In the words of renowned American realist painter, Edward Hopper, “If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint”. Painting is undoubtedly an outlet of expression and of one’s artistic impulses all channeled through numerous techniques. An artist’s technique is his or her signature - a distinctive imprint engrained in each piece. This skillful and important aspect of art helps to produce high-quality, agile masterpieces, and these 5 essential techniques that we will identify form the basis of a great foundation in painting so that you can continue to improve and advance in your artistic journey.

1. UNDERPAINTING

Underpainting refers to the technique in which you begin your painting process by creating a monochrome image. Typically, a thin layer of earth tones such as burnt umber and burnt or raw sienna, diluted with a paint thinner, is applied to the canvas. The term commonly associated with the use of earth tones in your underpainting is ‘Imprimatura’, an Italian word that translates to “the first layer”. You can also opt for a Grisaille monochrome tonal underpainting which utilizes black and white.

One of the noted benefits of its thin consistency that resembles watercolour is the short drying time, allowing more time to focus on the painting’s composition itself. Equally, with underpainting, you can clearly identify the tonal values from the start and focus on highlights due to the dark background as opposed to on a white blank canvas where the focus is on shadows. In order to achieve a 3-dimensional effect after you apply colour, the shadows should be transparent and highlights should be opaque. This will also integrate some lovely contrast within your piece. This technique truly helps with colour placement and understanding the relationship between colour values. It is always handy to have a kitchen roll or napkins at the side to wipe away any excess paint. To complete your underpainting, you can use a glaze that enhances the luminous intensity of the final piece.

In an interview with artist and founder of Boynes Emerging Artist Award, Chantal Boynes, Australian artist and painter, 1st Edition Finalist, Casey Thornton describes her monochromatic underpainting approach after she has finished sketching the most important reference points in her piece. She explains that this vital step allows her to focus on the development of forms and the maintenance of a strong foundation. For many artists that use oil and acrylic paints, underpainting truly is a means of crafting a harmonious work that accurately illustrates the effect of colours.

2. PAINTING WITH MEDIUMS

In art, the term ‘medium’ can refer to three definitions - firstly, the type of art, for example, drawing, sculpting, and painting or secondly, the material or ground used such as bristol board, wooden panel, linen, canvas, and so many others or thirdly, a substance applied to paint that alters the nature and properties of different paints. In this instance, we will be focusing on the third definition. Paint mediums are designed to ameliorate your overall interactions and experience with paint. Take the example of acrylics. Acrylics are characterized by their short drying time which is particularly beneficial for underpaintings and building layers when you may sometimes need the base layer to be dry before applying another layer. However, its short drying time can make correcting mistakes, blending to execute the popular oil paint ‘wet in wet’ technique, and other aspects difficult but mediums have come to the rescue. For acrylics, you can use a retarding medium to lengthen the drying time and in contrast, for oil paints you can use fast drying mediums that expedite your paint’s drying time. Equally, a glossy medium can be used to thicken your paint and it is also great for producing a transparent, natural sheen, and luminous finish. Meanwhile, matte mediums give the painting a non-reflective effect. Like gloss mediums, gel mediums can thicken your paint, intensify colour volumes, and they work well if you are experimenting with the impasto technique. There are also texture gels which as the name suggests, adds texture to your paint ranging from fine textures like sand to coarse textures.

Australian artist, 3rd Edition Finalist, Fionna Madigan spoke about experiences with mediums in her interview with Chantal Boynes. She works in oil paint and cold wax medium which is a mixture of beeswax, a hardener such as damar or alykd resin and a solvent. Madigan’s preference is Gamblins Cold Wax Medium because they use a low toxic solvent. She explains that “the medium suspends the colour pigment for a period of time, allowing me to work with a number of layers at once, affording me a wondrous window of experimentation”. You can also experiment with making your own mediums by doing a quick search of “make my own mediums” on your search engine and find lots of helpful articles and videos giving thorough explanations of DIY mediums. For example, you can mix 3 parts of a drying oil such as linseed oil with 2 parts of turpentine.

