Underpainting
Underpainting is as the name suggests, a wash of colour or tones over a canvas to form a base for following layers.
Underpainting is the first step toward establishing the correct tone of the final piece. This is especially important when creating landscapes or experimenting with light or form. An initial underpainting does not necessarily have to be precise, but it offers the painter an easier start than a blank canvas.
During the first steps of underpainting a canvas, many artists insist on first reducing the whiteness of a canvas by glazing with oil, acrylic or alkyd. This may be done over an initial pre-drawn image on the canvas or simply over the white for painting later.
Underpainting is often a grayscale or monochromatic version of the final piece. The idea is that it can produce the correct tones for the finished piece, and has several illusionary qualities when applied before the paint, such as changing the depth of the paint, changing colour hues and adding more dimensions to the eye of the viewer.
Whilst many paintings use monochrome tones as the base for the underpaint, styles such as verdaccio, the mixing of black white and yellow result in a greyish or yellowish tone. Famously Fresco art uses verdaccio, often leaving parts exposed where a dead canvas would require painting. Perhaps the most renowned example is the paintings of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
Grisaille comes from the French word ‘Gris’ or Grey. If done correctly the grey undertones can make colours appear to glow and is ideal when experimenting with form.
Whichever style of underpainting is adopted, it is always important to experiment first, getting used to the impact it can have on a final piece before employing it on an important assessed piece of work. Do not throw away old failed attempts; these will serve well as evidence of developments of an idea, even if they do turn out a mess. Remember as ever to be critical of yourself in your annotation and note it down in your working diary.
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