I love your section of what it does NOT do - I don't think anyone has ever specifically addressed this...maybe in a priming video but not in an underpainting video. Also, I appreciate your laid back delivery of information. I subscribed immediately and am excited to see your channel grow!
THANK YOU for this tutorial! I'm a beginner and I've been looking for a complete and clear tutorial on the underpaiting for 2 days now. 😂 You've answered all my questions . I love your art 😉 new follower here.
I'm so glad you added "fear of the white canvas" that's my number one reason for an under painting. Although, I do use it to add some initial values too. Your mix from what I saw looked to be close to a "skim milk" consistency imo. P.S. this is my first video of yours I've seen, definitely looking forward to more.
It’s definitely a stress free way of starting a brand new painting, im happy you enjoyed the video!! 😁 as far as consistency goes, maybe more like a whole milk? It’s better for the mixture to be on the thicker side 😁
I painted years ago without any training and what I felt like was happening is as the paint dried I thought it was shrinking and would show the canvas through so for that reason i started doing underpainting but didn't know it was a thing. Thanks for the video.
Courtney, I cannot believe you're holding out on my one question: how do you fix the graphite sketch to the canvas so the mineral spirits don't make a mess of the sketch! I'm teasing, and will watch for the video when you... someday... maybe... do a video on that. Excellent video, I have only ever tried cooler colors for underpainting. Keep it up!
Super simple answer and that’s a workable fixative! That will be included in my prep video one day, it doesn’t have much to do with the underpainting itself :)
Question, What colors pair best with blues, red, browns, greys etc. ? Say your painting is more in the blue tones . Would you use a reddish underpaint or a burnt sienna as the underpainting. Thanks for yor time. L
Awesome question! I tend to use this color for everything regardless of what’s going on top but you can absolutely use a blue underpainting for cooler tones. I need to experiment a bit with different colors 😁
Hi Courtney, I recently followed your instagram a few weeks ago. I love your work, 'Neon Spirits' being my current favorite. I would absolutely love and appreciate it if you did a tutorial on capturing light in a similar manner of that particular painting and 'Nocturne Ballet Cafe'...I love the vibrancy of the colors and the way the lights are displayed on both of those paintings, its absolutely amazing!
Wow! It was wonderful to watch your tutorial @ Courtney Myers. I love her paintings. I live in Brazil, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. I, after many years without doing any painting, decided to go back to making my canvases. I really like drawing human figures, and faces, and I have a hard time choosing the best brushes (brands) for details like hair, eyes, clothing details, or accessories. Would you recommend any? Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge with us and any video you make will always be very welcome to everyone. Gratitude!
That’s awesome and greetings from the US! Brushes are tough because I use such a wide variety, I use both expensive and cheap brushes, also I have both synthetic and real hair brushes. My best advice at the moment would be to test out as many as you can and see what fits your work the best. I’ll definitely be making an in depth brush tutorial in the future! :)
Thank you so much, Courtney, for all of your videos and Tutorials. I have learned so much from you. I tried your use of a red first layer and was so surprised how much it helped. I also love using Indian Yellow for a first layer. You are a wonderful teacher!
I add some galkyd to my gamsol for my transparent red oxide toning layer. If you thin paints with too much solvent, you break the binder and make a weak paint film.
Thanks Courtney, You made brief mention to it, but I would like to know how you keep from smearing your pencil sketch. I think you "fix" or "set" it, but let me in on that process🙏🙏.
Yes! I set it with a workable fixative, it’s a setting spray :) I don’t mention it in this video because it’s not really a part of the underpaitning, I’ll probably make a video in the future all about canvas prep and will include that! 😁
@@courtneymyersartI wanted to point out that the fixative will only work with oil paint. It repels acrylic paint and water, too. I found out the hard way. 😆
@@kakenetit2 that’s so strange! I’ve used it with acrylic and never had any issues. Have you tried different brands of fixative? I wonder if there was something off with the underpainting mixture? That’s weird for sure!
