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Indirect Painting Method
The Indirect
Method of painting has been employed in the past by many artists including Van Eyck, El Greco, and Rembrandt. The indirect
painting method involves the use of several layers of paint to gradually achieve the final effect of a painting. Layers are
gradually built up, with the upper layers modifying, but not entirely concealing the lower layers. The following is a basic
summary of the Indirect Method that I use in my oil paintings.
Step 1 – Drawing
On a prepared surface, draw
an accurate contour drawing of the subject. Basically, you are reducing all of the visual information into simple shapes.
Include shadow and highlight area, as well as any other information that will help in the painting stage. The subject may
be drawn using any of the following methods: grid system, freehand/sight-size method or tracing if needed. Problems to be
solved at this stage are accuracy, proportion and compositional design.
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Step 2 - Value Study
Using thin
washes of color, a monochromatic value study is created with the following colors: burnt sienna, burnt umber and white. Turpenoid
or turpentine is used to dillute the oil colors. Light areas are made with very thin applications of color and dark areas
are created using a thicker, heavier wash of color. Light areas may be created by removing paint with a Q-tip, brush, paper
towel or makeup sponge. It is very important to keep the values in mid-range at this stage. Extreme lights and darks are developed
in later stages. Problems to solve include value shapes, volume and form, and value relationships.
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Step 3 - Underpainting Layer
The
underpainting layer can be achieved in one of two ways. A monochromatic (grisaille) painting layer may be used or a layer
of earth colors (dead layer) may be applied. The example below uses opaque earth colors. The subject is painted according
to its local color, but the overall effect is one of low intensity colors. The painting will appear dull and lifeless at this
point. Problems to resolve at this stage include establishing local color, redefining form and edges and evaluating composition
for the final time.
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Indirect Painting Process Continued
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