Underpainting in oil paintings serves as a foundation, enhancing color vibrancy and providing depth. It allows artists to establish the composition and values before adding layers, contributing to the overall richness and longevity of the artwork.
This foundational technique, though unseen by the beholder, adding a profound dimension to the final canvas. Let's delve into the world of underpainting, exploring its significance, techniques, and his transformative power of oil painting.
What is a Underpainting?
An underpainting is like the silent architect of an oil painting. It's the initial layer where an artist sketches out the composition and establishes values using a monochromatic or limited color palette. This hidden foundation plays a crucial role in enhancing the vibrancy, depth, and longevity of the final artwork.
It's a crucial step that contributes to the overall richness and longevity of the final masterpiece.
The History of Underpainting
Underpainting has a rich history that spans various art movements and periods.
During the Renaissance, artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Jan van Eyck utilized underpainting as a fundamental step in their painting process. The technique was integral to achieving realistic representations and creating a solid foundation for subsequent layers.
Artists in the Baroque era, such as Rembrandt and Caravaggio, continued the use of underpainting, often employing a chiaroscuro technique to create dramatic contrasts between light and shadow. Underpainting played a crucial role in the mastery of tonal values.
In the 19th century, during the height of Academic art, underpainting was formalized as an essential part of academic training. Artists were taught to carefully plan and execute underpaintings before building up layers of color.
Impressionist painters like Claude Monet and Edgar Degas challenged traditional techniques. While they often worked alla prima (directly on the canvas without underpainting), some impressionists still incorporated underpainting to varying degrees.
In contemporary art, underpainting techniques continue to evolve. Many artists explore a variety of approaches, from traditional monochromatic underpaintings to more experimental and expressive uses of color and texture in the initial stages.
Throughout art history, underpainting has been a versatile and adaptable technique, adapted by artists across different movements and styles. Its enduring presence speaks to its importance in establishing the groundwork for successful and visually engaging paintings.
The Basics of Underpainting
Underpainting is used primarily with acrylics paints and oil paints. We can distinguish between different methods for your Underpainting.
The Imprimatura Method
The imprimatur is a traditional painting technique that involves applying a transparent, monochromatic thin layer of paint.
In Italian, imprimatura means "the first layer of paint"
For this layer, artists often used warm tone like raw sienna or burnt umber.
The purpose of the imprimatur is to unify the underpainting, provide a transparent base for subsequent layers, and enhance the overall luminosity of the final painting. It also allows painters to mute the brightness of a stark white canvas.
The imprimatur method is particularly effective in oil painting and is known for imparting a warm, atmospheric quality to the artwork. It is a technique often employed by artists seeking to achieve a sense of unity and luminosity in their paintings.
The Grisaille Method
A monochromic Underpainting is made with a single pigment color that is chosen in response to the color of the scene.
A perfect way to give your artwork more depth is the Grisaille Method. This Method works with a grey underpainting before you give your artwork color.
I really recommend this method. This method is more time-consuming, depends on how many layers you will apply. It's absolutely worth for using it.
Where should I start with this method?
Read more about the unveiling magic of this method here.
Tutorial: Step by Step Guide
Colored Underpainting
Monochromatic underpaintings are common, there's no strict rule against using more colors. Some artists chose a limited palette in the underpainting stage, while others incorporate a broader range of hues to establish a colorful base. It depends on your artistic style and the effect you want to achieve. Experimenting with a slightly broader color palette in your underpainting can add a unique and personal touch to your artwork.
When choosing colors for your underpainting, consider the overall mood and atmosphere you want to convey in your final artwork. On the left picture you can see a three-colored underpainting, i made it with the purpose to achieve a rust effect
Use colors that complement your intended color scheme, keeping in mind the principles of color theory. If you want to dive deeper into color theory, read here a recommend article about it.
Additionally, think about the transparency and opacity of your chosen colors, as these factors can impact how subsequent layers interact. Ultimately, your color choices should align with your artistic vision and contribute to the overall harmony of the finished piece.
Advantages to the artistic process:
1. Immediate Color Atmosphere:
Colored underpainting allows artists to establish the color mood and atmosphere right from the start. This can be particularly useful for artworks where color plays a significant role in conveying emotion or setting.
2. Enhanced Vibrancy:
With a colored underpainting, subsequent layers can interact with the initial colors, creating a sense of depth and vibrancy. This approach can lead to a more dynamic and visually engaging final piece.
3. Efficiency in Building Layers:
If the intended final color palette includes similar hues to those used in the underpainting, artists can build layers more efficiently. This can save time and create a harmonious overall effect.
4. Creative Expression:
Colored underpainting allows for immediate expression of the artist's creative vision, adding a personal touch from the very beginning. It can be a way to infuse energy and personality into the artwork.
5. Versatility:
Depending on the color choices, artists can experiment with different color harmonies and relationships in the underpainting, setting the stage for diverse and intriguing color interactions in the final layers.
How to create a Underpainting
The first step to your Underpainting, is to consider which color you want to choose. Your color choice depends on the effect you want to achieve with your basic color.
Many Artists use darker tones, like raw umber or burnt sienna. If the purpose of the underpainting is to develop greater values in your painting, lighter colors, such as yellow are less effective. I recommend the Grisaille method, it give your artwork a strong deep.
If you're using oil paint, start by thinning your oil paints with a solvent. Using thinner paint will allow you to blend layer by layer better and it's not so time consuming (less drying time).
If you don't want to use a solvent, water mixable oil paints is a good alternative.
You can also use acrylics as underpainting layer beneath oil, but not vice versa (in reverse alternation).
For the areas where you want to achieve lighter values, you can either leave the canvas white or apply a thin layer of white.
Start with a midtone of your chosen color, and then you can go darker or lighter in your work. Don't forget the fat over lean concept. Start with thin layers of paint, make sure your coat is completely dry before starting a new coat.
Let the canvas be your dialogue partner, and the underpainting your opening statement. Fear not the brush and color, you lay the foundation of a visual symphony.
Extra: Color Recipe
Benefits of an Underpainting in Artist's process
Structural Foundation:
Underpainting provides a structural foundation, allowing artists to sketch out the composition, establish values, and refine the overall structure of the artwork before adding details.
Enhanced Depth and Vibrancy:
It contributes to the depth and vibrancy of the final painting by creating a base layer that interacts with subsequent layers of color. This can lead to a more luminous and visually dynamic result.
Efficient Corrections:
Artists can make corrections and adjustments more efficiently during the underpainting stage, avoiding complications in later layers. This flexibility is especially beneficial for refining the overall balance and harmony of the artwork.
Time-Saving Techniques:
Depending on the chosen underpainting approach, artists can save time in the later stages of the painting process. For example, a monochromatic underpainting can expedite the establishment of values, allowing artists to focus more on color and details in subsequent layers.
Always Remember, underpainting is a versatile and creative stage in the painting process, so feel free to experiment and find the approach that best suits your artistic style and objectives.
Discover here more Tutorials:
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