There are many different ways to paint with oils. One of these ways is 'glazing'. 'Glazing' is the brushing on of a thin, transparent, darker paint layer over an area of dry paint. It’s a common technique used in a form of academic painting in which artists first establish a finely detailed, monochromatic underpainting (called a grisaille if done in greys and a bistre if done in browns) and then apply a series of coloured glazes. This indirect method of painting achieves a visual depth that a direct method, such as alla prima, cannot.
Step 1 (top left)
Over a grey (titanium white mixed with ivory black) ground on a linen support, I apply a wash of raw sienna. I then map out the image of the portrait of Giovanni Della Casa by Jacopo Pontormo. Once satisfied with the charcoal drawing I trace over the outline with raw umber thinned with a medium.
Step 2 (top right)
I then apply a white to achieve something similar to an overexposed photograph - a ghostly image. This is because with each layer of glaze in the following steps, the value (the relative lightness or darkness of a colour) of the picture will become darker. This is now a ‘bistre’ as formerly mentioned.
Step 3 (bottom left)
Now I apply thin layers of transparent paint mixed with a medium - a ‘glaze’. I rub to remove an area of a glaze if I want to lighten that area. For this demonstration I’m using scarlet lake, ultramarine blue, Indian yellow, transparent oxide red and raw umber - all naturally transparent paints.
Step 4 (bottom right)
Leaving each layer of glaze to dry before applying another layer, I refine the image until I’m satisfied. I apply scumbles in some areas to add more body where I think it’s needed.
Advantages: In my experience this method of indirect painting is a good way to separate the study of value from the study of colour. Studying both simultaneously can be daunting, especially for the beginner. It’s a great way to be sure that each object in your picture has the correct local colour (the actual colour of a thing in ordinary daylight, uninfluenced by the proximity of other colours). It also gives more luminosity to the painting, since light travels through the transparent layers of paint and hits the opaque white underneath, giving an impression similar to that of a stained glass window.
Disadvantages: I personally find that this method can lead to a lack of spontaneity in your painting, and greatly diminish the chances of ‘happy accidents’ - arguably the essential element of all great works of art. It is more time consuming than painting ‘alla prima’ and may therefore lead to a loss of energy in the painting of the picture as the time progresses.
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