how to make an underpainting

Hi thank you for your interest in my show and tell oil painting demonstration. I have had a few people interested in my technique and how I approach and oil painting. So here I go. First I always start off on an oil prime linen canvas. Not that it is a canvas but I'm not sure exactly how toword that. Anyways, I always make my own linen or canvas. Is this is quite An art in its self and if you click here you can see how I go about creating an oil primed linen canvas. My canvases are made with the finest materials and are made in a way that galleries love and are comfortable to show without a frame. It saves you money and it also makes you look more professional. Anyways so this is how I start with a fresh canvas and my composition composed in front of me.

The first marks that I make on my canvas are usually a quick kind of outline just to get an idea or feel for the layout of the composition onto my two-dimensional picture plane. The color of my paint is a warm brown. This is a very traditional way to start and lay a foundation for an oil painting.

Now that I have the general composition outline sketchily drawn I start to establish reference points at that outermost edges so I can begin my process of drawing which I refer to as triangulation, To fully understand how to paint in the representational or as some would call realist style one must understand how to draw and render the three dimensional world in a two-dimensional picture plane . The drawing technique I teach my students is called triangulation. This drawing method incorporates a system of checks and balances to obtain the correct proportion by checking the relationship of one object to another and that relationship to an outside point so you have three objects which check with a system of checks and balances. And then one builds upon these and tell their image appears. There is other methods to to drawing such as capturing the negative space and a site size technique where you compare images with your thumb or whatever measuring device you have

hat rewards for mastering good lessons of triangulation and the understanding of negative space and how it functions to create form will give you the ability to capture a strong likeness if you are doing figurative art or depth and dimension if it is a landscape or still life you are painting. Once one has a strong grasp on the techniques for drawing and transferring the image of whatever you are rendering onto a two-dimensional plane one can confidently began their studies and oil painting., You can see how the triangle is placed in this image. I placed one point at the top of that basketball and other points on the outer most corners or the foreground of the table.I am and constantly checking these points against other points creating a web almost you will clearly understand this concept with a little practice it's just comparing points to one another that create a system of checks and balances which will help you render your object in a truth for life fashion you can also see how I a.m. beginning to mass in that larger shapes.

You can now see that general shapes are beginning to be developed. I am simultaneously working on the background as well. An oil painting is composed of negative and positive shapes which work together to complement and create form and light and dark and so forth.

This is a photograph of my underpainting and how it is beginning to take shape. You can now see the objects loosely defined. I paint the entire image all at that same rate of progress and refrain from focusing in on one part so that my underpainting evenly develops. I would like for you to understand how I use the tools of an artist, such as paint brush and palete knife to achieve exacting measurements. When I think of an artist painting, I for some reason always have these images of a guy standing up with his arm straight out in front of him holding a paint brush and squinting. Well there is good reason for that wish I would like to show you and help you becomeSelf empowered and take out the guesswork and put in the knowhow. Be able to walk the walk and talk the talk. So pay attention and maybe you'll find some enlightenment in these next few passages, lol

Here you can see from an artist I view perspective why one would extend there are and hold a paintbrush. What is going on here is the artist is comparing two points in the still life, and referring that angle back to his canvas to make sure that they fall along the same degree of measurement. You do this throughout your entire painting constantly checking the angles in the arrangement you have with the still life image that you are developing on your canvas now these lessons are for all subject matter. Like if you wanted to do a landscape painting you would compare things such as the top of the tree to a rock in the foreground, or if you were doing a figure study you would compare one's toe to their elbow, or if you were doing something as a portrait you would compare the angle of the corner of the mouth to the corner of once I and repeat these steps over and over while making marks that reproduce these measurements on your canvas and tell a likeness appears.

Here again you can see the artists perspective in which I am checking the measurements of the top of the baseballs in relation to one another then transferring the angular position to my painting and checking this similar angle and marking accordingly. I do this over and over checking and making adjustments in comparing and contrasting points until there are are quite simply no more adjustments to be made because I have mastered the drawing but I am far from that point I am merely in the process of mastering the proportions of an under painting and laying a strong foundation for the future of my painting when the fun part comes with color

In this picture you can see how the beginning of the right baseball are lower than they should be. Or you should ask yourself maybe is the left higher than it needs to be. It is crucial that one questions all the variables in order to have a total control of one's painting. The best way to reach a decision on the matter because it is your painting you have ultimate control is to decide which baseball you like position and triangulate to outside reference points and then Adjust the other baseball accordingly. Well on second thought upon reading what I just wrote I would say the best way to find the correct coordinates of the baseballs are to relate them to get outside reference points that we first established in the composition. Upon establishing the correct points in relation to the first measurements we maintain the integrity of the composition and stay true to our first impression but you know it's always okay change just as long as you know how to manipulate the image

