PAINTING TECHNIQUE
1. Prepare surface
2. Under-drawing: Draw in medium of choice, (pencil, Charcoal…), set image in ink.
3. Imprimatura: With brush or rag spread thin, transparent layer of color such as yellow ochre
or umber over under-drawing. You must keep it very thin, the drawing should show through well.
(alternative technique: Imprimatura can be a mixed grey on the prepared
surface with the drawing in liquid paint over it.)
4. Dead-color: Apply thin, pale layer of matte local color to individual forms in painting, allow to dry.
This shoud be very simple, thin paint.
5. Highlights: using a heavy, impasto, reflective white pigment such as lead white develop the highlights
over the drawing and imprimatura.
6. Working-up: development of form over dead color and highlights using glazing, scumbling and fine
careful brushwork in layers. The highlights will be raised and opaque while the darks will be thin and more transparent.
7. Details: apply fine highlights and details over finished paint layer
8. Dry, coat with protective varnish
Notes: Mastic glaze medium will work well and dry quickly.
TERMS
Support- The surface on which a painting is made such as linen, canvas, wood panel copper and so on.
Ground- A preparatory coating covering the entire support; providing a uniform surface and proper absorbency for the paint layers.
Gesso- a rigid ground of hide glue and chalk or gypsum used on wood panels.
Size- dilute hide-glue solution used to isolate and prepare the support.
Primer- A ground layer applied over the size layer, usually white providing a reflective, uniform surface. In traditional oil painting lead white in linseed oil was typical.
Imprimatura- A thin transparent glaze of color applied over a ground; usually over an under-drawing on the ground.
Dead color- A flexible term referring to an underpaint layer in monochrome or dull, light color.
Working-up- Development of the color and forms within the painting over the under-painting layers.
Body color- The opaque colors.
Heightening- To render form through definition of highlights in white or pale color over a darker ground or imprimatura.
Glaze- A thin, transparent veil of color applied over a dried under-painting.
Impasto- Application of paint in a thick or heavy layer; thick, rough paint.
Chiaroscuro- rendering of form through contrast of light against dark
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