Classical Oil Painting Technique

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<p>Welcome to 1art.com Teaching Zone!</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>This TEACHING ZONE has been created specifically for those who are uncertain whether they</p><p>should by the Video Workshop but are interested in learning more about the classical painting technique.</p><p>As I said elsewhere in my site, my main goal is to share my knowledge with as many people as possible;</p><p>and the membership fee is so low that using the Teaching Zone will be affordable to practically everyone</p><p>interested in the Old Masters' oil painting technique. The Teaching Zone was created on the basis of the</p><p>my Video Workshop and takes the form of an Internet book with appropriate interactive multimedia</p><p>technology.</p><p>Introduction</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (1 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/index.htm</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/stil.htm</p><p>Hi, my name is Alexei Antonov. This is my first video course of classical painting technique. It is not</p><p>just an art workshop. This is my first action for the ecology of culture. Exponents of modern art may find</p><p>some of my ideas politically incorrect. This course, however, has been made for those who treasure</p><p>eternal values in art. Enjoy the show!</p><p>When we come in the museum and view pictures of Old Masters of the Renaissance epoch, we are</p><p>fascinated by their art, or, rather, by their craft. Subtle nuances of tone and color, precision of expression</p><p>of texture and surface details. And the enigmatic lunar color in half-tones! We begin to feel that Old</p><p>Masters were different from us. Were they better than our generation?</p><p>Then, entering a modern art hall, we see pictures that depict triangles, squares, and other unidentifiable</p><p>forms, produced by splashing and slapping paint, and not only paint, with brushes, and sometimes not</p><p>only brushes, on canvas, and sometimes not only on canvas. To make an abstract picture requires</p><p>neither skill nor time, unlike a classical still life or portrait.</p><p>But if you were offered a choice of a beautiful still life and an abstract painting, showing a black or red</p><p>triangle, which one would you chose if, say, the price were the same? Perhaps you will agree with me</p><p>that most people would choose a beautiful still life.</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>In conclusion of this brief introduction, some words should be said about every artist's material concerns.</p><p>Experience has shown that the classical school of painting can be studied without having a special</p><p>"talent." The only condition is a passionate desire to learn and a little patience. The material aspect is</p><p>rather important in this world of ours.</p><p>If you feel you can be an artist and support your family and yourself with the money earned by painting,</p><p>remember, the competition in the art market is fierce.</p><p>And in the struggle you have to win not by begging the gallery owner to take your painting on</p><p>consignment explaining verbally how extraordinary and talented you are. You can win by simply</p><p>showing the gallery owner fragment of your painting and all avant-garde painters will then flee the</p><p>gallery and go to work at the factory to earn their bread honestly. It is impossible to deceive the world;</p><p>clarity, virtue, and beauty are returning, throwing deception, ugliness, and sin back into oblivion, where</p><p>they belong.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (3 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>This video course of classical painting will give you an opportunity to understand and practice the Old</p><p>Masters' technique. You will learn how to paint a classical still life from the beginning to the end. The</p><p>course consists of the following sections:</p><p>I. Composition.</p><p>II. Priming the Canvas.</p><p>III. Drawing.</p><p>IV. Imprimatura.</p><p>V. Umber Underlayer.</p><p>VI. Dead Underlayer.</p><p>VII. Color Layers.</p><p>VIII. Finishing Layers.</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>Composition</p><p>There is no democracy in the world of classical art education. If you are trying to do something in your</p><p>own way, or trying some new technique, you are outside the classical art temple.</p><p>The background in Old Masters' still lifes is in most cases dark.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (4 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (5 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>When you have placed the objects for your composition, you have already started to create. When you</p><p>place items on the table, try to create the exact image of your future painting. The first law of</p><p>composition: place the source of light on the left. There are many various types of still lifes; we will</p><p>discuss them in our future workshops. In this course we will analyze a simple still life composition. A</p><p>glazed jar, white drape, and a few fruits may be a good example for understanding the basics of still life</p><p>texture.</p><p>A lovely pear prefers to show itself to the world only by one certain side.</p><p>A lemon is just a lemon, but it must tell the world about all its brothers. You should be very careful when</p><p>choosing object for the composition of your future still life. Don't take modern design objects, for</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (6 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>example, telephones, food processors, plastic things. Remember, even Rubens, who lived in the 16-17th</p><p>centuries, chose the then antique objects for his paintings. You should not try to be original when</p><p>constructing the composition. All compositions have been made before; and they are not very numerous.</p><p>Learn from the Old Masters, and your future admirers will be grateful to you.</p><p>Light and shadow on the white drape change with every touch. As a sculptor, you must decide right now</p><p>on all the nuances of your painting. For inspiration look into the paintings of Old Masters and ignore</p><p>reproaches of the contemporary school. Its exponents have different goals and ideas about beauty. A</p><p>silver knife doesn't want to be shown together with a country-style jar. Now that we have an arrangement</p><p>of a jar, drape, and fruit, we have to decide on the format of the future still life. If we are painting a</p><p>vertical composition, we have to change this composition to make it suit the vertical format. We can do</p><p>that by rearranging the drape. Particular attention should be paid to the folds.</p><p>Each fold should be viewed as a separate detail of the entire composition. Relying on a happy accident in</p><p>laying out the drape, you have at the same time to correct certain details.</p><p>Dew or raindrops add unbelievable freshness to the painting. It is difficult to find a still life of an Old</p><p>Master without sparkling drops of water.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (7 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>It is conventional wisdom that drawing is the skeleton of the painting, color is the muscles, and</p><p>composition is the soul of the painting.</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>Priming the canvas</p><p>To prime the canvas, you will need the following things: - a confectioner's knife;</p><p>- a palette knife;</p><p>-a razor blade with corners rounded at the wheel machine.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (8 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>Similarly, you need to prepare the confectioner's knife. Its blade should have an elliptic shape.</p><p>To remove tiny scratches from the blade of the knife, use fine sand paper once in a while.</p><p>For study purposes, use ultra-smooth cotton canvas.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (9 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (124 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Local Disk</p><p>Welcome to 1art.com Teaching Zone!</p><p>Composition</p><p>Priming the canvas</p><p>Drawing</p><p>Imprimatura</p><p>I. Umber Underlayer</p><p>II. Umber Underlayer</p><p>Dead Underlayer</p><p>I Color Layer</p><p>II Color Layer</p><p>Texture</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Prepare a mixture of gesso and modeling paste: 50 percent of gesso, 50 percent of paste.</p><p>Even if you use primed canvas, you must prime it again. Apply as many layers of the priming mixture</p><p>as is needed to achieve the surface that will make the canvas texture almost invisible.</p><p>When applying the priming mixture, change the direction of the movement of the knife as long as the</p><p>mixture is soft. The movements must be energetic and confident.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (10 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>Stop before the mixture begins to thicken.</p><p>To speed up the process, use a hair dryer.Make sure that the priming layer is well dried.</p><p>Then use the round-cornered razor blade to remove excessive priming. Never use sand paper for that:</p><p>there can be a large grain of sand that will make a deep unrecoverable scratch.