Painting Techniques


The following painting techniques are taught in this course: blending, glazing, scumbling, dry brush, broken color, alla prima with a brush(es) and alla prima with a knife.

1. Blending or sfumato is the process of merging one tone or color into another so there is no sharp boundary or perceptible transition visible. This technique is good for creating soft effects. This effect is further enhanced when colors are translucent and closely related (analogous).
a. Sketch out your composition, then cover it with a wash of colors.
b. Mix 3 values for 3 analogous colors.
c. Lay out the colors side by side without touching each other.
d. Blend with a fan brush, dry brush and/or with finger(s).
  Note: The larger the brush the cruder the blend; fingers are best for the sfumato effect.
2. Glazing is a wet-on wet technique. Color is created by laying a thin layer of translucent/transparent paint over a dry layer.
a. Lay out all the transparent paints: alizarin crimson, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and viridian.
b. Pour about 2 tbsp. of painting oil medium into your plastic container w/clip; use it to make opaque colors more "transparent."
c. Paint with your glazes.

3. Scumbling is an application of uneven layers of paint using a rag, a brush, a finger, a sponge, the side of a palm or a palette knife in a way that the undercoat shows through. This method is best for the fat-over-lean technique, where the undercoat is dry, thin, and relatively oil-free. The subsequent coat acts like a filmy glaze over a matted surface. Though dark colors can be scumbled over light ones, light over dark gives greater vivacity and impact to the painting.
a. Load a wide, flat bristle or a round brush, with a little paint and scrub it onto the surface.
b. Load a round bristle brush with a little paint, hold it perpendicular to the surface and apply the paint in a circular motion with pressure.
c. Load a wide flat bristle, hold it nearly parallel to the surface and scrub.
  Note: Older brushes are often better for this technique.
 

4 . Dry brush
is a dry-on-dry technique. The application of color is so thin that the undercoat is only partially covered. The brush is charged with a minimum of paint; the paint is applied with quick light strokes. Ideally, the procedure is to first paint in broad areas of colors with very little detail. Let the paint dry, then fill in the details using the dry-brush technique.
a. Load a wide, flat bristle brush, or a round brush, and squeeze it to expel as much paint as possible, then lightly drag it over the surface. You may also hold the brush perpendicular to the surface, then apply the paint in light circular motions.
b. Load a fan bristle and dab over the surface to create a stipple effect.
c. Barely touch the tip of the brush with paint then lightly work the paint onto the surface using a scratching or flicking motion.

5. Broken color is a techique favored byVan Gogh. The colors are not blended; they are mixed optically. Colors will appear more vivid if they are applied in small strokes of varied hues side by side. Try using round and flat brushes for different effects.
a. Identify the colors for the shadows. Paint the shadows with the colors, without mixing, or with slight mixing. Do the same for the medium-valued areas and the lighter-valued areas. Leave the high-lights for last
b. Step back and look at the painting. If the shadowed areas are not dark enough, darken your colors. Correct the value of the medium-valued and lighter-valued areas using a bit of black, brown or white.
c. Add in the highlights.



Alla prima means "at first;" it refers to completing a painting within one session, working with a wet-into-wet procedure. There is no underpainting. The underdrawing is sketched in with charcoal. Each patch of color is laid down more or less as it appears in a finished painting. Modification and reworking is kept to a minimun. View the subject in broad areas (which means you need to squint a lot). Paint in the middle tones first. Leave the darkest and the lightest to the last. Avoid details.

6. Alla prima with brush(es).
7. Alla prima with a knife.


Material
:
In addition to the material you have from the Beginning Oils (see Basic Material for Oils for list) you will need
1 small bottle of painting oil medium
4 (F8) canvasses
1 photograph of a sunset.
2 #10 flat bristle brushes
2 #8 round bristle brushes
1 fan bristle brush
1 small tube of viridian paint
   
A summary of what you need for this course is also included at the bottom of the class schedule.