The Oil Painter's Bible - chapter 6
pains must then be taken to nonetheless make it appear as if it were done alla prima.
The Old Masters employed this technique for sketches only, to be used as visual aids in the creation
of larger works executed following the Venetian method or a variant. Franz Hals was the first painter to
use direct painting for other than sketches, although the works for which he is famous today may still
arguably be called sketches. Hals was proficient in the Venetian Technique as well, and used it for his
commissioned portraits. The Direct Painting technique was elevated to legitimacy in the Nineteenth
Century by Carolus Duran, the teacher of John Singer Sargent, and then by Sargent himself, among
others, most notably Anders Zorn, Cecelia Beaux, and Joachin Sorolla y Bastida.
The range of effects possible with Direct Painting was once much narrower than with the Venetian
Technique, but today's wider selection of pigments has expanded its possibilities considerably over what
was available in earlier times. The invention of the cadmium pigments and synthetic ultramarine in the
Nineteenth Century made Direct Painting a more viable alternative to the Venetian Technique.
Individual approaches vary greatly. Some prefer to begin in charcoal, with a few quick guidelines
sketched freehand on the canvas before beginning to paint, while others choose to begin immediately with
the brush, and sketch in the shapes initially with thin paint indicating the shadow masses. Some painters
tone the canvas beforehand with a very thin transparent imprimatura, to "kill the white", which might
otherwise influence them to paint their darks too light a value, and some prefer to paint directly on the
white canvas. Others tint the primer to a value darker than white by adding paint or pigment to the final
coat of primer to make an opaque tone somewhat darker than white.
A toned ground or imprimatura makes judgment of values a bit easier. Painting on an opaque primer
darker than a value seven on the Munsell scale will make the superimposed colors duller, however, and
will cause the painting to darken in time. It is better to use a white primer, and add a transparent tone over
it to lower the value initially, or add a light opaque tone over the white primer. A transparent toner can be
painted into immediately, or allowed to dry before commencing. With the latter practice, care must be
taken to avoid violating the "fat over lean" rule.
As with the Flemish and Venetian methods, darks should be applied first, and thinly. The reason for
this is that the shapes are indicated reasonably well with just the dark shapes and shadows, and corrections
may be made without excessive paint buildup by simply wiping out mistakes with a rag. The early stages
are most likely to require correction of shapes, so it is prudent to begin thinly. This also allows a certain
degree of transparence in the shadows, which is desirable. Oil paint is most easily controlled by painting
wet into wet, from dark to light, systematically. As the reader has surely discovered at one time or
another, to attempt to indicate a shape haphazardly, beginning with a middletone or light color soon
results in a sea of wet paint into which everything disappears as soon as it is applied. This is called mud.
The mud experience has discouraged many would be oil painters over the years. It is simple enough to
avoid, if one proceeds methodically, following a logical progression. It is advisable to begin with a very
large brush, and block in the large general shadow and other dark shapes first, correcting any mistakes by
wiping with cheesecloth, used as an eraser, before adding a second color. The large color shapes in the
middletones and lighter shadows should then be blocked in, using another large brush. One may then
work back into the shadows and add secondary light, reflected color, and shadow accents, then return to
the middletones and add refinements there, saving the lighter areas and finer details for last.
The lights should be painted more thickly than the darks. Large brushes cover more canvas in a given
time, hold more paint, and allow the artist to paint much faster. The use of small brushes and the addition
of detail should be forestalled as long as possible. Many agreeable effects can be created through expert
use of a large brush, especially in areas in which one might be tempted to switch to a smaller one. Facility
in this style of painting is developed by the execution of studies painted from life. As they are only
studies, there is no pressure to create a masterpiece, and the student is free to experiment. After a bit of
practice, the studies become more and more accurate, as the student's ability to perceive value and color is
developed to a higher degree, and the initial awkwardness with the brushes and paints is overcome. It is
helpful to isolate value in one's first attempts in oils, by working only with white and greys made with
Ivory Black and white. Once the student is past the struggling with the paint stage and has learned to
understand values, color may be introduced a little at a time, at first adding only Yellow Ochre (or Raw
Sienna) and Red Ochre , for use in color sketches of the human head from life. With this palette it is
possible to mix what appears to be a full range of colors. It is only effective in paintings with an overall
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