Step-by-Step: A Guide to the Underpainting

For the traditional realist painter, the painting process is a construction site. The first stage is the “underpainting.” Usually executed in a single color (like burnt umber or ultramarine blue), this monochromatic layer establishes the values—the lights and darks—of the composition. It is essentially the skeleton of the painting. This layer must be “lean” (thinned with solvent) and allowed to dry thoroughly. Once dry, the artist applies layers of color, starting with the darks and saving the lights for last. This “indirect” method of building form through layered opacity and transparency is what gives Old Master paintings their glowing, three-dimensional depth. Patience and planning are as crucial as creativity.