If you are a painter, you probably know what glazing is. Glazing is a technique of applying a thin layer of transparent or semi-transparent paint over another layer of dry paint, creating a rich and luminous effect. Dating back from the 12/13 and 14th centuries over typically egg tempura. In this example below glaze in its own right, makes a jewel, beautiful color affect and it is exemplified and these actual jewels there is a transparent beauty to this layering and layering of transparent colors, in intensity which cannot be matched with opaque paint.
As time went on glazing was typically done to create depth and keeping all the shadows transparent. Great examples of artist would be Rembrandt, Vermeer and then one day the French Academy in the 19th century, this technique was lost, as Monét introduces the ability to make a shadow look transparent without using glaze and transparent colors..
Glazing can enhance the colors, values, and textures of your painting, and create depth, dimension, and atmosphere.
But did you know that you can also glaze with an opaque color? An opaque color is a color that is not transparent or semi-transparent, but that covers the underlying layer completely. You might wonder why you would want to glaze with an opaque color, and how to do it. In this blog post, I will show you how to and why and when you should glaze with an opaque color.
Why Glaze with an Opaque Color?
One of the reasons why you might want to glaze with an opaque color is to restore the vibrancy and beauty of your colors. Sometimes, when you add white to your colors to create a form of aerial perspective, which is the effect of the atmosphere making the colors cooler and lighter as they recede into the distance, your colors can become chalky and dull. This can make your painting look flat and not convey the feeling that you want. when you add white we call that Tinting and it is a form of greying / lowering your intensity of your color.
The area that is red to the left of the wrist, Sargent tinted his sleeve with white than after it dried he Glazed with an Opaque color, mixed to a gel known as Megilp today we would use Natural Pigment's Oleogel, a far superior product.
By glazing with an opaque color, you can bring back the vibrancy and beauty of the colors, and create a painting that reflects her own vision and mood.
How to Glaze with an Opaque Color?
So, how can you glaze with an opaque color? Here are some tips and steps to follow:
Lay in the folds that you're putting in keeping in mind that you're going to glaze and opaque color over that which will darken, so you might want to error to lay in your first layer, a little lighter than the end result will be. Another thing to keep in mind is your colors going to be cleaner and more beautiful with the glaze.
Choose an opaque color. You need to choose an opaque color that is similar to the color that you want to glaze over, but more vibrant and saturated. Glaze makes the color more beautiful when it's the same color over the same color as an example would be red over red, green over green. Glazing works in combinations, so if you have a yellow area and glaze red over it, you would get orange. If you have a red area and glazed green over it, you would get brownish-greyish-black. So think about your combinations and what's about to happen
Glazing over a light red that has white in it( as in the Sargent arm Example above) you can choose a scarlet or a cadmium red that has orange in it. You can also mix different colors to create the opaque color that you want, but like I stated be careful.
Choose a medium. You need to choose a medium that can help you glaze with an opaque color. A medium is a substance that you add to your paint to change its consistency, drying time, and appearance. For glazing with an opaque color, I recommend using Oleogel by Natural Pigments, which is a product that is only sold online. Oleogel is a stable, non-yellowing, and non-toxic medium that can help you create a smooth glaze. It can also help you control the transparency and intensity of your glaze. It also excels at showing and leaving brushstrokes like Sargent's El Haleo painting at Isabel Gardner Museum. You can also add a little other mediums, such as Linseed Oil (careful Linseed Oil can cause wrinkling if too much is used), Stand Linseed Oil ( flatten the stroke but make the stroke not as "tall" or Gamblin's Galkyd to the Oleogel ( aids in drying if you do not have enough pigment in Oleogel- Oleogel does not dry without the pigment's own dryer)but, but be careful not to use too much, as they can make your glaze too thin or the painting will not dry - though the manufacture says it will dry... it did not for me? Please see our how to use these mediums-videos on our web site to be safe.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and learned something new about glazing with an opaque color. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. And if you want to see more of my work and learn more about my teaching, please visit my website. Thank you for reading and happy painting!