PROCESS
1. Today we began the day by sanding down the panel (now a gesso panel) with 400 grain sand papers, the process is amazing, the panel feels so super smooth, it is like a baby's bottom!
2. Make sure the surface is all smooth and don't overdo it at the edge when the MDF is prone to show through if there is too much sanding, sand the side too.
3. Then take a piece of tracing paper, pencil and burnt sienna, copy the outline of the painting on the tracing paper, rub the burt sienna at its back, retrace it over the smooth gesso panel.
4. Next trace the outline with egg and vinegar mix to seal the lines.
5. When the lines are dry then seal the whole panel with 1 layer half strength RSG (see tips yesterday) and 2 layers of full strength, do it thinly and quickly and make sure the burnt sienna outline stays.
6. Once that is done then the panel is ready for underpainting. ( see underpainting theory notes later)
7. Picking up from point 6 we now need to prepare the pigment for verdaccio middle tone; to do that we need to get the following 4 pigments done, in the following ratio and thus vary the amount of pigment to be grind.
10 % Lead white
5 % burnt sienna
5 % black
80 % yellow ochre
use a granite or glass ( smooth will be fine) for grinding by glass muller
mix water with each pigment with a palette knife, then spread out and grind with glass muller until smooth then put it aside to be mix as a middle tone verdaccio, note with lead white it is toxic so handle with care( don't inhale or touch, and wash hand after preparations) also it will need to be mixed with vokda as water separates it more.
8. Once the pigment for a middle tone is created, then add equal amount of egg tempera to it and apply it thinly and rapidly in vertical strokes over the painting, thin this with some water to make the thin layers rather translucent, and avoid streaks if possible. Wait for the first layer to dry before doing the next layer, and leave to dry.
UNDERPAINTING(Theory)
- The whole purpose of underpainting is to create a monochromatic tonal composition of the painting with light and shade to give it more depth and luminosity, t will appear flat but critical to provide a base.
- it will need several layers to build up to give it depth, once finished it could come into a painting of its won at times
- Usually a warm colour composition (like a portrait) will needs a cool colour underpaint and vice versa
- tonal variation has to be the same, to intensity the lightness or darkness.
- Verdaccio ( ugly green, a bit like a MDF board colour) is a neutral tonal colour to use if in doubt about which one to use.
- usually give it a middle tone base then start with dark tone, so it will be easier to control the tonal variation
- colours like black will need some white so it won't be too harsh or flat.
OTHER TIPS
3 types of white
- Lead white - versatile, traditional white for al the artists until early 19th century, very stable, dry well with oil, can be thin or heavy but toxic.
- Titanium white - very opaque, bright and bleach other colours
- Zinc white - very tranlucent