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (11 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>The desired smoothness of the canvas is usually achieved after priming the canvas three or four times.</p><p>After you have finished priming, the surface of the canvas should feel like the surface of the eggshell.</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>Drawing</p><p>To become an artist, you first need to learn to draw: drawing is the basis of art. Drawing is a means of</p><p>thinking: the artist must be able to think without difficulty.</p><p>Constant drawing from nature, constant exercise in that is as important as copying the works of Great</p><p>Masters. However, this topic requires a special workshop; now we are discussing painting technique and</p><p>preparing the canvas for the next stages.</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>If you have problems in drawing, don't be put off by that; use the advantages given by modern</p><p>technology, such as a camera, slide projector, opaque projector, or similar gadgets. Leonardo da Vinci,</p><p>for example, to achieve a better precision of painted objects, invented a camera obscura, grandfather of</p><p>modern photo cameras. Don't be afraid to use technical devices in your work, a camera is just a tool, like</p><p>a paintbrush.</p><p>Each step in making a painting, beginning with priming the canvas, must be carried out with the highest</p><p>possible quality. Each step should produce an impression of a finished work. If you manage to make</p><p>seven finished works on one canvas, you are bound to be successful.</p><p>Trey to make as many details as possible in the pencil drawing: it will make it easier for you to achieve a</p><p>better quality in the next steps.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (13 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>The main of the pencil drawing is to create a precise structure of borders between areas of highlight and</p><p>light, light and half-tone, half-tone and shadow, and reflections.</p><p>It is also advisable to draw some details of texture. This, however, is done only for your own</p><p>convenience: it will help you to memorize texture characteristics.</p><p>After you have made a pencil drawing on the canvas, draw it out in ink.</p><p>Imprimatura, the first oil layer, will wash away the pencil, leaving the ink drawing as the first layer of</p><p>your painting.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (14 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>Many unfinished paintings by Old Masters give us evidence of the importance of the ink drawing.</p><p>According to Cenini, the painting in that form was already capable of fascinating the viewer.</p><p>It is obvious that the ink drawing is not only good in itself; it has an important functional; value,</p><p>particularly, for the beginning artist: the beginner sometimes has to wash away everything he or she has</p><p>done in the umber underlayer. The ink drawing remains, and the artist doesn't have to draw the</p><p>composition again</p><p>A little advice: pay particular attention to such details as the ornament of the tabletop, lace ornament, and</p><p>other structurally complex elements.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (15 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>Imprimatura</p><p>Imprimatura is the first oil layer in the Flemish painting technique. Imprimatura must have a neutral olive</p><p>hue.</p><p>The degree of darkness or lightness of imprimatura should be chosen in relation to the largest light area</p><p>of the future painting, such as a white drape or a face.</p><p>You can use only yellow ochre and lamp black. However, Prussian blue and burnt umber are added to</p><p>accelerate drying of the next layers.</p><p>The presence of Prussian blue and burnt umber in imprimatura enables you to make your mixture warmer</p><p>or colder.</p><p>Flake white is added to make brush strokes softer.</p><p>Prepare the mixture on a white palette: it will help you see the degree of transparency of the mixture. The</p><p>mixture should be thinned with 20 parts of turpentine and one part of damar varnish.</p><p>Add paints to the yellow ocher very slowly and carefully.</p><p>Be particularly attentive with Prussian blue: it is a very intensive pigment.</p><p>Spread linseed oil on each well-dried previous layer immediately before you begin the next layer.This</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (17 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>leads to a better contact of the paint of the dry layer with the paint of the next layer. It also improves the</p><p>process of dry brush blending.</p><p>Apply the linseed oil with your hand: the warmth of the hand helps the oil penetrate into the pores of the</p><p>dry layer.</p><p>Then remove excessive oil from the surface with a clean cloth. Wipe the canvas well: excessive oil is</p><p>harmful for the paint layers.</p><p>The mixture should be spread on the canvas with a bristle brush as evenly as possible.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (18 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>Intel</p><p>Cross-Out</p><p>Then blend the brush strokes as carefully as you can with a soft squirrel or camel brush.</p><p>Then blend the brush strokes as carefully as you can with a soft squirrel or camel brush</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (19 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>The dry brush that you use for blending should be cleaned with a cloth regularly, to remove paint that</p><p>gets on it from the canvas. Imprimatura completes the main preparatory stage. This layer must dry very</p><p>well; it takes about 7 days. During that time you can begin work on other paintings.</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>I. Umber Underlayer</p><p>Imprimatura is now well dried,</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (20 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>and before you begin the next layer, you should scrape the canvas with the round-corner razor blade in</p><p>order to remove an occasional brush hair and dust that covered the canvas during the 7 days of drying.</p><p>Use the razor blade very carefully; otherwise you can damage the imprimatura layer.</p><p>After that oil the canvas and remove excessive oil the way you did before.</p><p>Do the same thing with the palette.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (21 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>You will need several round and flat kolinsky brushes of different brushes to paint with, and several soft</p><p>squirrel or camel brushes for dry brush blending.</p><p>The working medium is composed of approximately 2 parts of turpentine, one part of damar varnish, and</p><p>one drop of lavender oil. From time immemorial lavender oil was used to stimulate intellectual and</p><p>physical activity. Old Masters knew that and added lavender oil in their working media. However it may</p><p>be, a drop of lavender oil kills the heavy smell of turpentine.</p><p>Apply burnt umber to the canvas with confident movements, but stick to the drawing</p><p>contour.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (22 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>The technique of making this layer differs significantly from the traditional concept of oil painting:</p><p>although your medium is oil paint, use it as if you were using watercolor.</p><p>This means that light and shadow depend on the degree of transparency of the applied mixture; the</p><p>pigment you add to the medium, the darker it will be.</p><p>As soon as you feel that you have covered an area with a desired tone, begin blending with a medium</p><p>size correcting brush. Begin blending with the lighter areas, moving gradually to the darker ones.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (23 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>After the correcting brush, which you use to spread the paint masses more or less evenly, use a big</p><p>blending brush to achieve the final smoothing effect.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (24 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>One of the aims of making imprimatura is to reduce the amount of applied light paint. Therefore, the</p><p>relationship between imprimatura and the umber underlayer must be carried out in a way that would</p><p>bring the future corrections to minimum.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (25 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (26 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (27 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (28 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>Remember the golden rule: you make the next layer not to correct mistakes in the previous layer, but you</p><p>make the previous layer to facilitate work in the next layer.</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>II. Umber Underlayer</p><p>In the first stage of the umber underlayer it is very important to maintain the construction between light</p><p>and shadow of the individual object, leaving the tonal relationships between the still life objects for the</p><p>next stage of the umber underlayer. Be sure you don't make dark areas of the still life too dark.