Garmendia
Painting
PAINTING TERMS & VOCABULARY
Materials
Oil Paints
Oilpaintisamixofapowderedpigmentboundedwithamediumof
dryingoil.
Linseedoiliscommonlyusedasacarrierinoilpaint.Oilpaintscanbe
mixedwithlinseedoilasamediumtomakepaintsmorefluid;this
mediumalsoincreasesglossinessandmakespaintmoretransparent.
Linseedoilcomesascoldpressed,alkalirefined,sunbleached,sun
thickened,andpolymerised(standoil).
Traditionally,theoldmastersusedtoprepareoilpaintsthemselves.
Today,ready-madeoilpaintsavailableintubesfromanyartsupply
shop.Itispossibletopaintwithoilswithoutdilutingthemwith
solvents,byusingbrushpressuretospreadthepaintoutthinly.Inthis
case,oilcanbeusedasamediumandtorinseyourbrushes.
There’snoneedtobuyeveryoilpaintavailable.Infact,alimited
paletteoffewchosenpaintswouldserveyounicely.
OilPaintingMediumsOilpaintcanbeusedstraightfromthe
tube.Whenrequiredtochangetheconsistencyofthepaint,various
mediumscanbeadded.Mediumscandilutethepaint,increaseits
flow,thickenthepaintforimpastotechnique,influencethedrying
time,andalterthepaintlayerappearance,makingitmoretransparent
oropaque,glossormatt.
OilsVariousdryingoilscanbeusedasmediums.
LinseedOilisthegreatall-purposeoilpaintingmedium.Itincreases
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transparencyandaddsglosstothepaintlayer.Linseedoilcomesin
severalforms:refined,cold-pressed,stand,sun-thickened,andsunbleachedoils.Thecold-pressedoilisthebestchoice.Refinedlinseed
oilhasadryingtimefrom3to5days.Standoilhasthickerconsistency
andaslowerdryingtime.Itisagoodglazingmediumwhenmixedwith
turpentine.Sun-thickenedoiliscreatedbyexposingoiltothesun,and
sun-bleachedbyexposingoiltothesuninair-tightcontainer.Stand,
sun-thickened,andsun-bleachedlinseedoilshavelesstendencyto
yellow.
PoppyseedOilhasalongerdryingtimeof5to7daysandgivesless
yellowingthanlinseedoil.Poppyseedoilshallbeavoidedinlower
paintlayerstopreventcrackingofthetoplayers.
SunflowerOilhassimilarcharacteristicstopoppyseedoil.
Solvents
Solventsordiluentscanbemixedwithpainttochangetheoilpaint
consistency.Allsolventsevaporatecompletelywhilethepaintis
drying.Solventsarealsogoodforcleaningbrushesandpalettes.
Solventsarealsousedfordissolvingresins.Allsolventsareharmful
andsomeareflammable,andshouldbeonlyusedinwell-ventilated
studios.
Turpentine TheArtistQualityTurpentineisoneofthewidelyused
diluents.Itisanaturalproduct,completelycolorlessandevaporates
fast.It’ssuperstinky!
MineralSpirits Mineralspiritsareproducedfrompetroleum,havea
bitslowerevaporationrate,andarelessexpensivethanturpentine.
Mineralspirits,odourlessspirits,andwhitespiritsareallharmful
regardlessofthesmell.Agoodnon-toxic,non-flammablesubstituteis
theZest-itthinner.
LiquinsLiquinisanalkyd-basedmediumandisincludedinourkit.
Severalkindsofliquinsareavailable:LiquinOriginal,LiquinFineDetail,
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LiquinLightGel,LiquinImpasto,andLiquinOleopasto.Liquinsareselfsufficinetmediumsanddonotneedtobemixedwithoilsormineral
spirits.
LiquinOriginalistheall-purposemediumthatspeedsupdryingtime,
improvesthepaintflowandreducesbrushstrokes.LiquinFineDetail
givesglossfinish,speedsupdrying,andproducesasmoothsurface
andisidealforfinedetailsandglazing.LiquinImpastogivessemi-gloss
andLiquinOleopastogivessemi-mattfinishes,speedsupdrying,
extendstubecolor,andretainsbrushmarksandtextures.
AllLiquinsresistyellowingandincreasefilmdurability;howeverthey
arenotsuitableforoilingout,neitherasavarnishorfinalcoat.