Hi thank you for still staying with me. This is where I left off. And then picked up again this morning, because that natural light fades so early in the winter months I had to complete this step over the course of two days, when it's usually a 3 to 4 hour job for a canvas this size. Here I finished covering the entire canvas to make sure I don't have any whites showing through. I am focusing to get a accurate tonal structure and the general masses pretty much located to where and we will find them in the finished piece. When I say total structure I am referring to the gray scale and the system of lights and darks in relationship to one another. But this is still just under painting so it's just a sketchy washy painting just to kind of get the feel for the piece for when I do apply solid color. You can look at it as something like a practice or warm up painting for when you do perform the final masterpiece.

Here is a photograph of just the composition. This arrangement is a very classical set up. Meaning I have the larger objects in the background and the smaller ones in the foreground and the colors are very nice as well. They are harmonious. When I say harmonious I mean they are next to each other on the color wheel such as the red football the orange basketball and the yellow glove orange yellow and red are all touching each other meaning they all get along well and go together and please The eye. The other colors are neutral such as the Grays in the background and inthe foreground another thing about this composition is I have the highest contrast in the foreground with the base balls against the football and in the mit. In painting the highest contrasts are always in the foreground for the most part and you can clearly see that here and that is just traditional painting, and I think it goes well with this American classic sports theme we have here. Now I have my reservations about leaving the background light in tonality and I may put up a dark sheet in the background for a higher contrast for the entire piece. But I do not know for sure yet so we will deal with that issue when that time comes, any ways I heard that light colored background sell better , lol

Here you can see a view of the trio of baseballs as well as our basketball and other objects ve But as painters we also must see the negative space which divide all four of these objects and when we are painting we must make very strong effort to capture these geometric shapes as accurate as possable . This is that calculating skillful side of art that takes patience and practice to learn and master. But if you know what you are trying to do, it makes your goal a lot more attainable other than just trying and not knowing exactly how. So by mastering these simple concepts such as negative space and how to render these geometric shapes correctly by the use of triangulation you begin to take out the guesswork and put in that know-how and began to become confident and competent oil painters.

This is my painting tools. As you can see these get plenty of use based on that encrusted layer of paint on the flat brush on the left and the raggedy ends of my brown haired natural hair round brush on the right. Personally I am a very underpaid artists but quite possibly the hardest working in the industry and I would like to show you that I use every thing I got to my advantage and that is just how I operate. Now as far as the reasoning for these two brushes I can offer no more than simply that they were a large brush for massing in big shapes and a smaller brush for more intricate brush work. I tend to use hog bristle brushes for that earlier phases of an oil painting such as the underpainting because I am vigorous with the brush and I frequently mix paint with the brush as well which is highly destructive so I preferred to use stronger the less expensive brushes that are easily cast aside without causing unnecessary financial strains. But if financial issues weren't and issue I think I would like to have hog hair brushes or mongoose I think I would use mongoose brushes for the underpainting and sable brushes for applying layers of paint that are opaque and mixed or straight from the tube. I prefer best sables for applying opaque paint over the under painting because when laid down upon the canvas it produces a rich surface which is unmarred by the heavier brush bristles and wine you can clearly see the beauty of the paint .4

Okay now this is the point that I am going to leave this underpainting. I have made a pretty good sketch I feel of the composition and have worked out a number of issues that I would have home across if I had just jumped right in with color. And these efforts will not go un rewarded in the bigger picture. You can clearly see on the basketball how I had to make it wider on the right hand side and how I had to make numerous adjustments throughout the entire painting to get it adjusted upon the canvas to my liking. Now when I approach this painting with color five will be instantly adding debt and layers to my painting. Throughout my modest art career the paintings which I have found to be the most successful are the ones in which I had done and under painting. Underpainting helps an final work by by providing a foundation in which to build your later paintly endevours in a more intelligent efficient and exacting manner. I suggest you try and see if it's something that works for you. I recommend this style not only because it is what has been taught to me but because of my personal experience that I have found it to be most useful when oil painting for a profession and creating a beautiful painting. Well with every ending comes a new beginning. And this is where I shall leave off only to pick up in a new place. A place where I would like for you to come and visit me so we can spend some more time together in our painterly ambitions. This place I am going to call oil painting in color over an under painting thank you again I hope you have found this information to be of use.