</p><p>Remember, in the umber underlayer we shall only be able to make them darker, but never lighter.</p><p>The umber underlayer should consist of several well-dried stages. Don't decide on the number of umber</p><p>stages in advance, make as many as necessary to achieve the tonality that will not require improvements</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (29 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>in the next layers. Naturally, for some dark objects, for example, black cloth, a violin neck, some parts of</p><p>black grapes, the darkness of umber will be insufficient. Nevertheless, the tonal construction of the</p><p>darkest areas must be made in umber with the greatest possible precision. Don't spare your time in the</p><p>umber underlayer because in the next stages you will rely on it. If you are able to avoid major tonal</p><p>corrections in the layers that follow the umber underlayer, you painting will be fresh and beautiful.</p><p>Don't forget to scrape the canvas with the razor blade to remove dust and excessive texture of brush</p><p>strokes. As the result of scraping the canvas after each layer the surface of the canvas should become as</p><p>smooth as silk</p><p>Scrape the canvas carefully, however, don't despair if you scraped some areas more than you wanted;</p><p>these areas can be easily restored.You will avoid scraping the dry layer to the white canvas if you made</p><p>the priming correctly, that is if there is no uneven areas after priming.</p><p>.</p><p>The classical composition laws require that light shall concentrate in the center of the painting and fade</p><p>away near the edges of the canvas.</p><p>If you are painting a portrait or a complicated composition, you will need to make more umber stages. In</p><p>our case, the umber underlayer is completed in two stages.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (31 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>The finishing stage of the umber underlayer may be called the generalizing stage. In the generalizing</p><p>stage you can use larger brushes than in the previous stage.</p><p>All details of the composition were made in the previous stage. In this stage we only have to show tonal</p><p>differences between the objects. This means, for example, that the lemon is darker than the white drape,</p><p>but lighter than the pear. The jar is darker than the background, but is brighter lit. This is the last task that</p><p>you carry out in the umber underlayer.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (32 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (33 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (34 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (35 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>Dead Underlayer</p><p>It is not coloring that is most important in painting but tone.</p><p>If you follow the technological rules, then even the most successful colorist of the Realistic school will</p><p>envy the delicacy and depth of the classical painting.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (36 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>Old Masters believed that the painting should be made in gray; color pigments can easily be bought later.</p><p>The main purpose of the dead layer is to make half-tones of the painted objects.</p><p>The laws of the classical painting say that the half-tone should be cold, whereas a realistic artist can see</p><p>in the half-tone any imaginable color.</p><p>If you make the dead layer well, then, working on the color layer, your creativity will be free from the</p><p>necessity to solve tonal tasks.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (37 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:24]</p><p>Remember, the colder the dead layer is the hotter and brighter the color will look on it.</p><p>It is because of the dead layer finished paintings look lighter or darker, warmer or colder.</p><p>To keep mixtures prepared for the dead layer, you may use empty tubes, or, for shorter periods of</p><p>storage, you can use film boxes.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (38 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Pigments used in the dead layer have passed the test of time. They are flake white, lamp black, yellow</p><p>ocher, Prussian blue, and burnt umber.</p><p>Prussian blue and burnt umber accelerate drying and balance cold and warm colors in your mixture.</p><p>Now, after preparing the palette, we begin making mixtures.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (39 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>To make a black mixture for the dead layer, we take two parts of lamp black, one part of burnt umber,</p><p>and about one eighth of Prussian blue.</p><p>To make a white mixture for the dead layer, we take flake white, and decrease the intensity of the open</p><p>white by adding a little bit of black mixture.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (40 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>After that, we make a middle tone between the light and the dark mixtures.The approximate proportion is</p><p>two parts of the black, and one part of the light mixture. The middle tone mixture should be colored by</p><p>adding yellow ocher, burnt umber and Prussian blue.The proportion depends on your vision of the dead</p><p>layer, whether you want to make it bluer, greener, or browner. You should avoid violet tones in the dead</p><p>layer. And remember, the dead layer is dominated by the gray color.</p><p>Then, on the basis of the light and middle tone mixtures, you make five more intermediate tones.</p><p>Two more</p><p>intermediate tones should also be made between the middle tone and black mixtures.</p><p>The umber underlayer dries in about three weeks.</p><p>To make sure that the layer is well dried, you can oil slightly a corner of a white cloth and rub it on the</p><p>dark area of the canvas. If the white cloth gets brown, you must leave the canvas to dry better.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (41 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>When the canvas is well dried, scrape it with the razor blade, oil, and wipe the canvas the way you did</p><p>before</p><p>.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (42 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Now the canvas is ready for further work. Always begin with dark areas</p><p>.</p><p>By touching lightly the painted area, identify the suitable tonality of the mixture. All the next layers will</p><p>be made with two brushes: one brush for dark mixtures, the other for light mixtures.</p><p>Sometimes, when the mixture on the canvas gets sticky too fast, and it becomes difficult to make</p><p>blending with a brush, you can blend with your fingers.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (43 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>In the umber underlayer, you have already chosen the tonality. Now you have to rely on it, that is you</p><p>must repeat the chosen tonality in the dead underlayer.</p><p>You can make corrections in the tonality without making radical changes.</p><p>You can alter the tonality towards shadow or light only to a small extent.</p><p>If we take the range between black and white as consisting of seven tones, in the dead underlayer you can</p><p>change the tonality only by one tone, up or down.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (44 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>A good guide in selecting the right tone is the areas of the umber underlayer seen between dead</p><p>underlayer brush strokes.</p><p>Visible umber areas must not be in a dramatic contrast to your working mixture.</p><p>For that reason it is very important to work with small brushes even in large areas, such as the</p><p>background.</p><p>You should work as is imitating pen strokes.</p><p>Visible umber areas function as the third brush.</p><p>Begin blending with the dark areas: they get sticky faster.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (46 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>After blending it may seem that the umber underlayer has become invisible.</p><p>However, it will continue its function, particularly, in the shadowed areas, which must have a thinner</p><p>layer of paint in the dead layer.</p><p>Sometimes blending may take as much time as applying paint. To finish work on a certain area, use the</p><p>biggest soft blending brush.</p><p>On the contrary, lighter areas require thicker layers of paint, because it is the light areas, the areas with a</p><p>greater amount of white pigments, which become transparent faster than the darker areas.</p><p>Besides, the blending brush cleaned from the dark paint with a dry cloth will not damage the light area as</p><p>much as the blending brush with the remains of the light paint can damage the dark areas.