ResinsResignaresolid,insolubleinwatersubstancesthatareused
formakingpaintingmediumsandvarnishes.Resinsarederivedfrom
treesandotherplants,andmanufacturedsynthetically.Resins
increasetheglossofoilpaint,reducethecoloranddryingtimeofa
medium,andaddbodytodryingoils.
Dammarisoneofthebestnaturalresinsforpaintingmediums,
varnishesandsealantsforabsorbentgrounds.Itshouldbedissolvedin
Turpentine,notinmineralorwhitespirits.
MasticandSandalresinsareinferiortodammar,astheywillturn
yelloworbrownwithage.Shellacthinnedwithalcoholcanbeusedfor
sizingporoussurfaces.Itturnsdarkwithtimeandisnotsuitablefor
varnishing.Itisalsonotsuitableformixingwithdryingoils.
Alkydresinsareproducedbyreactionofsometypesofalcoholsand
acids.Alkydresinsincreaseflexibility,fluidity,anddryingtime.
Acrylicresinscanbeusedforvarnishing.Acrylicresinsaremodern
materialsandconsideredstableandflexible.
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Thefollowingmediummixesareverypopularwithfineartists:Lean
(thin)paintingmedium:-Linseedoil-1Part-Turpentine-5Parts
Dammarvarnishcanbeaddedtosuchleanmix:–StandOil-1Part–
Dammarvarnish-1Part–Turpentine-5Parts
Fat(oily)paintingmediumwithlessturpentine:–Standoil-1Part–
Dammarvarnish-1Part–Turpentine-3Parts
Differentcolorsarepre-mixedonapaletteusingapaletteknife.
Palettescomeindifferentshapesandsizesandaremadeofdifferent
materials.Awoodenmid-sizeoval-shapedpalettewithaholefora
thumbwoulddesuitableformostuses.
Otheroilpaintingmaterialsincludebrushes,paletteknifes,medium
containers,mahlstick,andeasel.
Supportsforoilpainting
Traditionally,stretchedcanvasesorwoodenpanelsareusedasoil
paintingsupports.
Woodenpanelsprovideagreatsmoothsurfaceforfine-detailed
artworks.However,thissupportisexpensive,heavy,andcanwarpor
splitinpoorstoringconditions.
Canvasesaremostwidelyusedasoilpaintingsupports.Linenisa
preferredchoiceforagoodartist’scanvas.Itismoreexpensive
thoughthanacottonone.Canvasesshouldbestretchedonawooden
framecalled“stretcher”,andcoatedwithprotectivelayersofglueand
gesso,separatingcanvasfromoilpaint.
Pre-fabricatedstretchersareavailableaswoodenplanksinvarious
sizesthatfittogetherincornersandareadjustableslightlytostretch
thecanvasevenfurtherwhenrequired.
Thecanvasispulledacrossthewoodenstretchersandtackedor
stapledtothebackedgeofthestretchers.Staplingthecanvastothe
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sideedgeofstretchersisnotadvisable.
Thepulledcanvasis“sized”withoneortwolayersofrabbitskinglue
andthenprimedwithagesso.Everynewlayershouldbeapplied
whenpreviousoneiscompletelydry.Traditionally,animalgluewas
usedforsizingandthemixofanimalgluewithleadwhitepigmentand
whitechalkpowderforpriming.Primedsurfacescanbesandpapered
tosmoothouttheplane.
Ready-madegessoconsistsofwhitetitaniumdioxidepigmentmixed
withanacrylicbinder.Suchgessoishardertosandpaper,especiallyon
acanvas.Someartistsapplygessodirectlyontothecanvas,although
sizingacanvaswithalayerofrabbitskingluewouldgiveabetter
protectionofthecanvasfromoilpaint.
Usually,gessocomesinwhite,butitcanbetonedtoaparticularcolor
byaddinganotherpigment.Oneortwolayersofgessowouldbe
sufficientenough.Toothicklayerofgessowoulddrawtheoilpaint
intothesurfaceresultingindulleffect.
Artshopsprovidereadystretchedandprimedcanvasesinvarious
sizes.Generally,suchcanvasesaregoodenoughforajob;however,
someartistsmighthaveaspecificrequirementforthesupportand
prefertostretchcanvasesthemselves.
