Toning and Underpainting A Canvas
What exactly is toning and underpainting a canvas and what does it do for my artwork? Great question! Let’s look at it.
Toning a canvas has a very specific purpose and many artists tone canvases in different ways. This weeks video is bout toning and underpainting a canvas so hop on over there and we’ll talk on the other side of it.
Toning a Canvas
I tone my canvases to keep the white from coming through my painting. As acrylic paint dries, the water in it evaporates. IF you don’t put the paint on heavy enough, little white specks of the canvas will show up. But if you tone a canvas with a neutral color, even if that happens you will not notice it,
Your eye goes straight to the lightest color and will detract from the viewer’s eye going all the way through your painting,
I usually use burnt sienna and white but I have also used gray, green and blue each mixed with white. I want the tone to be neutral and iight.
Oil painters often tone their canvases with acrylic paint so it dries quickly. Many oil painters actually tone a canvas in red and sometimes you’ll see that red peeking out behind their subject. It really warms up the painting.
Underpainting A Canvas
An underpainting on your canvas is just a starting point. It tells you as the artist basically how you’re going to arrange things in the painting. If you’re not happy with the composition it is much easier to change it here than later. Your options are many and varied in getting an underpainting on.
Very little of your underpainting will be seen in the finished work, but it gives you a great place to start and a direction of where you’re heading, but you don’t have to be married to it.
As you paint you will add depth and detail in several passes on your painting. You will begin to create the scene with values, temperature, brush strokes and depth.
Many oil painters also lay down an acrylic underpainting and then use the oil paint on top as they actually paint the painting.
Don’t Give Up!
Often when beginners finish with the underpainting they feel like their painting is horrible and they should just quit. That’s why I keep saying don’t get discouraged. This is no where near the finished painting.
One of the things I really want people to understand is this is a skill not a talent, You can learn a skill, you can practice a skill and you can improve on a skill.
Click HERE to view a post and video on painting peonies.
HERE is a playlist for beginners on how to learn to paint. While you’re on my channel, if you haven’t subscribed yet, now would be a great time. I’m trying to help as many beginners learn to paint as possible so please share with anyone you think would also like to learn to paint. It’s free to share and it can really help me out.
This is a photo my daughter in law took at Bear Lake Utah and you may use it to create your own painting. Really study what you are seeing there.