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (48 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (49 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (50 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (51 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (52 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (53 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (54 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (55 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (56 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (57 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (58 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>You can ask why you should make so much work in the umber underlayer if you have to overpaint it.</p><p>The best answer is found</p><p>in the museums: paintings made in the classical technique look best of all. You should feel creative</p><p>satisfaction after finishing each stage: while the painting dries between stages, it lives in your studio.</p><p>Your visitors and yourself see it; don't deprive yourself of that pleasure. The tone in the dead underlayer</p><p>should be made lighter in light areas and darker in shadows, compared to the umber underlayer.</p><p>However, the tone should be darker in light areas and lighter in shadows than in the following color</p><p>layer. It is important to make half-tones as precise as possible because they will hardly be corrected in</p><p>further layers. There will be places that you will not paint at all.</p><p>In future workshops we will discuss other methods of making the dead underlayer, such as Ian van</p><p>Haisom's technique. His method is characterized by detailed and careful work in the umber underlayer</p><p>that results in different tasks to be performed in the dead underlayer. In future we shall also discuss some</p><p>other possible shortcuts. Now it is advisable for the artist beginning to work in the classical technique to</p><p>make the dead underlayer by painting all elements of the still life in order to understand the tasks and</p><p>meaning of the dead underlayer in practice. It is recommended to make ten or fifteen paintings using this</p><p>method before learning other ways of making the dead underlayer. Don't work on the texture in this</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (59 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>stage, but begin thinking about it while making blending smoother at places, or leaving more visible</p><p>brush strokes in other places.</p><p>Speaking about the qualities of oil paints, it should be remembered that oil paints stick well on the</p><p>carefully prepared canvas, and are an excellent medium for modeling, shading, and achieving most</p><p>delicate transitions from tone to tone, because they remain wet for a long time. However, it is a mistake</p><p>to think that oil painting does not require any methods, and you can make layer after layer without any</p><p>system. On the contrary, oil painting requires strict adherence to a certain technique. It is true that defects</p><p>of incorrect use of oils are discovered not so soon compared to other mediums, but they inevitably</p><p>become visible sooner or later. The best techniques of oil painting were developed in the Renaissance</p><p>epoch. They make the best examples of painting, both from the artistic and technical points of view. The</p><p>knowledge of the physical characteristics of the materials enabled Old Masters to create the technique of</p><p>oil painting that has never been surpassed.</p><p>In the entire history of oil painting their style and technique are unique in their harmony of materials and</p><p>artistic taste. The knowledge of that technique lived in the artists' guilds through the 17th century. In the</p><p>18th century, due to the emergence of new ideas in painting, that technique was gradually lost. As early</p><p>as in the first art academies the technical artistic training of the artist was replaced by philosophic artistic</p><p>education. Since that time the knowledge of painting technique, that had been the basis of the artist's</p><p>work, begins to be viewed as limiting artistic freedom.</p><p>Dramatic neglect of the oil painting technique occurred in the age of French impressionists who</p><p>introduced a non-systematic use of oils. Impressionists' destructive ideas were brought to gargantuan</p><p>proportions by their followers, particularly by neo-impressionists. Pointillism may have a certain sense</p><p>from the artistic point of view, but this method does not arise from the intrinsic properties of oil painting.</p><p>New ideas in art should look for other materials for their realization if they contradict established and</p><p>time-honored traditions. From that standpoint, impressionism brought in a false style in oil painting that,</p><p>regrettably, has its followers up to now. Research into oil painting techniques carried out both by artists</p><p>and by scholars was primarily aimed at discovering and regeneration of the lost Old Masters' methods.</p><p>Many aspects of the forgotten technique have been discovered, but painting itself went far away from the</p><p>goals and principles of Old Masters' painting. Naturally, it is now possible to relate the Old Masters'</p><p>technique with the modern understanding of art. But an oil painting technique, whatever its goals may be,</p><p>that is employed to create long-lasting works of art, must arise from the properties and characteristics of</p><p>oil paint materials.</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>I. Color Layer</p><p>Color Layers Now we are beginning the first color layer.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (60 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Make sure that the canvas is well dried. Our canvas dried for four weeks. After the usual preparation of</p><p>the canvas and the palette before the next stage, we begin work on the color layer.</p><p>We'll be using ivory black, Prussian blue, transparent oxide red, burnt umber, permanent madder deep,</p><p>red ocher, extra fine Indian yellow, yellow ocher, cadmium yellow deep, flake white, and our regular</p><p>dead underlayer mixtures.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (61 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>The main principle of the first color layer is that you should make shadow areas darker and more</p><p>colorful.</p><p>Working on shadows you should use more transparent mixtures.</p><p>Working on medium-light areas, apply semi-transparent mixtures.When painting middle tones on large</p><p>areas, add a little semi-transparent mixture with some Prussian blue. Semi-transparency is achieved by</p><p>making sparse brush strokes with a small brush with subsequent blending with a dry brush.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (62 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Lighted areas should be made lighter and more colorful too. Working on light areas, use more paste-like</p><p>mixtures, applying them rather thickly.</p><p>Painting the wall that is our background, you can make it warmer or colder.</p><p>To make it warmer, you should cover the shadow areas of the dead underlayer with a darker and warmer</p><p>mixture of ivory black, burnt umber, and permanent madder deep. To make the background colder, don't</p><p>overuse that mixture.</p><p>The wall will look much colder even if the lighted areas on it will be made with very warm mixtures.</p><p>By cold colors we mean colors closer to that of ice, whereas warm colors are closer to that of flame.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (63 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Applying color mixtures on a well prepared shape in the dead underlayer, leave visible as many dead</p><p>underlayer areas in half-tones as possible.</p><p>Keep in mind that literally a couple of color brush strokes may be enough to make, for example, the table</p><p>top made in gray in the dead underlayer become dark mahogany.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (64 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Each layer brings us closer to the concept of texture. Texture is the degree of reflection of light by the</p><p>surface.</p><p>We do not carry out texture tasks in the color layer, but gradually intensifying lighted areas on the</p><p>objects, we notice that some objects reflect light brighter and sharper, for example, the surface of a glass</p><p>or polished furniture, while other objects reflect light more dimly and dispersedly, like our white drape or</p><p>the mat wall in the background.</p><p>Now you can see the advantages of this technique, particularly, for the beginning artists. The detail that</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (65 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>you think went wrong is wiped away with a cloth from the previous well-dried layer.</p><p>To make a correct degree of light on the surface of an object for a certain texture, stick to the following</p><p>rules. In order to achieve a mat effect in the next layers, you should use mixtures that are closest to the</p><p>tone of the dead underlayer whereby avoiding excessive contrast in transition from light to shadow.</p><p>The matter is the surface the smoother the transition will be.</p><p>On the contrary, in order to achieve a glossy surface, you should intensify the color, raise the tone, and</p><p>reduce the lighted part of the surface.