Contemporary, realistic painters who like to get things right before applying color often make use of the Grisaille technique. Widely used by old masters, this technique involves applying a monochrome underpainting, then glazes and, lastly, opaque paints. The underpainting is usually a mixture of black and white or a combination of blue, umber and white.
Instructions
1. Draw a contour drawing on your canvas using charcoal, thinned umber, ochre or ultramarine blue. Be sure to fix your charcoal drawing with a fixatif. Let the paint dry.
2. Mix the underpainting colors you want to apply. Many painters make up three equal batches of light, medium and dark colors to be efficient. Use an alkyd white in the underpainting to accelerate drying time.
3. Start to mass in your darks and lights. Apply paint thinly to hasten drying time.
4. Apply your middle values. Stand back from the painting often to see if you like the overall pattern of light and dark. Keep your value contrast sharp in the underpainting. You can always soften it later.
5. Add glazes for your dark areas. Mix the color or colors with a ready-made glazing medium. Transparent colors work better than the opaque ones. Check the manufacturer's painting chart to learn which colors are transparent.
6. Begin to put in your lighter colors and the highlights. Mix your colors with white to make them opaque and lighter. Gradually increase the amount of oil in your medium for a fat-over-lean approach.
7. Study the works of old masters who have used this technique. Try copying a painting for practice. (See Resource)
