Learning To Paint Like The Masters - Part 3

Verdaccio is another Italian “old master” technique for underpainting.  Here, I’ve used mixtures of Green Earth Hue (or Chromium Oxide green), Ivory black (a warm black) and Flake White.  I thinned it down using Galkyd Lite but you can also use your “turps.”  You want this layer to be thin, especially if you are going to glaze over this layer. Always remember “fat over lean” when applying paint.  If you glaze with a thin layer over a thick layer of paint, the top layer may crack as the bottom layer dries.   

I still have some work to do on the right part of the sign, but I can evaluate the strength of my composition using just values.  I might lighten the dark window at the top and the sky just a bit.  If my composition fails at this point, it probably won't get much better when I add the color glazing.

Another version of this underpainting is the French grisaille technique which uses neutral or warm grey tones.  Using what I learned in Color Theory class, verdaccio could be better for portraits as the green is a nice complement to the reds of skintones.  Contemporary paintings are often stared with an underpainting using complementary colors.