Can’t you just paint a canvas without an underpainting, yes, you can but…
there are reasons and things you might miss.
Blue Print of a Painting:
First, an underpainting will give you a sense of layout, color, tone and composition. You may eventually lose the underpainting but the initial process is figuring your place on the canvas, deciding how the elements and colors work together.
A Base for a Structure:
Just as you build a foundation for a house, an underpainting will give the paint a structure to adhere to. It fills in the canvas textures to the level you are planning-an underpainting gives a base much like priming a wall.
The difference in priming a wall and painting an underpainting is that the texture and flow of your strokes should begin at this state, it should not be an even paint coverage, it is all dependent on your style and stroke. You can learn alot about your creative vision through the underpainting process.
Magic of Colors:
This is truly the magical part….colors show through depending on your intent. You will lay transparent glazes over the initial underpainting and colors will begin to change.
Nature and painting is all about subtleties of shadows, the flickering of colors that either complement or repel- this subtle manipulation of overlayed colors and underpainting is how you create illusions that vibrate when the viewer sees the painting.
It makes a good painting a great painting because the artist’s soul and intent vibrates with the colors, tones and hidden keys that are all weaved into the overlay.
Enjoy the Process: With Intention
I would teach someone to enjoy the underpainting, it is the most free part of the painting. Try not to muddy it up but use very light and transparent washes of more medium than paint.
In this stage you can adjust, allow yourself the freedom to play, to have expectations of what colors will become when you overlay other washes.
Experiment with the layers of paint, the texture and the consistency of the oil.
The great thing is, it’s an underpainting. It will become whatever you want it to be. The painting is yours and yours alone, don’t fear the process. It should be as creative as the idea that inspired painting in the first place.
My next post will be about Oil Painting- DON’T BE AFRAID- it’s oil, more forgiving than Acryllics and definitely watercolor. YOU GOT THIS.
I have been creating original art in oil on canvas and pastel on paper. I want my students to enjoy the process. Creativity should not be something you have to work hard to be perfect-perfection is allowing yourself the freedom to explore-that’s where brilliance emerges.