Otheroilpaintingsupportsincludecanvasgluedonaboard,primed
paperorcardboard,pressedwood,etc.
OilBrushes
Oilbrushesareessentialtoolsforapplyingthepaintontoasupport.
Brushesaremadeofmanyvariouskindsoffibers.Differentfibers
producedifferenteffects.Forexample,hog'sbristleisgoodforbold
strokesandimpastotextures;redsablebrushesareexcellenttoolfor
finedetailsandsmoothtexture.Fitchhairandmongoosearefineand
smooth,greatforportraitsandfinishingtouches.Kolinskysable,taken
fromthetailoftheSiberianmink,isthefinestqualityofbrushes.They
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comewithawell-pointedtipandservealonglifewhenlookedafter
well.Kolinskysablebrushremembersitsshape,hasa“snap”when
liftedfromthecanvas,andishighlyregardedbyprofessionalfine
artists.Itisthemostexpensivekindofbrushonthemarketthough.
Therearealsomanysyntheticbrushesavailableonthemarket.
Syntheticartbrushesareverydurableandcouldbeagood
replacementforanaturalhairbrushes,especiallybecausetheyare
cheaper.
Brushescomeinvariousshapesandsizes.Roundedbrushesaregood
fordetailedworks.Flatbrushesarehandyforbackgrounds,broad
strokes,aswellasforgeneralapplication.Flatshort-hairbrushis
called“bright”.“Filbert”isaflatbrushwithshorterhairsthathas
roundedcorners.Averylong“Filbert”brushiscalled"Egbert".
Othertoolsarealsousedtoapplyoilpaintontosupport.Someartists
usepaletteknifestopaint.Paletteknifesgenerallyusedformixing
paintsonapaletteandscrapinglayersofpaintfrompaletteand
painting.
‘FatoverLean’rule
Oil Painting Techniques
Oilpaintisaslowdryingartists’materialthatgivesmoretimeto
changethecolor,textureorshapeoftheartwork.Itdriesby
oxidation,notevaporation,andthereforeholdsitstextureandvolume
afterdrying.
Thereisonebasicrulefineartistsshouldobserveinoilpainting.Itis
called'fatoverlean'.Thismeansthateachnewlayerofpaintshould
containmoreoilthanthelayerbelow.Ifeachadditionallayercontains
lessoil,thefinalpaintingmightcrackandpeel.Thepaintwiththe
higheroilcontentremainsmoreflexible.
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WorkinginLayers
Workinginlayersisusedwhenpaintingrequiresmorethanone
session.Thefirstlayermaybeaground,usuallyappliedalloverthe
surface.Thenanunder-drawinginoutlinemayfollow.Thencomes
under-painting,over-painting,andfinallysemi-transparentglazes.
Whenthepaintingiscompletelydryitiscoveredwithprotective
varnish.Alloftheselayerswillaffecttheappearanceofthefinallook.
Underdrawing
Theartistmightsketchortransferanoutlineofhis/hersubjectonthe
supportbeforeapplyingoilpaint.Suchdrawingonthegroundiscalled
“Underdrawing.”
TheOldMasters,likeJanvanEyckandRogiervanderWeyden,
"underdrew"withabrush,makinghatchingstrokesforshading,using
water-basedblackorbrownpaint.
Whenartistswantedtokeepthegroundfreshandclean,the
preliminarydrawing,calledcartoon,wascreatedinfull-size,and
transferredontosupportbypouncingtheoutlinesanddusting
charcoalpowderthroughperforations.Therearemanyotherwaysof
thedrawingtransfer,includingopticalprojections,drawingby
squares,etc.
Imprimatura
“Imprimatura”isaverytransparentlayerofoilpaintwelldilutedin
turpentineorothersolvent.Itisusedto“tone”thecanvasbycovering
thewhitegessowithrequiredcolor,providinganoveralltonaloptical
unity.Theartistchoosesthecolordependingonthedesiredgeneral
toneoftheartwork.Veryoftenearthcolorslikerawsiennawereused
forthistask.
ThetermImprimaturacomesfromtheItalianandliterallymeans"first
paintlayer."IthasoriginsisworkshopsduringtheMiddleAges,and
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wasusedbyItalianpaintersduringtheRenaissance.
