24 Artists Magazine May 2020
Build DRAWING BOARD
MURAL PAINTING
Much like Rubens’ preplanning of his paintings,
prep work plays a crucial role in creating fresco
murals, such as those painted by Michelangelo
(Italian, 1475–1564) for the Sistine Chapel. Like
many other fresco painters of the time, he made
small sketches that he often enlarged to full-
sized “cartoons” of each figure, as in Studies for
God the Father and Attendant Angels (at right).
Michelangelo subsequently scored or traced them
into the fast-drying wet plaster into which he
quickly painted.
Preplanning is just as crucial when working
in oil, as seen in the two examples here by Kenyon
Cox (American, 1856–1919) and that of John Singer
Sargent (American, 1856–1925). Both painters
used the grid method to transfer smaller, fully
realized sketches to larger sizes.
Today’s artists can take advantage of modern
technology to simplify the process, scanning a
sketch and projecting it onto the wall with a
digital projector. It’s still useful, however, to place
squares on the drawing and the wall to line them
up more accurately, exposing potential distortion
or keystoning in the projection before it gets
painted into the mural.—Dan GhenoABOVE
Studies for God the Father
and Attendant Angels
by Michelangelo
ca 1511; red chalk, lead point,
the corners made up, 8½ x11
THE TEYLER MUSEUM, HAARLEMLEFT
Study for the Mural
Common Law (The
Appellate Court, New York)
by Kenyon Cox
ca 1898–1899; pencil on paper,
15¹⁄₁^6 x19¹⁄₁^6
COURTESY OF THE COOPER UNION
MUSEUM, NEW YORKBOTTOM
Hunting, Study for Panel
(Iowa State Capitol
Rotunda)
by Kenyon Cox
ca 1905; pencil on paper,
9¾ x7⅝
GIFT OF ALLYN COX/SMITHSONIAN
AMERICAN ART MUSEUM,
WASHINGTON, D.C.Study for Apollo in His Chariot With the Hours
(Male Figure)
by John Singer Sargent
ca 1921–25; charcoal and graphite pencil, 24¹⁵⁄₁^6 x19⅛
THE SARGENT COLLECTION—GIFTS OF MISS EMILY SARGENT AND
MRS. VIOLET ORMOND IN MEMORY OF THEIR BROTHER, JOHN SINGER
SARGENT/MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON