"Ask John" - The Power of Negative Painting

Marilyn from Nelson, B.C. Canada asks about the March 29th Pryce Studios newsletter regarding mixing the underpainting colors with subsequent layers of paint.

"Does this work with acrylic paint, as it dries so quickly and therefore doesn't blend like oils."

Thank you for a good question Marilyn.
As we all know, acrylics are much quicker drying than oils and  do not blend with the underpainting as readily. However,  there is a way to obtain some blending and soft edges with the use of acrylic retarder. I am showing in these photos how I obtain some soft areas in the background with the use of retarder.

When the retarder is used it also gives you the chance to "pick up", or "remove" some pigment before it dries. I have shown how I apply the underpainting, remove some pigment and then apply the heavier layers of paint. I call this "The power of Negative Painting" because I am working a lot of negative painting into the soft neutral areas of the background, and the higher value and higher chroma areas in the foreground.

The orange and Burnt Sienna underpainting gives a color harmony, as well as setting up a good background for the higher value and heavier pigment at the last part of the painting.

I hope that this example answers your question and is helpful to you.
Best Regards,

John

~~~~~~~~~

If you have a comment you'd like to add, please join the conversation in the Comments section below.

If you have a question you'd like me to answer, just click the logo!

"Ask John" - Red Underpainting

Artist Gerry from Sayward B.C. writes:

Hi John

"I have tried underpainting quite a few times, and I find that I paint over the color completely as I go!  How do you choose which "red" to leave and which to color over?
Thanks. Gerry" 

Hi Gerry;

In regards to which underpainting should be left and which should be covered, there is no absolute or correct method. The one thing that I have noticed is that oils are able to pick up some of the underpainting and creates, in some cases, neutrals.  I say this because I use relatively dark purples and reds behind my dark greens. e.g. a clump of evergreens. They are somewhat complimentary in the colour sequence hence they mix to make nice nuetrals and a great background for higher value and higher chroma greens.

 

As far as what to leave and what to cover, there are no real guidelines.  It always comes down to: "If it looks right, it is right". Remember,  in oils we are working from dark to light. In my video called "Transitions" you can see at least one example of how the deep red underpainting works with dark green trees.  

I hope that this helps clarify a rather complex part of a painting.

Best Regards.  
John.

~~~~~~~~~

 If you have a comment you'd like to add, please join the conversation in the Comments section below.

If you have a question you'd like me to answer, just click the logo!

Gestalt Painting

The word Gestalt has its origins in the world of psychology and philosophy. Sometimes it's described as "essence or shape of an entity's complete form." In visual art, the word Gestalt can be used to describe the wholeness or unity of a painting. The Wikipedia encyclopedia uses the phrase "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" to explain the word Gestalt. Colour harmony is an important element in achieving unity in a painting. One way to obtain a degree of harmony is to allow the under-painting colour to permeate through and around shapes. Some early Canadian impressionist plein-air painters used pine panels that were varnished. The golden wood colour of the panels was sometimes left around brushstrokes giving the paintings a wonderful harmony.

There is no single solution to achieve that wholeness in a painting and the use of colour is just one important element. Each subject and each season has to be dealt with accordingly. I am sending an example of a quick plein-air painting of a summer scene in Gibson's B.C. using a warm red under-painting that permeates throughout the painting giving a form of harmony.

Looking at the big shapes first and dealing with the smaller detail later helps to overcome the urge to pick away at an area and not to see the whole picture. To have one colour dominant also helps to achieve unity.
 

This letter was originally published on Robert Genn's "The Painter's Keys" web site.

SOYRA Demo & Workshops

Hi All;

Tonight I have the pleasure of meeting about 40 or 50 fellow members of Soyra; the Society of York Region Artists.  I will be sharing with them some of my painting experience, and we will be discussing the subtle differences in the choice of colours that we need to better express the changing seasons in our paintings. It seems appropriate to deal with the very Canadian landscape that we experience during the Winter months. I will discuss the need to be aware of the temperature of colours and how we apply them; the different design and fibre of brushes, and the uses of each type will also be discussed during the demo and following weeks of workshops.  I am posting some sequential images and photos of winter scenes that you can download. I look forward to being in Aurora tonight and over the following weeks with my fellow artists.

Best regards;  John.

Original Photo of Bark lake

Original Photo of Kirkup's Farm