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (66 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Remember, that in the last layer the glossiest surfaces will be those that have the lightest and sharpest</p><p>highlight. Unlike the dead underlayer, that is made rather mechanically, in the color layer you begin to</p><p>think by means of the brush: you paint objects, wipe paint away with a cloth or with your fingers, you try</p><p>various color mixtures</p><p>This is, undoubtedly, the creative part in our craftsmanship. The main thing in this stage is not to overdo</p><p>it. You should leave some color in tone work for further layers.</p><p>Remember that you won't find anything whiter than the white paint, or redder than the red paint. The</p><p>brightest and sharpest highlights in the finished painting will be the sun reflected in the sparkles of water,</p><p>the shiniest elements in our still life.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (67 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>In the jar we can see hints at the texture: gray patches, blackened at places, cover areas where the glaze</p><p>was lost.</p><p>It is better to start with the white drape because it requires a greater amount of paint, which therefore will</p><p>take a longer time to dry.</p><p>The lightness of the white drape can't approach the light intensity of the water drops.</p><p>Accordingly, we express the whiteness of the white drape not by means of the intensity of the white</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (68 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>color, but by means of the darkness of the objects around the drape.</p><p>We paint the white drape in the color layer with little difference to the previous layer. Orange beams of</p><p>the imaginary sun color the bulging parts of the drape very delicately.</p><p>From time to time add more fresh mixture to light areas in order to increase the thickness of the layer.</p><p>The transition from light to shadow should be made as smoothly as possible, transforming the dead color</p><p>of the underlayer into the emphatic bluishness of the half-tone contrasting with the orange light.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (69 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>The folds of the drape are made according to their own laws. In some places they form sharp angles</p><p>between which there are soft round folds. We can view a highlight as reflecting the blue sky and the</p><p>shiny orange sun.</p><p>Paint details of the ornament without going into the texture of the threads and the nap of the cloth.</p><p>Remember that the mixture for painting the light areas of the white drape should be the same; that is why</p><p>make a sufficient amount of that mixture.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (70 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>As you can see, blending of the delicate tonal transitions of the drape's surface becomes particularly</p><p>significant.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (71 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Compared to highlight, the reflection is a hot glittering of a fireplace or candlelight. The reflection is</p><p>always warmer than light. Don't spare your efforts when blending the soft drape.</p><p>As you can see, there is little work in painting the shadows of the white drape because the half-tone</p><p>replaced the shadow. The mixture for painting the white drape is made of the corresponding dead</p><p>mixture with a small addition of a lighter mixture,</p><p>so that you can achieve a mixture one half-tone higher.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (72 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>In the deep shadow that is not lit by the sunlight, the drape is lighted by the imaginary fireplace to the</p><p>right of us. Be careful not to make the tone too high.The resulting mixture should be colored with</p><p>cadmium yellow deep and red ocher. We can correct the dark areas of the drape only in the construction</p><p>of the folds; the color and tone of the dead underlayer are quite satisfactory in the shadow. Make the dark</p><p>edges non-existent, even if you are painting the white drape, using burnt umber, ivory black, and</p><p>transparent oxide red.</p><p>Lemon takes a conspicuous place in the Flemish still life. Very often you can hear people viewing Old</p><p>Masters' still lifes exclaim, "Look at this lemon! It really makes me hungry!"</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (73 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Gastronomic reflexes are not at the last place in the perception of high art. Hence a good advice: treat the</p><p>lemon you are painting as something delicious and not just a combination of yellow forms.</p><p>The skin of the lemon is grainy and glossy. The gloss on the lemon skin creates a symmetrical play of</p><p>highlight constellations in the lighted area. It is very difficult to make this texture in this layer. All we</p><p>can do is to paint the color of the skin.</p><p>While painting the skin, use yellow ocher and cadmium yellow deep. Make the tone darker in the lighted</p><p>areas only with burnt umber. In shadows, to umber you can add ivory black.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (74 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>The darkest places of the lemon skin should be blended with the background tone to avoid the unpleasant</p><p>monotony of the sharp contour. Generally speaking, always try to merge the borders of almost black with</p><p>almost white.</p><p>The classical oil painting technique rests on three principles. First, the brush stroke shadowing; secondly,</p><p>correction with a soft dry brush; and thirdly, blending with a large fluffy dry brush.</p><p>Paint the lemon flesh with a mixture of Indian yellow and cadmium yellow deep; closer to the shadows</p><p>add transparent oxide red.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (75 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>The flesh of a lemon is made of hundreds of transparent water balloons with amber yellow sour juice</p><p>joined into a single mass.</p><p>Where the lemon was cut with a knife there is a microscopic play of highlights that can only be seen</p><p>through a magnifying glass. Forget the highlights for the time being. Try to perceive the lemon as if</p><p>made of semi-transparent amber.</p><p>The inner layer of the skin is soft and white, so treat it as an ordinary opaque detail that has a highlight,</p><p>light, half-tone, shadow, and drop-shadow.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (76 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>The membranes in the lemon flesh are less transparent and create an additional play of light and shadow.</p><p>We can perform this task now.</p><p>Let's make the wooden handle of the knife not very conspicuous in the general coloring of the</p><p>composition.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (77 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Its construction should be painted with burnt umber and ivory black mixture.</p><p>To paint the sharp tip of the blade, use your sharpest brush. The blade of the knife is like a mirror; find</p><p>the reflections of the drape and the lemon on it.</p><p>Apply the mixture carefully, moving from the lightest area to the half-tone, gradually decreasing the</p><p>thickness of the applied paint.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (78 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Half-tones consist of their own light and shadow. The lighter part of the half-tone that is closer to light</p><p>gets lighter and warmer.</p><p>The darker part of the half-tone that is closer to the shadow gets darker and warmer.</p><p>The pear is yellow in color, but with an orange hue, and is not so intensively yellow as the lemon.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (79 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>.</p><p>It has more visible dead underlayer in the light area; that is why its color should be made closer to the</p><p>dead underlayer tone.</p><p>The gloss of the pear's surface is not so shiny as the lemon's. Certain greenness in the half-tone makes an</p><p>impression of "sour" yellow color; and the sweetness of the pear is expressed with hot shadows.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (80 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>The use of fingers for wiping away the applied paint can be an irreplaceable method of developing the</p><p>previous layer in order to create various hues of color and light</p><p>The porcelain plate has a misty mirror surface reflecting nearby details.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (81 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>The golden edging is also a mirror but more contrasting than porcelain. The gold in the shadow is almost</p><p>black and brown; in the light it is a mixture of yellow ocher and gray, tone to tone. We'll discuss</p><p>highlights on the edging later.</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (82 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>II. Color Layer</p><p>Another method to make sure that the picture is well died is to scrape the canvas with a razor blade and</p><p>see if the paint comes off as shavings or as powder. If it comes off as shavings, the picture hasn't dried</p><p>well enough.</p><p>In our case the painting has dried too much: two months passed since the previous layer.