Followinglayersshouldbeappliedwithcaresotheimprimatura
sometimescanbeseenthroughinthemiddletodarkshadowareasof
thework.
Underpainting
Someartistsskiptheimprimaturacoatandstartwiththe
"underpainting"layer.Underpaintingislaiddownasathinleanlayer.
Itservesasabasethatisintendedtobepaintedover.
Mostoften,brownpaintsusedforthistasklikeVandykeBrown,Raw
Umbraor“bonecolor”(1partrawumber1partyellowochre).
Underpaintingcanalsobedoneinbluish,greenishorgreyishcolors
andwillbedescribedinmoredetaillater.
Underpaintingcanbemonochromatic,oftencalledgrisailles,butitcan
alsobeamulti-color.TheOldMasterslikeGiotto,JanvanEyckand
RogervanderWeydensometimesusedmulti-colorunderpainting.In
thiswaytheyensuredthecolorsinvariouslayersdonotphysically
blendwitheachotherbecomingmuddy,butcomplimenteachother
byshowingthroughtransparentandsemi-transparentlayers.
Hereisthegoodtipforprofessionallydoneunderpainting.Ifitis
paintedproperly,itgreatlyhelpstheoverpainting.However,iffine
artistshavetooverpainttheunderpaintingconcealingitcompletely,
thenthepurposeoftheunderpaintingislost,asitnolonger
contributestotheoverallpaintingappearance.
Sometimesartistsleavepaintingascompletedartworksatthestageof
underpainting.Ifsuchpaintingisexecutedinshadesofbrown,thenit
canbecalled“brunaille”,orpainted"Enbrunaille."
DeadColors
“DeadColors”layeristhepartofanunderpainting.Thename“Dead
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Layer”comesfromthechoiceofcolors,usuallybluish,greyish,or
greenishmixes.
Itismostlyrequiredforfigurativepaintingswherecoldcolorswill
complimenttheskintonesinthefinishedartwork."DeadLayer"is
appliedoverthetraditionalbrownunderpainting.Ithasthepurpose
ofalteringthewarmtonesoftheunderpaintingandimprimatura.It
doesnotaffectthetonalityofthefinalpaintingthough.
Deadlayerisquitethin,sopreviousunderpaintinglayersarevisible
throughit.Thedeadlayermustbelefttodrybeforecontinuingthe
painting.
Somepaintingscanbedoneasafinishedartworksusingdeadlayer
technique.Dependingonthecolorsuchartworksarecalled
“verdaccio”,“verdaille”,or“grisaille”.
VerdaccioisanItaliannameforthemixtureofblack,white,and
yellowpigments.Dependingonproportionsithasagrayish,yellowish,
orsoftgreenish-brownappearance.
Verdailleisanartworkpaintedexclusivelyinshadesofgreen.It
originatesin12thcenturywhenuseofcolorwasprohibitedin
Cistercianmonasteriesin1134.Suchpaintingsarequiterarethese
days.
Grisailleisanartworkpaintedinmonochrome,usuallyinshadesof
grey.Grisaillemayalsoincludesomeothergrey-outcolorsinaddition
toblackandwhite.Thegrisailletechniqueisgreatfordepictionof
sculptureandarchitecturaldetails.
OverpaintinginFullColor
Thesubsequentlayerscomeinfullcolor.Fleshcolorsareappliedfor
figurateartworks.Lightareasareusuallypaintedthickerandmore
opaquethanshades.Indarkareas,theunderpaintingcanstillshow
through.Colorsofdeeperlayersareopticallymixingwithtopones.
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Theoverpaintinginfullcolorcanbeworkedoninseverallayers.
Usuallyeverylayerisleftdrybeforecontinuing.
Thefinaltouchesareappliedontopofthefull-colorlayerwhenitis
dry.Thesecouldbehighlights,somefinalminorcorrections,
deepeningshades,andsoon.Allthesefinaltouchesshouldbedry
beforecompletingthepaintingwiththefinallayer–glazing.
GlazingPaintingTechnique
Theglazingtechniquecanalsobeappliedinnumerouslayers.
LeonardodaVincidevelopedglazingtechnique,called“sfumato”,to
theperfection.
Theglazinglayersdeepenthetoneastheyabsorbthelight,soless
lightisreflectedfromthepainting.Fineartistshouldconsiderthisand
paintpreviouslayersinlightertonesthanintendedinafinished
artwork.
