Creating Tonal Underpainting

Setting up for Oil Painting and preparing paint

2 minutes 24 seconds

Important tips in this segment:

• protect your work surface and wear an apron. Oil paint is GREASY!

Step 1: Overview of Wipe-Out Technique

NOTE: ONLY start this process when you are SURE you can have enough time to complete your ENTIRE wipe-out in ONE class session.

4 minutes 43 seconds

Important Tips in this segment:

1. draw out your image onto your canvas before starting this step!

2. draw with a non-soluble colored pencil (dark blue, green or purple work well) that will show up under burnt sienna (but don't draw too dark!)

3. have plenty of clean rags handy

4. review of elements of chiaroscuro as seen in the objects

5. You are establishing the light areas in your painting in this step

Step 2: Adding Shadows into Tonal Underpainting

9 minutes 47 seconds

Important Tips in this segment:

1. be SURE the burnt sienna has dried, or mostly dried

2. review of chiaroscuro elements in a tonal underpainting

3. you are laying in Cast Shadows and Reflected Light in this step

4. creation of 'hard' and 'soft' edges

5. manipulating the background values to help objects stand out

Clean Up for Oil Paints

7 minutes 8 seconds

Important Tips in this segment:

1. Have clean up supplies ready (jar with oil, sheets of newsprint, metal can, and work sink)

2. Goal is to first wipe out as much paint as possible so only a small amount of paint goes down the drain

3. When oil paint dries, it oxidizes, which is a heat-generating reaction (unlike water-based paints which evaporate)

4. Remember that excessively oil-saturated rags can spontaneously combust, so always rinse rags and store in metal trashcan (and avoid big oily rag piles at all times)

Glazing

7 minutes 6 seconds

Important Tips in this segment

1. How to set up your palette (white, 2 yellows (like pale and regular cadmium yellow hue), 2 reds (cadmium red light and alizarin crimson), 2 blues (ultramarine blue and cerulean blue hue) and burnt sienna)

2. Review of 'opposite colors' / 'complementary colors' (how to use color wheel to figure them out)

3. Shadows stay thin (and light areas (local color) will be thicker)

4. How to make and apply glazes

5. Glazing is an 'indirect' painting technique

Adding Local Colors (and more glazes)

10 minutes 28 seconds

Important Tips in this segment

1. when mixing colors, remember 'chocolate milk' (add small amount of darker color into the lighter paint)

2. continue to back up from your work to determine how all the pieces are working together

3. Local colors are the 'light' areas of the objects and background. Use thick paint for these areas

4. painting 'wet into wet' allows for another way to mix and blend in thick paint

5. keep an eye on your reflected lights; they will be built up with glazes to help keep them in the 'darker' value parts of your painting