</p><p>The glossy surfaces will not absorb oil, which means that the contact between the fresh layer and the dry</p><p>layer will be bad, and the movement of the brush will be handicapped.</p><p>To eliminate this problem, we can use an onion.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (83 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Onion's ether oil will soften will soften the outer microscopic layer of the dry paint, and will make the</p><p>dry layer have good contact with the fresh paint.</p><p>In the second color layer we'll be using flake white, regular gray mixture, ivory black, burnt umber,</p><p>permanent madder deep, Chinese vermilion extra, red ocher, yellow ocher, cadmium yellow deep, extra</p><p>fine Indian yellow, and Prussian blue.</p><p>The second color layer is made according to the general principal of the first color layer: more light and</p><p>more color in the direction of the texture. As you may have noticed, during the drying period the color</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (84 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>layer has got dimmer. This means that the top layer has become more transparent and got a little darker</p><p>due to the dead layer. We can now see more nuances in half-tones that were not visible immediately after</p><p>the completion of the first color layer. Dry your painting in the sun, but don't leave it outside overnight.</p><p>This was recommended by Old Masters because it accelerates drying and makes pigments a little more</p><p>transparent. The sun makes paints lose lightfastness many times quicker than when the painting gets dry</p><p>in the studio. In this layer delicate nuances of light and shadow come into play more and more.To create</p><p>this effect, work with a light and a dark brush, with a little difference in tone compared to the tone of the</p><p>underlayer.</p><p>Here we begin to work on very small areas of light and shadow, keeping in mind our general principle: in</p><p>light areas add more light and more color, in dark areas add more darkness and more color.</p><p>We sort of repeat the work we did in the previous layer, but we intensify light and color. Some areas of</p><p>half-tones can be overpainted with semi-transparent mixtures with slight deviations in light or shadow.</p><p>Now the flesh of the lemon is well prepared for making the texture. Let's take open white with cadmium</p><p>yellow deep, and the thinnest brush.</p><p>Now we must find the rhythm of tiny bubbles of the lemon flesh.</p><p>You can try making reflections with open cadmium yellow deep.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (85 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>You can try making reflections with open cadmium yellow deep. The light and shadow play achieved in</p><p>the previous layer prompts the movement of the brush.</p><p>Let's emphasize the difference of the white flesh with cold mixtures.</p><p>Try to recreate the softness of the white layer of the lemon skin.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (86 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Light touches of the fluffy dry brush may be very helpful.</p><p>Once you have painted a lemon two or three times, its texture will cause no difficulty for you. Try to</p><p>remember the proportions of your mixtures. Don't make the same mistakes, try to remember the</p><p>succession of operations, keep a diary of your observations. There's no competition in the world of</p><p>classical painting. That's why try to find artists holding similar views and study the classical technique</p><p>together. Even Great Masters worked on their paintings together with other artists. For example, in</p><p>Rubens' paintings many portraits were painted by Van Dyke, and fruits and flowers by Snyders.</p><p>Hypothetically, the decay of classical painting began when artists stopped cooperating with each other.</p><p>Craftsmanship in art can be called the science of painting, in other words, knowledge based on the use of</p><p>method and skill. The science of painting was created by generations of artists during a few centuries.</p><p>The regeneration of classical painting depends on our joint efforts. Unlike the modern school of painting,</p><p>that calls for originality and uniqueness, the classical school gives you the power of knowledge of the</p><p>method and rules accumulated for centuries; and an army of admirers tired of the destructive ideas of the</p><p>modern aesthetics, admirers who long for simple and understandable beauty. The success of a classical a</p><p>painting depends on the quality of the painting, and to a smaller extent, on the name of the artist. The</p><p>viewers will evaluate the painting's artistic and technical quality on the basis of natural criteria of beauty</p><p>that people are born with, and not on the basis of false aesthetic views disseminated and imposed on us</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (87 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>by venal critics who run the art market. An avant-garde artist can, of course, paint a lemon in the form of</p><p>a purple square. But it will take some time to explain that the purple square is a lemon, and even more</p><p>time to convince the viewer that it is beautiful. Whatever shape and color the avant-garde artist chooses</p><p>for depicting a lemon, the lemon will always remain yellow and sour.That's why, let's go back to our</p><p>lemon.</p><p>The color of the lemon skin is not ready yet for painting the texture; and, according to our principle:</p><p>more light and more color, we paint the skin one more time.</p><p>The most difficult part in painting a lemon is to depict the grainy skin. Don't hurry in doing that; try to</p><p>find the right size and proportion of the lemon skin pores.</p><p>In addition, we can identify a birthmark that will make our perfect lemon more life-like.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (88 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>Painting the pear, again, make it lighter and more colorful, keeping the warmth of the orange color in its</p><p>yellowness.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (89 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>The pear's blemishes, painted with permanent madder deep, burnt umber, and Chinese vermilion, speak</p><p>of its sweetness and ripeness.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (90 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:25]</p><p>The warmth in the shadow breathes life into our fruits. Blend your red brush strokes with the tender skin</p><p>of the juicy pear.</p><p>Highlights on glazed surfaces must be painted over a prior light-ray mixture with Prussian blue.</p><p>The blue under the highlight is a kind of reflection of the blue sky around the bright orange sun. The sky</p><p>is reflected through the window, that's why the blue shape under the highlight is like a rectangular shape</p><p>of the window.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (91 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Dust covering things produces a bad impression in everyday life; in the classical painting, however, a</p><p>bluish coating of dust always looks attractive. That's why a little suggestion: if you have any still life</p><p>objects, don't remove dust from them.</p><p>Now we are preparing the surface for a highlight. Add some burnt umber to flake white, cadmium</p><p>yellow, and vermilion mixture so that the paint dries better for the next layer, in which we'll paint the</p><p>highlight again with a greater intensity of light and color.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (92 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>The glaze of the jar is not so glossy as lemon juice drops, that's why it must be blended well.</p><p>Your bright madder deep, vermilion, and red ocher strokes will remind the viewer that the flesh of the jar</p><p>is made of brick-red clay. As you can see, there isn't much paint on the jar, but it is sufficient to tell the</p><p>viewer about its true color.</p><p>Now we are correcting the construction of the jar: it is our last opportunity.</p><p>The jar's shadow is not just a mixture of black, umber, and madder. It is the reflection on the glazed jar of</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (93 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>the dark space of your room.</p><p>Using the blending brush, we begin making the porous texture of the jar. We dip the very tips of the</p><p>brush's hairs in the thin mixture, and then, by touching gently the canvas, with subsequent blending, we</p><p>achieve the desired effect.</p><p>In the same way we make tiny dots that are visible through the pear skin.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (94 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>By means of careful blending you should make those dots hardly visible.</p><p>The highlight is made with flake white, cadmium yellow deep, and a little vermilion. Let's check once</p><p>more the construction of the plate.</p><p>Let's also check the construction of the knife, with a very sharp brush.