How to Oil Paint Using the Glazing Technique (Complete Step-by-Step Guide)

James Otto Allen
Dec 3, 2017
4 min read

Updated: Nov 17

Three-step progression of an oil painting study of Pontormo’s portrait of Giovanni Della Casa, showing the raw sienna drawing stage, the bistre underpainting with white highlights, and the final colour glazing layer.

Learn the classical method for luminous, layered oil paintings - from underpainting to final glazes.

If you’ve ever wondered how Old Masters achieved that deep, glowing, stained-glass luminosity, you were probably looking at a painting built with glazes.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how glazing works, why it’s still a powerful technique for modern painters, and how you can start experimenting with it today - even as a beginner.

This method pairs really nicely with classical underpainting approaches such as grisaille, bistre, and raw umber underpaintings, and it’s one of the best ways to learn colour without being overwhelmed in my opinion.

If you want a deeper dive into underpainting itself, you can also download my free Raw Umber Underpainting Starter Pack at the end of this post.

A page from a PDF of underpainting exercises showing a raw umber underpainting of a sphere and different values

What Is the Oil Painting Glazing Technique?

Glazing is the process of brushing a thin, transparent layer of darker paint over a completely dry layer of oil paint.

Each glaze subtly shifts the colour, temperature, and value of the layer below, allowing you to build:

luminous shadows
rich skin tones
glowing fabrics
atmospheric backgrounds
subtle transitions impossible to achieve alla prima

In classical academic painting, artists first constructed a detailed monochrome underpainting (a grisaille in greys, or a bistre in browns), then added colour through multiple glazes.

This is called the indirect method, and it’s the opposite of alla prima (“all at once”), where you work wet-into-wet in a single session.

Why Use the Oil Painting Glazing Technique?

Advantages of Glazing

Separates value from colour - you can nail proportions, shapes, and shadows before worrying about hue.
Builds luminosity - light passes through the transparent layers and reflects off the opaque underpainting (similar to stained glass).
Ensures accurate local colour - because each glaze modifies the underlying value without destroying it.
Ideal for portraits, fabrics, and subtle modelling.

Disadvantages of Glazing

Less spontaneous than alla prima
Takes more time (drying between layers)
Can reduce “happy accidents” and looseness
Requires patience and planning

If you like expressive brushwork and fast, energetic painting, alla prima might suit you better - but glazing is still worth learning if you want to understand classical colour layering. I almost always paint using a combination of the oil painting glazing technique glazing and more direct alla prima painting techniques.

Materials You’ll Need for Glazing

To glaze effectively, you’ll want:

Transparent pigments

(This technique works best with them.)

Scarlet Lake
Ultramarine Blue
Indian Yellow
Transparent Oxide Red
Raw Umber

A glazing medium

Options include:

Liquin
Zest it glaze medium

A fully dry underpainting

Bistre, grisaille, or raw umber underpainting.

If you’re new to underpainting, grab my Raw Umber Underpainting Starter Pack at the bottom of this post.

How to Oil Paint Using the Oil Painting Glazing Technique (Step-by-Step)

Below is a demonstration based on my study of Pontormo’s portrait of Giovanni Della Casa, using a classical bistre underpainting followed by transparent colour glazes.

Four-step progression of an oil painting on a single canvas demonstrating the glazing technique, showing the raw sienna drawing, bistre underpainting, first colour glazes, and final refined layers.

Step 1 - (top left) Prepare the Ground and Draw the Portrait

On a linen support, I first tone the grey ground (titanium white + ivory black) with a wash of raw sienna.

Then, using charcoal, I map out the portrait.

Once the drawing is correct, I trace over it with raw umber thinned with medium to lock the drawing in place.

Step 2 - (top right) Establish the Bistre Underpainting

Next, I apply opaque white to create something that looks like an overexposed, ghostly photograph.

This is because each glaze will darken the painting, so starting slightly lighter preserves the future value range.

At this stage, the painting becomes a bistre (a brown monochrome underpainting).

Step 3 - (bottom left) Apply Your First Transparent Glazes

Using my transparent palette - scarlet lake, ultramarine, raw umber, Indian yellow, transparent oxide red - I create thin, even glazes mixed with medium.

To lighten areas, I simply rub back or remove part of the glaze.

This is where the paint begins to glow.

Step 4 - (bottom right) Build Depth With Additional Glazes and Scumbles

After each glaze layer is fully dry, I apply another.

This slow layering:

refines the form
builds volume
deepens the shadows
enriches the colour

In some areas, I add scumbles - thin, opaque or semi-opaque layers - to give certain passages more body.

Tips for Successful Glazing

Let layers dry completely (touch-dry is not enough for heavy glazing).
Use extremely small amounts of medium - avoid slippery, oily surfaces.
Keep glazes thin - they should look like stained glass, not frosting.
Work from broad to specific - glazes unify large shapes, not tiny details.
Mind your values - glazing darkens; scumbling lightens.
Use the right pigments - transparent pigments glaze better than opaque ones.