Underpainting-nodp

in todays post i'll show one way i like to underpaint. there are several ways in my toolbox. i know that alot of painters have one way that they like to start a painting, but i dont think you can have too many ways to do something. variety is the spice of life.

here we go

step one- lay in the shadow shapes with something in blue or purple OR something thats close to the original OR the complement of what will be going over top of it. for example, i laid down burnt sienna type color for trees which will ultimately be green. i'll let some of the red show thru in places to JaZz the green.

step two- put yellows, pinks, and oranges on all the light shapes

step three- really important when you put down a few shapes that will have its complement over it. i put the paper towel up there and without moving it at all i rub over it with my hand. dont smear it or you'll have a mess


look at all that wet gushy paint soaked up by the paper towel. now the panel is colored, relatively dry and ready for the top coat of the 'real' color on top of it. you can let this dry and paint the real color later, but 9 times out of 10 i push whatever color is needed into whats there to make the color i need, working wet into wet.


if ive got the real colors complement down i make sure that shape is very dry and i paint the 'real' color over it waaay thicker. that way the complementary color doesnt gray down the topcoat color. leave bits of the underpainting showing for some spark. i'm always thinking about what i want peeking out from under the topcoat when deciding what to put down on the underpainting shape.