The Painter in oil

something with which you can have a more just idea of the effect of each touch of color
you put on.
If there is much variety of color in the various objects of your composition, it is better
to make your frottée suggest the different colors. Instead of making a monochrome
frottée, rub in each object with a thin mixture, approximating the color and value, but
not solid, nor as strong as it will become when painted, of course. Nevertheless, you can
get in this first rubbing in, a strong effect, which at a distance has a very solid look,
though the relations are not so carefully studied. When you come to put on solid color
with this sort of an under-painting, it is easy to judge pretty closely of color as well as
light-and-shade relations, and you can work more frankly into it.
Into this painting, when it is dry, you may begin to paint with body color, beginning
with the true color and value of the lights, and working down through the half darks into
the darks. Paint the background pretty carefully as to color and value, but loosely as to
handling. Paint slowly, deliberately, and thoughtfully. There is no need to pile up masses
of wrong color. You should try to be sure of the color before you lay it on. Study the color
in the group, mix on the palette, and compare them. Think at least two minutes for every
one minute of actually laying on paint. You save time in the end by being deliberate and
by working thoughtfully. Put on color firmly and with a full brush, but there is no need
to load color for the sake of the body of it.
Loaded Light. - It was a principle with the older painters to paint the shadows thinly
and with transparent color, and to load the lights. It gave a richness to the shadows and
a solidity to the lights which was much valued. But don’t think about this; don’t let it
influence the frankness of your painting. The theory is in itself largely obsolete now, and
in fact has been disregarded by almost every able painter who ever lived, in practice, no
matter what he said about it. I only speak of it because almost all books on painting have
laid it down as a rule, and you had better know its true relation to painting.
Like all other traditional methods of painting it has been used by the greatest of
painters, and has also been disregarded by the greatest of painters; and as far as you are
concerned, you may use it or not as suits your purpose. The main thing is to get the right
color and value in the right place, in the most direct and natural, in the least affected,
manner possible.
You may work into your frottée, then, more or less solidly as you feel will give you the
best representation of the color you see.
Solid Painting. - Don’t paint always in the same way. It is a mistake to get too
accustomed to one manner of procedure. Different things require different handling, Let
the thing suggest how you shall paint it. If you want to paint directly, I paint solidly from
first to last instead of rubbing in thinly first. But always have an accurate drawing
underneath.
In working solidly without previous laying in, begin where each brush-stroke will have
the greatest effect toward establishing the appearance of reality. If the canvas is light,
begin by putting in the main darks, and if the canvas is dark, do the reverse. You get the
most immediate effect of reality by the relief; the relief you get most directly by putting
in first those values which contrast with what is already there. Establish your most
telling values first, then work from them towards less immediately effective things.