Underpainting
 

I am often asked about underpainting - a technique that I use. I know that all of this is easier said than done, but here is classic underpainting in a nutshell.

The purpose of underpainting is to resolve the drawing, composition and value of a painting before going into color. Remember that oil paint is mostly translucent and an underpainting will show through into the top layers of paint. There are many ways to do an underpainting, and here is one of them.

In the small unfinished painting I did below (a copy after Ingres) you can see a "raw" underpainting without any of the top layers of color added. This particular underpainting is done with raw umber and titanium white. The overall color you see is a final coat of raw umber added as a glaze to "warm it up." Making an underpainting is very similar to a detailed charcoal drawing - only with a brush and paint.

When an underpainting is completely dry, thin glazes of translucent color are added...sort of like coloring a photograph. The color of light (something that often approximates Naples yellow) is then painted more thickly into the wet glazes and is left to dry.

Layer after layer, this process is gently repeated...until the painting is "done." In the end, areas of light will be built up to be very thick and opaque, and shadows are left to be very thin and transparent with the underpainting showing through.

Those beautiful cool halftones (where light and shadow meet) are created by the underpainting showing through the upper layers of scumbled paint.

Karin,

Thanks for sharing your underpainting technique, especially since I'm going to start an underpainting within the hour.

The people at the ART RENEWAL CENTER were kind enough to post a little three image demo of mine that starts with an underpainting.
http://www.artrenewal.org/articles/2...painting1.html

Raw umber is my favorite color, but since I've discovered Gamblin's Asphaltum substitute, my faithfulness has been sorely tried.

Doing an underpainting is a wonderful way to solve design and drawing problems, as you say.

Bill

I've been looking for Asphaltum!
 

I assume that the Gamblin Asphaltum is stable or somebody like you wouldn't be using it. Asphaltum has the reputation of being a highly unstable color but it is the best warm brown I have ever seen. Thank you. Thank you.

I like your underpainting demo...I wonder if this method of working will ever get popular again?

Gamblin

I want a tube
 

Bill, I've searched the internet and I can't find anyone who has a tube of Gamblin asphaltum for sale that is in stock. I'm really anxious to get some, is there a way I can order directly from Gamblin?

Asphaltum
 

Karin,

I was doing a search on glazes and reading how you do them. I read you're looking for Gamblin asphaltum and it's in my Blick Studio catalog. 1.25 oz. or 5 oz. tubes available. Their phone number, though I'm sure you have it, is 1-800-828-4548.

Your portraits are amazing!
I had some portrait training in Holland and my instructor there did not teach the glazing process. Can you suggest a way for me to learn it? A book or video?

Thanks,
Joan

Glazes
 

Dear Joan,

Thank you for your kind words and asphaltum info.

A glaze is just a translucent color + a lot of medium (I use Liquin). This is scumbled over a dry surface and it will gently alter the color beneath.

For example, some translucent colors I glaze with are burnt sienna, raw umber, prussian blue, alizarin crimson, (etc.)....as opposed to heavily pigmented and opaque colors like yellow ochre, Indian red and titanium white.

Hope this helps...it is really verrrrry simple!

Thanks Karin
 

Dear Karin,

Hello, THANK YOU for your suggestions, especially with what colors to glaze with. I'll buy some Liquin and start experimenting.

Joan

In case it is useful to you Joan, I've created a list of the colors in my palette in a new topic called Old Master Palette.

Dear Karin,

Hi, I was just reviewing your method for underpainting and was wondering how your Ingres copy is coming along. I would love to see it in another stage where you've put on some of the glazes, if possible. I'm getting ready to attempt my first portrait using this method.

Thanks,
Joan

Underpainting - next step
 

I never took my (underpainting) copy of the Ingres to the next level. I learned what I needed to and quit on that one.

In order to learn how to paint like the Old Masters, I spent aprox. two years doing nothing but copies of great paintings.

I always started with an underpainting like the Ingres above, but usually finished them. I am sorry now that I did not photograph the stages as it would have been so helpful for others to see the process.

I'm not sure that this would help you, but here is one by Sir Thomas Lawrence (The Calmody Children) that I copied in the exact same underpainting method as the Ingres.

I no longer feel the need (or have the time) to copy the Master paintings, but I recommend this to anyone who really wants to learn to paint in that grand old style.

I still use the underpainting technique in all of my work, but I shortcut the method somewhat because of limited time....but (hopefully) I never shortcut the quality of my work.

http://glazing.fws1.com/examples.htm

These are nice clear examples of underpainting and glazing.

Genesis Glazing
 

Dear Karin,

I know this is an old topic on the site, but it's a new one for me and just had a question I hope you might be kind enough to answer. I'm trying out some samples of Genesis paints and have a sample of their "Glazing Medium" to mix with the paints. Is this how you thin your Genesis paints to glaze over the underpainting?

With sincere thanks,
Ramon Deslauriers

I'm still experimenting but the directions say don't add more than 20%-30% (did I get this right?)glazing medium to your paint.

Sometimes, I put the glazing medium directly on the dry surface and then wipe if off. This leaves a thin film...just enough to "juice up" your canvas for painting.

Also, I sometimes mix the Genesis clear (satin) varnish with my paints for scumbles and glazes...the proportions don't matter and you can get some interesting effects that you cannot do with just glazing medium. Genesis is working on a gloss varnish and I hope that they can get it on the market soon.

When I do an underpainting, I do not add anything to the colors...I just use thick paint. I have a post on this where I show the stages of underpainting with Genesis (although it is exactly the same with traditional oils).

Helpful once again
 

Dear Karin,

I checked out your underpainting example and it helped a lot. Though I have a few questions about color choice and the role underpainting plays in the application of color.

First of all, I know that there are no "black and whites'" in art but, I noticed that raw umber and titanium white is a staple mix for the underpainting. Is this used pretty much all the time or are the underpainting color choices picked depending on the overall feel of the painting? For instance, would a cooler color choice give a cooler painting?

Secondly, I looked at the site you suggested on underpainting with a peak at Vermeer's technique. One thing they mentioned that confuses me is that Vermeer only glazed certain parts of the painting to allow the underpainting to show through. What was done with the rest of the underpainting that wasn't glazed? I'm getting ready to work on a copy of a master work and was going to glaze the whole darn thing. Is that what I should be doing?

I know this is a lot to ask and would appreciate any insights you'd be kind enough to offer.

One other thing, when are you coming out with your first book? You've always offered consistently good information in a way that is clear and consise.

Thanks again,
Ramon Deslauriers

Underpainting color choices pretty much depend on what the artist likes and wants. I use raw umber and white because it produces a cool halftone that I like when I scumble over it.

I have experimented with other mixtures, but like this one the best. An underpainting tends to unify a painting and I love the look of raw umber.
I think that you need to take a lot of what is written with a grain of salt - more is written on this subject than is known...if you get my drift.

I think that Vermeer employed scumbles and glazes in every place that he saw fit. I would suggest that you do likewise...if you do what looks good to your eye, it is probably the correct thing to do.
I'm working on it - clear and concise isn't as easy for me as it looks. :) There are so many "right" ways to paint. I'm trying to boil it all down into some very basic universal principles that apply to both underpainting and ala prima.

I've been reading with interest the underpainting techniques used by some members of the Forum. Perhaps one of them could explain to me the underpainting technique of Jacques-Louis David. At the Art Institute of Chicago there is an unfinished portrait by him and the underpainting of the background and of the flesh tones is done in a light value neutral gray (grisaille). Yet the other objects in the painting, a crib and a baby's head, also the sitter's lips, are done in a light value of the body colors, not gray. What is the most common underpainting technique these days?

This is a question for Karin Wells, but other answers will be appreciated too. It has to do with the underpainting and glaze technique for doing portraits. Some of the common pigments used to reproduce the basic flesh color are a combination of yellows, reds and white. How are the glazes applied if most of these colors are opaque? Don

Tito,

Like Karin, I believe Michael Georges is also very informed about underpainting. You can see a recently posted underpainting in Unveilings for the Seasoned Artist (Chase & Payton), http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...?threadid=1159
just in case you missed it.

There is so much great information in this Forum, I'm sure you will find what you need. I'm learning and being encouraged every day.

Gina

Tito,

Can you post the picture by Jacques-Louis David that you describes? Maybe if I see it I can clarify it for you.
[quote]Some of the common pigments used to reproduce the basic flesh color are a combination of yellows, reds and white. How are the glazes applied if most of these colors are opaque? Don

Thank you, Karin, for your reply. I mentioned the David's unfinished portrait at the Art Institute in Chicago, because it's an example of the classical technique. He only did the underpainting because he had to go on exile during the political turmoil of the French Revolution. This underpainting is done with very thinned pigment, almost watery and in a very light value, because the values get darker with each application of glaze. What I don't understand is how they painted the flesh using the glaze technique.

I don't have a photo of the painting to scan it.

Underpainting
 

Tito,

Michael Georges, a member of the Forum, studied under Frank Covino, who teaches the glazing technique or the Grisalle method. Frank has a web site and you can order his book from the site. It is very informative, and I refer to it often.

The title of the book is "Controlled Painting". I believe it is out of print, but you can get a photo copy of it. Unfortunately it is not in color, but it is very detailed. The web address is www.portrait-art.com.

He also discusses glazing in great detail and Verdaccio, a toned greenish underpainting using nine shades of paint mixed with white, ivory black, and terre verte.

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for the tip, Alicia.

It's a pity that the classical painting tradition was allowed to die off in the 19th Century.

I really need to see this in order to explain it. Did you try a Google Image Search on Jacques-Louis David? http://images.google.com

It is very possible that you are not looking at an underpainting at all, it might just be the way David blocked in his drawing and design of that portion of the painting.

The way you have described this, the next step would NOT be adding flesh tones by glazing.

Tito,

I have to agree with Karin.

The monochromatic underpainting is used with both glazing and opaque application of paint. Since flesh tones contain so much white, glazing them is not a very effective way of proceeding. As I indicated in a previous post, glazing is most effective with darker transparent or semi-transparent colors.

To your point about glazes darkening the area, you are correct that repeated glazing does darken the passage. If I have a passage that I intend to glaze more than once, then typically I will raise the value of that passage by 1/2 to 1 full value in the underpainting to accomodate the glazes.

I just bought a tube of Gamblin's Asphaltum and I plan to experiment. Can William Whitaker or Karin Wells give some tips?

Another question, can a warm background be used in a portrait, and under what conditions?

Thank you in advance.