forbid any drawing and made us paint with no sketching or planing other then paint on canvas....For the life of me I couldn't figure out how they did it in the famous paintings I aspire to. Now that the internet has become more of a resource then very badly written books I have been learning from it all make so much more sense to me.

I cant wait to try this! Your research has inspired me to try again and that I don't have to follow some arbitrary set of rules I was given for years in school. Now I wont waste so much money buying supplies that will end up in the trash!

Thank you!

[Erica Shipley]

Thank you for opening me up to so many artist that share a love for the same style I am trying to learn. I am now less afraid of doing it "wrong" and getting braver to experiment!

[T.Richmond]

Very warm , and the lighting is just perfect . Well done !

[llawrence]

Thank you much for the responses all. I had missed them until now. I'm working on the second example and it will be posted shortly!

[llawrence]

Okay folks, here's the next installment. All old masters materials again. From a photo ref by Steve McCurry.

Here is the walnut ink drawing on gesso panel:



Then glazing over the robe with green earth. Right away I ran into problems, as there was too much brown for the green earth to cover well. But I bravely continued, using the green earth as a couch to paint into the lights with a homemade green bice (basic copper carbonate) pigment and a bit of lead white:



The orange bits are minium (red lead). Then, after drying, glazed over the green with Antwerp blue (the only post-Renaissance material here), and natural carmine over the red lead. Finally skin tones and background, all with natural earths, bone black and lead white:



... except that I glazed over the lips and cheeks with madder. Lovely stuff. Who cares if it will fade eventually? So will the model... and myself, and everyone who looks at this painting. Here's a closeup:



This one was more complex and I didn't plan some of the colors quite right. Working glaze over glaze, things sometimes don't turn out as planned. Next time I'll have a better idea how to tackle something like this.

Got at least one more in mind (probably two), which will include egg tempera between the ink and oil layers. Stay tuned, and thanks for looking!