“Glazing” an Oil Painting

Working in oils is a glorious thing! There is just so much they can do. Today, I’d like to talk a bit about glazing. Basically, using very thin layers of paint in multiple layers to build the colour and tone of the painting.

I’v used a mix of about half paint from the tube and half fast drying medium. This gives the glaze a wonderful translucent and glossy finish. It’s good to pick transparent paint colours for this tequnique.

First the petals, vines and leaves are painted in white over a wet middle tone underpainting and left to dry. Then I can come back and paint in layers of glazes and slowly build up the scene.

The white layer underneath shines through the transparent coloured glaze. As I paint around the subject with rich colours the lights and darks build a wonderful depth and luminosity.

If I’m not happy with a passage of glaze it’s easily wiped back with a cloth or paper towel. Going nice and slow, I stand back often and take a look at my work.

The layers go on easily if I oil the canvas before a painting session. Each layer is left to dry completely before continuing with the next.

Here the paintings well on it’s way. There are still some more dark glazes to add. I’ll upload the final picture when it’s finished.