Paint drapery by alternating dark and light areas.
The key to painting drapery is to break it down in to alternating areas of dark and light. The drapery is just a series of ridges, with the light areas at the top and the space between the folds deep in shadow. Oil paint dries slowly, which means you can take your time blending the colors together for smooth transitions.
Instructions
1. Mix up three piles of paint on your palette. The first is just the basic color of the drapery (the mid-tone), the next is that color mixed with black (the dark tone) and the third is the color mixed with white (the highlight).
2. Apply the paint to the canvas in vertical bands that alternate, moving from left to right. Paint a band with the dark tone to represent the shadow between the folds of drape. Next put a band with the mid-tone, then the lightest color to represent the highest and brightest part of the drapery.
3. Alternate in the other direction from the highlight area to get back to the shadow by painting a band of the mid-tone on the right side of the highlight, followed by the dark tone. You have now painted one complete cycle of the folds of drapery.
4. Continue in similar fashion until you have painted all the folds of the drapery.
5. Blend the areas together to create a smooth transition from tone to tone. Start by pushing a little of one tone into the adjacent tone with horizontal movements, then use vertical sweeps of the brush to smooth out the brushstrokes. Repeat on each fold until you have even, undulating transitions.
