Controlling color
in oil painting
Painting in oils, one of the oldest media, has been taught
in art classes since the fourteenth century. Despite this prolonged exposure, the oil medium is often regarded with anxiety by students, who sometimes find it difficult to control, hard to gauge, and a bit intimidating due to its permanency per·ma·nen·cy
n.
Permanence: tourists who were in awe of the permanency of the great pyramids of Egypt.
Noun 1.
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the arts. Technical skills aside, students often find oils somewhat unmanageable in the practical studio. The use of glazes, turpentine turpentine, yellow to brown semifluid oleoresin exuded from the sapwood of pines, firs, and other conifers. It is made up of two principal components, an essential oil and a type of resin that is called rosin.
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paints can be cumbersome, hard to regulate, and damaging to clothing and furniture.
The art studio feels the brunt of this drawback, with smatterings of thick oils clogging sinks and littering tables, even with students' best clean-up intentions.
Obstacles aside, there are methods of
painting in oils which can be conducive to obtaining unique effects. When examining the masterful
paintings of the Van Eykes of Flanders, one can appreciate the warmth and depth of their highly developed color schemes. The soft luminosity luminosity, in astronomy, the rate at which energy of all types is radiated by an object in all directions. A star's luminosity depends on its size and its temperature, varying as the square of the radius and the fourth power of the absolute surface temperature. that characterizes these and other
paintings of the period exemplifies the possibilities inherent in oils. The aura surrounding these works, one which is often felt, but seldom analyzed by students, is both atmospheric and indicative of a deep visual observation on the p
art of
the artist.
The veil control method
Most students remain in awe of the technical abilities and skills evident in these works, but regard them as "otherworldly," a bit out of time, and not attainable. With the current emphasis on direct color usage, the "veil control method," so prevalent throughout
art history, has been all but forgotten in the contemporary classroom. However, it is through tiffs slow, studied approach that students are able to achieve a high level of success in the cultivation of technical skills, control of the medium, and an understanding of the relationships existing between value, color and intensity.
In order to acquaint students with this method, I use slides representing the work of various
artists including Vermeer, Van Eyke and DaVinci. Students recognize these
artists as being p
articularly adept at
drawing, orchestrating unity and color coordination throughout their work. We discuss the means by which these
artists might have obtained these unique results, while raising some pertinent questions. How did these
artists achieve the soft luminescence luminescence, general term applied to all forms of cool light, i.e., light emitted by sources other than a hot, incandescent body, such as a black body radiator. and "sfumato sfu·ma·to
n.
The blurring or softening of sharp outlines in
painting by subtle and gradual blending of one tone into another.
[Italian, from past p
articiple of sfumare, to evaporate, fade out " effects which characterize their work? By what means were colors integrated in order to obtain unity of tonality tonality (tōn?l`?tē), in music, quality by which all tones of a composition are heard in relation to a central tone called the keynote or tonic. while still respecting the colors of each object
painted? During these discussions, specific terms crop up: lights, layers, subtle colors, depth and color temperature The measurement of color expressed in Kelvin (K). The reason this measurement is called a "temperature" is because it was derived from a theoretical object called a "black body radiator." When the radiator is heated, it changes from black to red to yellow to white to blue. .
Using a still life arrangement with dramatic side lighting, the students complete a set of
drawings in white chalk or charcoal on brown paper. By squinting squint
v. squint·ed, squint·ing, squints
v.intr.
1. To look with the eyes p
artly closed, as in bright sunlight.
2.
a. To look or glance sideways.
b. at the set-up, they are able to identify the various areas of light and dark. Once these
drawings are completed and we have critiqued them, the students arc ready to begin the actual
painting. Stretched cotton canvas is best to use, due to its flexibility and bounce, however these
paintings can be done on any stiff surface which has been treated with sizing. An excellent glaze can be mixed by combining 1 oz. of stand oil, 1 oz. of damar Damar: see Dhamar, Yemen. varnish, 5 oz. of turpentine, and 15 drops of cobalt dryer. This glaze will thin the
paint and provide an accelerated drying process, enabling "veils" to be placed over one another without upsetting previously placed layers. I use a few old squeeze bottles to contain the medium because they are easier for students to handle,
rural paintings, and eliminate spillage.
After the canvas has been treated with gesso ges·so
n. pl. ges·soes
1. A preparation of plaster of Paris and glue used as a base for low relief or as a surface for
painting.
2. A surface of gesso. , the students apply a thin, even coat of any neutral tone to the entire surface. Once dry, this coat is ready to accept thin veils of white
paint which are applied with a #5 stiff bristle bristle
1. the thick strong animal fibers collected at commercial abattoirs for use in brushes.
2. the sharp serrated awns of grass and some cereal seeds that confer a capacity to penetrate normal skin and mucosa and to cause ulcerative stomatitis, grass seed abscess and the like. brash. Students hang their value
drawings in view, so that they can transfer important visual information concerning light and form. Students work slowly to build up their "ghost
paintings," using a "scumbling scum·ble
tr.v. scum·bled, scum·bling, scum·bles
1. To soften the colors or outlines of (a
painting or
drawing) by covering with a film of opaque or semiopaque color or by rubbing.
2. " technique and allowing the veils to dry, creating a complete white/neutral toned
painting.
Adding "veils" of color not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed.
See also: Color
Once all of the value concerns have been addressed, the
painting is ready to accept an application of localized color. I emphasize the term "veil" to the students because it connotates the delicate, transparent quality which I want them to achieve in their work. The students carefully mix each desired color, apply it with a smooth, firm stroke in an even transparency, covering the entire object to be
painted. The
paint is then gently lifted off with a soft cloth in order to expose desired areas of light and dark in the under
painting In art, an under
painting is an initial layer of
paint applied to a ground, which serves as a base for subsequent layers of
paint. Under
paintings are often monochromatic and help to define colour values for later
painting. . Various values and intensities of local colors are also applied, lending additional form and volume to the
painting. Throughout this process, the students take visual "cues" from the under
painting, molding and shaping color veils accordingly. Students are always amazed at the ease with which they are able to control the color and the behavior of the
paint when using this approach.
Once all color possibilities have been explored, and the work has been allowed to dry, a final glaze can be applied. A very thin blend of
paint and glazing medium, similar to tinted tint
n.
1. A shade of a color, especially a pale or delicate variation.
2. A gradation of a color made by adding white to it to lessen its saturation.
3. A slight coloration; a tinge.
4. water in appearance, is placed over the entire
painting. A soft cloth may again be used to retrieve or emphasize desired areas or highlights. This glazing process may be repeated several times in order to imp
art further tonal unity to the work.
Controlling color in oil painting
Linear Mode