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (95 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Cover the lighter areas of the table top with vermilion and madder deep, but keep in mind that it is not</p><p>the highlight yet: it's the color of the wood.</p><p>With madder deep and ivory black, deepen the shadows and check the construction.</p><p>Use gray with some Persian blue to make the dust coating in the dips of the ornament. Dust changes the</p><p>color, but not the shape, that is why the dust coating should also have its light and shadow.</p><p>This orange mixture is used not for highlights but for wood worn to lightness.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (96 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Having made corrections and blending, let's now make cracks in the wood with the dark brush, and</p><p>complete them with the light brush, with some more blending afterwards.</p><p>In the unlighted areas the tonal step is much more gentle than in the lighted areas. Let's intensify the</p><p>highlight on the background in color and tone.</p><p>There's always some blue on the border between the sharp drop shadow and light.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (97 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Closer to the texture, the finishing layer, blending is always livelier, in order to create an additional play</p><p>of light and shadow.</p><p>Put the unused paint on another palette, for the next day's work, and keep the palette in the fridge.</p><p>Keeping the palette with paints in the fridge has the effect contrary to keeping the painting in the sun: it'll</p><p>help to keep your paints fresh.</p><p>Remove the waste mixtures from the palette, and then wash the palette and the brushes with paint</p><p>thinner.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm</p><p>(98 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>After that wash the brushes in warm water with dish soap that neutralizes any fat; thus you will prepare</p><p>your brushes for the next day's work.</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>Texture</p><p>We are now beginning the last layer of the texture.The canvas dried during one month; there wasn't much</p><p>paint, and it has dried well.</p><p>After the usual preparation we begin work.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (99 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>We'll be using flake white, regular gray mixture that we have been using since the dead underlayer, ivory</p><p>black, burnt umber, permanent madder deep, Chinese vermilion extra, red ochre, yellow ochre, cadmium</p><p>yellow deep, extra fine Indian yellow, transparent oxide red, and Prussian blue.</p><p>Work only on the lightest highlight areas of the drape.</p><p>Be very attentive in accentuating the direction of folds and wrinkles of the drape.</p><p>The sign of the drape's texture, its nap, is seen in the previous layers, in which the contour of the drape</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (100 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>was softened at places.</p><p>At the texture stage the main role will be played by our thinnest brush. Keep in mind that there is no, and</p><p>there cannot be, open white in the white drape. The ornament should be made to the maximum possible</p><p>perfection.</p><p>As before, we are using our gray mixtures, adding to them however, more and more cadmium yellow and</p><p>red ochre, following our principle: more light and more color with each layer.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (101 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>It is in this very stage that our objects gain their final color and shape.</p><p>Now we can observe a miracle that amazes us in the museum: an optical mix of colors due to the</p><p>translucency of the layers.</p><p>The correcting brush should be used very carefully, without wide strokes. Only after you make sure that</p><p>the paint has been distributed accurately, use the big blending brush.</p><p>In painting the drape, try to depict the most characteristic features of the fabric.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (102 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>At this stage your picture has just been born, and during all your lifetime it will be getting more and</p><p>more beautiful, because all paints have the property of getting more and more transparent as time passes.</p><p>The goal of the classical painting is not to depict objects as close to nature as possible, but to compose a</p><p>beautiful composition of color and tone. Rely on the laws of painting more than on what you see in real</p><p>life. Real life can give you good prompts, particularly in such objects as a drape, a rose, or a face. It is</p><p>very difficult to compose these objects, the smallest falseness will make the drape look plastic, and</p><p>flowers cardboard. But many other textures can be composed well.</p><p>There's one more advantage of the classical school: we know precisely when the painting begins, and</p><p>when it is completed. Many proponents of the realistic school suffer a lot because they don't know when</p><p>to finish; and very often they stop in the middle of the work. Don't listen when you are advised top stop</p><p>painting because your picture looks very elegant. You must carry on to the highlight. The completed</p><p>highlight signals the end of the work.</p><p>Now we will finish the jar's pores that we began painting in the previous layer.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (103 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Be inventive in this stage, but don't overdo it. Give your viewer an opportunity to have a good look at the</p><p>details.</p><p>We are painting the sun in the center of its halo, and a couple of little suns on the bends of the jar.</p><p>Now, the water drops. To paint them, use the color of the nearby darker tone of the surface.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (104 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Blend the painted base of the drop with the thinnest brush in the most careful way.</p><p>Touch the drop's highlight very gently, with the tip of the paint that is hanging on the tip of the thinnest</p><p>brush, and after that the spherical reflection of the highlight at the other side of the drop.</p><p>Then, also with great care, blend your touches.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (105 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Let's invent a crack on the jar; perhaps our village vessel will forgive us this flirtation. Very delicately,</p><p>make blending with the big brush.</p><p>The most difficult part in the finishing layer is the grainy skin of the lemon.</p><p>In fact, we are beginning and finishing it in this layer.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (106 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>We use a light brush with a considerable difference in tone, and a mixture warmed with vermilion, in</p><p>order to emphasize the yellowness of the skin with the warmth of the highlight</p><p>Don't make irregular thrusts with your brush. Concentrate, and find the proportion of the pores to the</p><p>distance between them.</p><p>Take your time, even if it will take you several days. Give that time to the painting, your painting, and</p><p>your viewers will be grateful to you for your efforts. If you have to delay your work until the next day,</p><p>wipe oil well from the surfaces that you didn't work on. Before you begin work the next day, oil these</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (107 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>surfaces locally.</p><p>Let's invent details that real life objects lack. Make the lemon flesh sparkling. For inspiration, take a</p><p>lemon and cut some skin from it.</p><p>Similarly, paint the second lemon, using the two brushes, light and dark, the same correcting brush with</p><p>subsequent blending.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (108 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>First, we make a bluish coating, with the same highlight mixture of flake white, cadmium yellow deep,</p><p>and vermilion, dimmed with burnt umber and a little Prussian blue.</p><p>Then we make the highlight, and blend it to make the surface of the pear look mat.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (109 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Don't forget to make a hint at the bluishness of the sky, when you paint highlights.</p><p>Now the drops. Use the color of the nearest shadow.</p><p>The highlight of the drop is made with flake white with a little cadmium yellow deep.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (110 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>The highlight of cold steel is of the same color as of cold water.</p><p>We make final corrections. Let's make the wood texture with a dark and a light brush with subsequent</p><p>blending.</p><p>The highlights are much darker than those of the jar; dim the intensity of the highlights with burnt umber.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (111 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Think of an elegant signature. Remember that your painting will live at least three or four hundred years,</p><p>and, perhaps, you will be judged by your descendants by your signature.