@@courtneymyersartYes it was weird. I used the Krylon 1306 fixative and let it dry overnight, and then two colors for my wash, Liquitex Basics - Red Oxide and Amsterdam Expert - Perm Lemon Yellow. I mixed it up nicely and added water to thin it down. When I brushed it on, it covered okay for a couple seconds, and then it separated, kind of like water and oil do. I could see spots of the white canvas everywhere. I took some paper towels and wiped it down, rubbing rather hard to get the paint to stop separating from the canvas, and ended up with a very light wash that finally took hold. On the edges of the canvas where there was no fixative, the wash didn't separate and was just like I intended. I'm wondering if it is the Red Oxide pigment causing the problem. I will try another color mix and canvas and let you know soon.
Hey! Unless you’re using water soluble oil paints, all oil paints need solvents like mineral spirits or turpentine to thin them out like this, the majority of people use odorless mineral spirits. It’s also very quick drying! I’ve also seen people who do underpaintings using acrylic paint which is also an option, it’s always important to keep in mind that you can oils on top of acrylics but never acrylics on top of oils ☺️
This technique definitely works for acrylic, just be sure to use acrylic paint and water! I’m not sure about watercolor and other mediums, I do believe I’ve seen people use a form of this even for colored pencil work :)
I love watching you paint and you give such great tips! I would love to see what brushes/materials you use to paint with and how you get your paint to look so creamy and smooth. I am an oil painter myself and I always find not having enough paint on my brush and I use drying mediums like liquin or galkyd gel to thicken my paint, but I never have much of a smooth application. But I would love to know what you use and what the ratio is (Paint vs. medium) Sorry I wrote a paragraph lol but just an idea! Thanks for great content always!
Thank you so much and I’ll definitely be making a video on this in the future! The only medium that I use to mix into my paint is just the tiniest bit of linseed oil. A little goes a long way!
This is such a great video! Could you please show us how you sketch? Is it using charcoal or a pencil and do you have to use a fixative spray after? Also, does the sketch mix with the paint and cause an issue?
Hi! What do you sketch with and how do you seal it so the paint doesn't smear your sketch? I use a pencil and my fixative isn't preventing the wash from wiping out my sketch I'm struggling lol thank you!!
I don’t have one specific color that I use for shadows, it depends on the reference 😁 but I’ll definitely be posting a color mixing tutorial, that’s a very highly requested topic!
I started as an acrylic painter, now that I use oils I still keep alot of the benefits of acrylics in my work. I can paint an oil painting in half the time. Acrylic underpainting is a game changer
I’ve never tried watercolor, I haven’t heard of any oil painters using that but I have tried acrylic! Some of my earlier paintings have acrylic underpaintings. I’ve just come to realize that 100% oil is my preference :)
@@alex24mamba I’ve used acrylic underpaintings in the past which definitely dry much quicker but an oil underpainting like the one shown in the video typically only takes a day to dry. That doesn’t tend to hold me back much ☺️
I would suggest listening to the “why” portion of this video to hear how this affects the final piece, and the underpainting here is for my “return of the prodigal son” painting, I have a full start to finish available here on my RU-vid channel.
I’ve never tried using water mixable oils myself so it’s tough to say how I feel about them! But no, you don’t need to use any mineral spirits or thinners for water mixable oils, water will do the trick :)
Thank you!! I was worried because I had an issue with the paint cracking as it dried. Which happened once and I wanted to cry. I should probably go back to traditional oils
@@katiecarfagno6612 what I would suggest is to avoid an overly watery underpainting mixture that uses an excessive amount of mineral spirits, the mixture should have plenty of oil paint in it to thicken it up a bit. Also look into the fat over lean principle, I’ll probably make a video on this one day but it’s something thats super easy to research ☺️
Hi! I like your work 👏🏼👏🏼 I want to ask, if I will use oil based underpaint (like yours), can I use acrylic or gouache paints on top of that underpaint? or should I use acrylic underpaint instead of the oil one?
Great question and a super important one, if you’re using acrylics or gouache on top, do not use an oil base! Use an acrylic base, the same concepts apply, you will still get the same luminosity and the color theory works the same with acrylics. Because of the drying time of oil, if you put acrylic on top of oils, the acrylics will crack and flake off. Oils can be put on top of acrylics, but never the other way around. Hope that helps!!
@@courtneymyersart thank you for your reply! I hope I don’t bother you🙏🏼 I looked on the Internet, mineral spirit and white spirit are the same, or is there a difference? white spirit can not be mixed with acrylic?
