grisalle ; old masters technique; oil painting; shadows

in reviewing patinings from the legion of honor in sf, ca, i noticed that the old masters often used

a combination of

1) transparent paint for the background and dark areas of the figure and

2) filling in the lighter forms (such as dress and light and mid skin tones) with a grisalle, and

3) then covering the grey areas of the grisalle (representing the shadow side of the light forms) with a very thin swipe of a transparent brown [often leaving a little grey stripe as a halftone between the "shadow" and lighter portion of the form (ex. face)].  This was seen particularly in crevices of the form, such as the neck, the triangle between the arm and body, and in some of the crevices of folded fabric as the fabric approaches the ground (reflected light from a wooden floor?).

Would you like to receive early notice of new works and events?  Please sign up for Naomi Schechter's Email Newsletter.
It's easy, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Thank you for visiting!

Warm Transparent Glazes over Cooler Greys

in reviewing my pictures of paintings from the legion of honor in san francisco, california:

I notice that the old masters used thin glazes of a warm color, such as an umber, over the cooler greys in the shadows; particularly in crevices (such as triangular crevices between heavy folds of fabric) between, for example, the arm/underarm/dress

Would you like to receive early notice of new works and events?  Please sign up for Naomi Schechter's Email Newsletter.
It's easy, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Thank you for visiting!

Studying Old Masters at the Legion of Honor

studying old masters at the legion of honor in sf, ca

i notice that:

1) they likely started with transparent underpainting, with perhaps wipe out of lights

2) then added opaque lights

3) then added transparent glazes (brown, red, yellow) where background and lights meet (overlapping the background and a portion of the opaque area), to create softer edges and transition zones between the dark and light areas ... and create "halftones"

4) then added touches of impasto, thicker, white areas to key light areas

5) leaving a few harder edges (without glazing)

Would you like to receive early notice of new works and events?  Please sign up for Naomi Schechter's Email Newsletter.
It's easy, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Thank you for visiting!

Techniques to Create Areas with Semi-Opaque, to Build up to Lightest Opaques

In a painting, it is a good idea to use semi opaque areas to build up to areas of lightest densely opaque areas.

Upon my studies of the painting at the Legion of Honor, de Young, and Books on Mucha, and Sally Strand, and books on techniques of the old master oil painters, I would say there are several ways to accomplish that goal:

1. scumbling (with dry opaque paint over a transparent undercolor) in the transition zone. more thickly  and densely applying the paint in the lightest "focal point(s)".

2. mixing opaque (not white) paints with transparent paints (such as yellow ochre with burnt sienna)

3. mixing white with transparent paints (to create a semi-transparent gray for the transition zone)

4. hatching opaque marks over an area of transparent color, gradually increasing the density of the opaque marks, until they reach 100% opacity; this works for pastel or charcoal nicely. Mucha often uses this technique as well, even with oil paints.

Would you like to receive early notice of new works and events?  Please sign up for Naomi Schechter's Email Newsletter.
It's easy, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Thank you for visiting!

Reflected Lights

 Remember, reflected lights are "lights" so they can be added opaquely, although of lower value that the true (higher) lights on the lit side of the figure. Think of the blue reflected light on the shadow side of a tree. Consider scumbling the reflected lights on.

Would you like to receive early notice of new works and events?  Please sign up for Naomi Schechter's Email Newsletter.
It's easy, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Thank you for visiting!

Justin Bua

Met him at the museum show. Very generous in sharing his artistic knowledge. And very sweet with his family. Glad to have gotten to know him a bit. He's quite a star! Check out his website of "distorted reality." which really means artistic license in depiction of urban stars with old master finesse. his website

one of my favorites is his painting called "the block." check it out! 

Would you like to receive early notice of new works and events?  Please sign up for Naomi Schechter's Email Newsletter.
It's easy, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Thank you for visiting!

Aaron Westerberg

My new favorite artist: Aaron Westerberg. 

Really cool technique for painting "monochrome" portraits. (Turps) Wash of terra rosa (let dry), then sketch in and build up darks with terra rosa (impregnate brush, then pull out excess with towel, then scumble, picking out lighter areas with rubber eraser); adding dark accents with W&N venetian red. I did my daughter this way, and it turned out great.

He also uses the old master techniques of thin transparent darks and opaque lights in his more developed oil paintings. See his website at www.westerberg-fineart.com

Would you like to receive early notice of new works and events?  Please sign up for Naomi Schechter's Email Newsletter.
It's easy, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Thank you for visiting!

Portraits

The most important part of any portrait is the eyes. Get the eyes, and you're practically done.

The rest can be pretty sketchy and the piece will still work. Trust me.

Would you like to receive early notice of new works and events?  Please sign up for Naomi Schechter's Email Newsletter.
It's easy, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Thank you for visiting!

Light Colored Objects

to be effective, sometimes you'll have to paint a light colored object opaquely, such as a white porcelain soap dish hanging from a darkly colored wall (i get this inspiration from a painting at the impressionist exhibit i just saw). In any case, you can still make the darks looks transparent, by overlaying true glazes of a thin and transparent dark paint (to the shadow areas) over the opaque light paint (after the opaque paint is dry).

Also, faces are often painted opaquely, with greys for the halftones. glazes can also be applied to brighten up the cheek color, etc ...

Would you like to receive early notice of new works and events?  Please sign up for Naomi Schechter's Email Newsletter.
It's easy, and you can unsubscribe anytime. Thank you for visiting!