</p><p>Let's sprinkle the tabletop with a few drops of water.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (112 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>We can make the background a little livelier by showing a few areas of paint peeled off the wall. Imagine</p><p>that the previous layer of paint on the wall was of a warmer hue.</p><p>We make the areas where the paint peeled off the wall a little higher in tone.</p><p>Now we work on these areas first with a dark brush, then with a light brush, and blend them after that.</p><p>Blend well to prevent these areas from coming to the foreground.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (113 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Now we just used the opportunities of the air perspective.</p><p>Let's once more light the highlight on the background.</p><p>The gold in the painting must shine, even if it isn't shining in real life, or even if it isn't gold at all.</p><p>The painting that is not varnished looks pleasant as it is; you can display it that way too, but your</p><p>creation looks at its best only after varnishing.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (114 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Varnish saves the layers from all sorts of damage. After drying the painting for at least six months, you</p><p>must apply a cover varnish. To show how to do it, we'll use another painting because our still life hasn't</p><p>dried yet. Clean the surface from dust, and apply varnish in quick and confident movements.</p><p>Cover the canvas with the regular non-thinned damar varnish using a soft flat varnish brush</p><p>Keep the painting in the horizontal position for at least one day: it will make brush strokes spread on the</p><p>surface evenly.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (115 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>The process of painting is finished. From this moment never expose the painting to the open sun.</p><p>One may think that the classical painting technique takes too much time and efforts. But if you work on</p><p>several paintings simultaneously, then, after a few months, you may be completing almost one painting a</p><p>day.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (116 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER I. COLOR LAYER II. COLOR LAYER FINISHING LAYERS CONCLUSION</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Let's make a brief review of what we have done.</p><p>Why did we choose this particular painting technique from a variety of Renaissance painting methods?</p><p>Anyone visiting Renaissance halls in the museum can notice that some paintings look as fresh as if they</p><p>were just painted, so bright and fresh their colors are. In other pictures paints faded, grew gray or brown,</p><p>details are hardly seen. The reason is in the painting technique employed by the Renaissance artist. As</p><p>time passes, oil paints become more and more transparent, that is why paintings executed on the white</p><p>canvas with umber underlayer look as fresh as if they were just made, because umber underlayer</p><p>practically does not fade at all and the white canvas remains white, unlike paintings made on gray or</p><p>dark brown priming. For the same reason you should be very careful with all sorts of corrections in oil</p><p>painting. Any radical correction will become visible. Thus, in 'The Portrait of Philip IV on Horseback"</p><p>by Velasquez exhibited in the Madrid gallery you can see eight legs, because the artist, not satisfied with</p><p>the original position of the legs, overpainted them to be covered with the tone of the ground.</p><p>Accordingly, in order not to lose face with your descendants, make all your compositional decisions as</p><p>early as in the pencil drawing.</p><p>You must have as many brushes as you can afford.</p><p>Kolinsky brushes wear out very fast; that's why use a palette knife to make mixtures on the palette, when</p><p>possible.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (117 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Please pay attention to how useful old brushes can be. An old flat kolinsky brush with worn out hair can</p><p>be used as a semi-dry brush. You can use it to apply paint, to blend, and to remove excessive paint. After</p><p>applying a sufficient amount of paint use a correcting or blending brush.</p><p>The main tools in our work were kolinsky brushes. They are very goods for both applying paint and for</p><p>dry brush correction. WE used kolinsky brushes of different sizes, from size 0 to 1 inch.</p><p>Applying paint with a kolinsky brush, try to use the very tip of the brush imitating pencil or pen strokes.</p><p>Begin each element of the still life slowly and carefully starting with more important details. Don't try to</p><p>paint the chosen area in one go, leave the original brown ink drawing so that you can see the guide</p><p>contour as long as possible.</p><p>For blending and correction we used squirrel, camel, pony hair, and soft synthetic brushes.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (118 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>We used palette knives for priming, for making large amounts of the dead underlayer mixtures, and for</p><p>making small amounts of mixtures on the palette.</p><p>Our regular set of paints was flake white, yellow ochre, red ochre, burnt umber, Prussian blue, and lamp</p><p>black. Additional paints that are safe to use are permanent madder deep, Chinese vermilion extra,</p><p>transparent oxide red, cadmium yellow deep, extra fine Indian yellow, and ivory black.</p><p>The working medium for the imprimatura is made of 20 parts of turpentine and one part of damar</p><p>varnish. The working medium used in all other layers is composed of approximately 2 parts of</p><p>turpentine, 1 part of damar varnish, and one drop of lavender oil. Use pure damar varnish as the cover</p><p>medium.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (119 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Canvas. We used ultra-smooth cotton canvas.</p><p>For priming, we used a mixture of 1 part of priming gesso, and 1 part of modeling paste. Prime the</p><p>canvas</p><p>to the degree of egg-shell smoothness.</p><p>Overdraw the pencil drawing with water-based brown ink.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (120 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Imprimatura.</p><p>From now on, oil the canvas and remove excessive oil before each layer.</p><p>Imprimatura is the middle tone of the lightest area of the painting. It is made of yellow ochre, lamp black,</p><p>with some Prussian blue and burnt umber.</p><p>Umber underlayer.</p><p>Before you begin each layer, make sure it is well dried; it takes from one week to one month, depending</p><p>on the climate you live in. From now on, scrape the well dried canvas with a round-corner razor blade</p><p>before each layer.</p><p>In this layer you work on shadows. Make the general tone of the painting using burnt umber, and</p><p>working in several stages.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (121 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>The dead underlayer</p><p>is made with mixtures of flake white, yellow ochre, lamp black, burnt umber, and Prussian blue. Red</p><p>ochre is optional.</p><p>The main goal is to develop half-tones: more light in light areas, more darkness in shadows. Half-tones</p><p>are made as accurate as possible.</p><p>First color layer.</p><p>From now on, our main principle is more light and more color in light areas, more darkness and color in</p><p>shadows. The color layer is painted with the dead underlayer mixtures, with colors added to them.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (122 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>Second color layer.</p><p>The same process as in the first color layer with one difference: the painted areas are smaller and more</p><p>numerous. The goal of the second color layer is to prepare the surfaces for highlights.</p><p>Texture</p><p>The goal is to identify the character of highlights in relation to the degree of texture reflection, and to</p><p>paint them. We complete the painting with working on details and the signature.</p><p>We have finished work on our still life. In this course, we have discussed the foundations of the classical</p><p>painting technique on the basis of a simple composition. Now you can see some of my paintings that I</p><p>made during the last few years. In my future video courses, we'll discuss more complicated textures of</p><p>larger still lifes and portraits. We'll trace the evolution of the Renaissance painting technique. I will share</p><p>with you the secrets of Old Masters and all my discoveries and findings about the lost school of classical</p><p>painting. I thank you for your interest in the painting technique that I believe has not been surpassed in</p><p>the entire history of art. I will be very grateful for your questions, suggestions, and criticism; and I wish</p><p>you good luck in your work.</p><p>file:///C|/artcom0000/book2/big/1art.htm (123 of 124) [05.04.2000 0:43:26]</p><p>INTRODUCTION COMPOSITION PRIMING THE CANVAS DRAWING IMPRIMATURA I. UMBER UNDERLAYER II. UMBER</p><p>UNDERLAYER DEAD UNDERLAYER</p>