@@naramva I’m more than happy to help!! ☺️ and I’m not quite sure about mineral spirits vs white spirits, I’ll have to look into that, but I believe a lot of acrylic artists just use water to thin out the underpainting/base layer ☺️
so basically you could apply any color as the underpainting and each color will give the paint you put over it a different feel ? So red will make your painting look different than if you used blue for the under painting?
Hello!!! Love your IG and now your RU-vid. I do have a question, if I may. Tried your technique on a brand new canvas and was very excited until I added white, then blue. Although I waited several days, it seems wasn't enough and orange makes both colors look dirty. 😢 Now, I have to wait and use tons of paint until it disappears completely and doesn't ruin the whole thing. Any recommendations? 😳 Thank you!!! 🙏🏻
Couple things! Next time I would try adding just a tiny tiny bit more thinner, you don’t want the underpainting too watery but the more thinner, the quicker it dries. I would leave it for a could more days, one thing that I do before painting sometimes is I take a rag and I give the canvas one final wipe. This picks up any orange that may get mixed with the paint. Your painting is definitely still salvageable, there are many times where I do 2 coats when painting the sky to get the opacity desired. Hope that helps!
@@vittoriablue of course! It definitely takes some trial and error to find that perfect consistency and after years of doing this, I also have underpaintings that aren’t quite right! Sometimes it’s better to wait a couple of extra days if needed to be sure it’s fully dry ☺️
Personally, I use this same orange/red for ever piece. But that could be useful is to do several small trials where you choose different color underpaintings and do a very loose seascape on top of each and see what looks best! 😁
I'm old and still learning. You have some good ideas. You might add the benefit of being better to judge the initial values you put down over a mid toned underpainting.
Beautiful video from a beautiful lady! Questions 1. Why oil as an underpainting and not acrylic, pros and cons? 2. How do you stop your drawing from washing out or disappearing when applying underpainting 3. Do you use one colour throughout or have you ever used say one colour for the background, another for mid ground and foreground etc if so how and what was the outcome? 4 translucent or opaque paint for underpainting? Does it even matter? Many thanks from the UK
Thank you so much!!! 1. It’s really just personal preference, I prefer my paintings to be 100% oil and I find oils to be much richer and more vibrant. 2. I spray the drawing with a workable fixative before painting over it 3. I typically use just the once color, I find it brings luminosity to the colors on top of it, but I’ve seen many people who use other colors or use multiple colors. Maybe I’ll experiment a bit more with this in the future! 4. It doesn’t matter, once you mix the mineral spirits in, it will thin the paint making it translucent. Try to keep the underpainting on the thicker side though, it you overuse mineral spirits, it can make for a weak base. Hope that helps and greetings from the US ☺️♥️
"Using a rag to take away some of the mixture" is "correct," when using the standard Wipe Out method. To be clear, the Wipe Out procedure is just one of several ways to begin an underpainting using thin paint to establish light and dark areas.
Yes, that’s exactly what’s explained in the video. I personal use a one shade wash if you will, but the bistre method is great for establishing lights and darks.
It’s good your concern with mineral spirits and toxicity but you may want to be the same way with the paint . A lot of oil paints are made with heavy metals and are toxic and can be absorbed into your skin . It’s on a parts per million basis but that’s enough that exposure over time could lead to bad health effects. But each to there own don’t wanna be the guy telling a smoker that smoking is bad for them haha 😂
This is incorrect! The vast majority of oil paints are completely safe to use, it’s the thinners and solvents that are added that become toxic. All of the paints I use are completely toxic free and safe to handle. The only things I wouldn’t recommend doing are eating the paints of sanding down an oil painting 😉
I use a glass palette and the underneath is painted a neutral grey. I’ve never had any issues with colors looking different on the palette vs the canvas. In fact, another advantage to using a neutral underpaintings is that colors appear more accurately. Colors tend to look distorted and much much darker than they really are on a pure white canvas. Hope that helps! ☺️
@@courtneymyersart recently I finally got enough money together to buy a good drawing tablet and I would have to say it is a game changer. I love physical painting but digital provides so much more flexibility.
Like i mentioned last vid, very smooth editing and video format, keep up the good work as always. Also, do you sell the paintings??? Id love to hang one in me room (especially Japanese themed):)
Thank you, I’m super happy you liked the video! And yes I do, I should have a few links in my bio to my website where I have both originals and prints available ☺️