3. BLOCKING IN

Blocking in is similar to underpainting as it is one of the primary steps taken in painting and it involves covering the entirety of the canvas with flat shapes or blocks to mark where different components and colours will go. Blocking in does not focus heavily on detail but rather provides the artist with an opportunity to explore different colour values and the composition of a piece. You want to thin your paint and use a large brush to map out your painting and evaluate the harmony of all the hues you will be using. Once it dries, you can add detail, play around with highlights, shadows and contrast that will result in your finished piece. Start by creating a toned-down version of all the colours that you will be incorporating so that the initial stage can remain subtle. To do this, add a small amount of burnt or raw umber with some clear glaze to abate the hue. The goal is to work your way up to vivid and saturated colours and also to refinement. It might be easier for you to begin with the background and work your way up to the foreground and to make the most of your time, you can use acrylics to block in as they have a faster drying time in comparison to oils. You don’t want to be spending too much time in the blocking-in stage as it’s not about detail and is predominantly there to act as a guide. This technique is a great method for artists that don’t wish to become flustered about and focus on detail from the very beginning and rather have a broad vision that they’d like to make a reality.

4. CHIAROSCURO

Chiaroscuro is an Italian word in which “chiaro-” signfies ‘light’ and “-scuro” means ‘dark’. Simply put, this fancy word portrays the technique employed to illustrate the interaction between light and dark on 3-dimensional objects in photography, drawing, and painting. This method was popular during the Renaissance period as its focus on the use of contrast, especially, to illuminate elements in artworks and to depict dark enveloping light and vice-versa, mirrored the value of classism in that era. Notably, many pieces such as Leonardo da Vinci’s '“The Virgin of the Rocks” and Caravaggio’s “Saint Jerome Writing” reflect this technique.

In this case, lighting is everything, so, to capture the essence of this technique, you can start by establishing your focused stream of light and implement lots of shadow for contrast. For the best effects, an underglaze ground is ideal followed by painting your stream of light as close to the subject as possible. You can start with dark colours or light colours first - it really just depends on your preference. To create a soft paint tone, you can use white and small amounts of earth tones such as burnt sienna. Afterward, when working on darker tonal areas, burnt umber works especially well.

Chiaroscuro really helps to understand the nature and relationship between light and dark as well as highlights and shadows. It’s a wonderful and advanced way to better acquaint yourself with how shadows form on objects and how to transfer the image created through your eyes onto your canvas. Serbian artist, 2nd Edition Finalist, Ivan Milenkovic uses this technique as a means of dramatizing the visual exposition to emphasize the common theme of his works, that is, the strong relationship between man and machine. This technique alone can speak volumes if you want to embed and symbolic juxtaposed connotation in your pieces.

5. glazing

When we speak about glazing, we are making reference to the application of a thin, transparent coating of paint on top of the lower, dried opaque layers. The best tool for this technique is a wide, soft-bristled brush as it will seamlessly add the protective glazed layer. You don’t need to apply it to the entire painting but rather apply it to small areas where you see fit. Glaze often can have a blurring effect which is useful if there are minor details that you wish to conceal. Furthermore, there are specially crafted glazes that you can buy, or if you wish to create your own that possible too by mixing equal parts of linseed oil, turpentine, and damar varnish. Glazing can also be used in contrast with opaque paints in your artwork to make the surface even more interesting and textured as well as provide more brightness and depth to your piece.

I couldn’t agree more with Abstract Expressionist and Figurative Expressionist painter, Elaine de Kooning when she stated “painting to me is primarily a verb, not a noun” which is so true because painting is an action that involves a plethora of technique and skill. Not only that, it is the embodiment of having the courage to experiment with new tools, techniques, and mediums and with a strong foundation in techniques such as underpainting, blocking in, painting with mediums, chiaroscuro, glazing and so many others, it remains in action and everevolving.