Underpainting for Beginners: EVERYTHING You Need to Know, by Marianne Vander Dussen on YouTube. 9 min 34 s.
- Video length
- 9 min 34 s
- Time to do it
- 90 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Tint the canvas with a colored ground. Mix a little yellow ochre liquid acrylic with glazing liquid and spread a thin, even coat over the whole surface.
Let the ground dry fully before you draw on it. A dry surface keeps your pencil lines from smudging and lets the paint sit evenly.
Transfer your reference photo with the grid method. Draw a grid over the photo and a matching grid on the canvas, then copy the shapes square by square.
Mix burnt umber with glazing liquid to make a range of values. Keep one light mix and one dark mix so you can control how transparent the paint is.
Use glazing liquid instead of water to thin the paint. Water weakens the acrylic binder, while glazing liquid keeps the film strong.
Block in the darkest shapes first with the dark mix. Paint the shadow areas of trees and land, then work toward the lighter values.
Paint the negative space around the trees to shape the branches. Leave the light ground showing where you want highlights.
Build atmospheric depth by making distant shapes lighter and softer. Keep the foreground darker and with more contrast.
Let the underpainting dry completely before you start your color layers. A dry base keeps the next layers from lifting the umber.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep your underpainting thin so it does not fill the canvas texture.
Do not use water to thin the paint, since it can make the acrylic film chalky.
Check your values by squinting at the canvas or viewing it in a mirror.
A grisaille uses grey tones, while a brunaille uses brown tones like burnt umber.
Questions
Can I use oil paint for the underpainting instead of acrylic?
Yes. The same burnt umber and glazing liquid method works in oils. Just keep the layers thin and let each one dry before adding more.
Do I have to use a colored ground?
No, but a tinted ground helps you judge values and adds warmth under later layers. A plain white canvas can make colors look colder.
How long does the underpainting take to dry?
Thin acrylic layers usually dry in minutes to an hour. Thicker areas and oil paint take longer, so check with a light touch before continuing.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