Everyglazeshouldbeappliedwhenthepreviousoneisdry.Itisaslow
processbutresultsworthit.Eachsuccessiveglazeshouldhavean
increasedamountofoil,conformingtothe‘fatoverlean’rule.
Transparentandsemi-transparentoilpaintsaremostsuitedfor
glazing.Opaquepaintscanbemixedwithalotofmediumandsome
resinsmaybeaddedtoincreasetheirtranslucency.
Scumbling
Scumblingisatechniquewhenopaquepaintisappliedinaverythin
layer,sothepreviouslayerisvisiblethrough.Scumblinggivesan
opticalmixingofcolors,producingasofterordullereffect.This
techniqueisgreatforlightercolors,forexamplewhenpaintingfogor
clouds.Anothertermforscumblingisbrokencolor.
SomeOtherOilPaintingTechniquesWetonWet–
AllaPrima
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Painting
“AllaPrima”techniqueiswhenoilpaintisappliedinwetonwet
layers.AllaprimatranslatesfromItalianas“atfirstattempt”.This
techniqueisgreatforpaintinglivemodelsorworking‘plein-air’
(paintingoutdoors).Theartworkcanbeworkedoninoneorseveral
sessions,buthastobefinishedbeforethefirstlayerisdry.
Thispaintingtechniquewasdevelopedinthemid-19thcentury,after
commerciallyproducedoilpaintsintubesbecomeavailable.Alla
primawasusedbyimpressionistslikeClaudeMonetandVincentvan
Gogh,realistslikeJohnSingerSargentandRobertHenri,andmany
otherfineartists.
Allaprimacanbecombinedwiththelayeredindirectmethod.When
thefirstwet-on-wetcoatisdry,finishingtouchescanbedonein
glazing.
Drybrush
Drybrushisapaintingtechniqueinwhicharelativelydrypaintbrush
holdsasmallamountofoilpaintwithoutanymedium.Drybrush
strokeshaveacharacteristicscratchyappearancethatlacksblended
smoothnessofausualoilpainting.Brushingoverorblendingdrybrush
strokes,whilethepreviouslayeriswetshouldbeavoidedtopreserve
thedistinctivelookofthedrybrushtechnique.
Impasto
Impastoisapaintingtechniquewhenpaintisappliedverythickly.It
usuallyhastexturewithvisiblebrushstrokesorpaintknifemarks.
Usingthistechnique,someartistsmixpaintdirectlyonthecanvas.
Impastosurfacereflectsthelightinacertainway,providingtheartist
moremeanstoexpresstheartworkappearance.
TheoldmasterslikeRembrandtandTitianoftenusedimpastoto
depictheavyclothesorjewels.ModernartistslikeVincentvanGogh
useditforartisticexpression.
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Varnishing an Oil Painting
Oilpaintingscanbevarnishedtoprotectthemfromenvironmental
pollution.Apaintingthatistobeframedunderglassmayremain
unvarnished.
Alayerofvarnishevensouttheappearanceofpainting,itmakesit
equallygloss,matt,orsatin.Mattvarnishlooksclearerifthefirstlayer
wasthesamemakeofglossvarnish.
Thereareawiderangeofvarnishesavailablefromvarious
manufacturersfromanywell-stockedartsupplyshop.
Thevarnishshouldbeappliedonacompletelydrypainting.Ittakes
aboutsixmonthstoayearuntilanoilpaintingisdry,orevenlonger
forimpastopaintings.
Varnishshouldberemovablesoitcanbereplacedincaseof
discolorationorbecomingdirty.Ifanartistwouldliketore-paintor
correctapaintingafterithasbeenvarnished,thevarnishlayershould
beremovedfirst;itisnotadvisabletopaintoverthevarnishlayer.
Beforevarnishingthepaintinghastobecleaned.Varnishshouldbe
appliedwithaqualityvarnishingflatbristlebrush,withthepaintingis
flat,fromoneedgeoftoanotherinparallelstrokesinthesame
direction.Whenthefirstlayerisdry,secondlayerofvarnishshouldbe
appliedattherightangletothefirst.Thewholepaintingmustbe
coveredinonego.Afterabout10minutesofcompletingthesecond
layer,thepaintingcanbeleanagainstthewallfacinginwardtodry.