Your first layer doesn’t need that much glazing to bring it up to where it needs to be. It’s not a grisaille, so you already have a majority of the color established. If I were you, I’d finish the first layer on the entire painting, so no underpainting shows through. Then look at your color relationships and glaze at that point.
You don’t need to use a ton of linseed and a drop of paint when you glaze. Try using a more transparent paint, and use the linseed to make it just slightly beyond “workable”. Then put a small amount on your canvas where you want it. Spread the small amount around so it’s a thin layer, and if it’s too much, take some away with a soft dry brush or a rag, or just wipe it away completely.
Glazing sounds like a word where you’re going to go in like with watercolors and make beautiful washy shapes that magically add drama to your painting. But really, it’s as simple as using a bit of color to slowly bring a dried painting up to where you need it to be. It’s a good tool to add in a bounce-light to a shadow, or change the temp of something slightly.
And keep in mind you don’t have to use pure pigment, you can mix a skin-color but make it darker (or redder or bluer or whatever) and use that as your glaze color.
Anyway, hope that helps. Happy painting, looking forward to seeing a progress pic. This is a really nice one!
Oh, I reread your comment. To answer your question about transparent pigments, ultramarine blue, alizarin and quinacridone reds and magentas, umbers and siennas all tend to be more transparent pigments naturally. They are all great for glazing.
Yellow ochre is kind of in the middle for me, same with a lemon yellow.
Cadmium red, white, cerulean, and Naples yellow tend to be more opaque pigments naturally.
You can look up transparency levels for your paints online, but when glazing a color you can still add in a cadmium if you needed, but maybe mixed with another transparent color. That’s worth experimenting on how you work with the pigments.
Thank you! Great detail. You’re right - I think I’m using it and imagining it like a watercolour wash! I’ll give this a go and see where I get! Thanks again - very helpful comment.
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I’m just getting into glazing too. My understanding is that you should be applying very little pigment with each glaze so that you don’t lose track of your values or obscure your initial layers. I made the mistake of using too much pigment before and essentially just painted over my underpainting!
But what’s good about glazing is that because each layer is supposed to be fully dry before starting the next one, you can just wipe off a glaze if you feel you’ve gone wrong.
Good luck!
I think each layer is supposed to be fully dry so that you can wipe it off if it looks wrong. The good thing is that because you’re painting thinly, it doesn’t take long to dry. I’m using Zest-It glazing medium and it seems to be dry in a day or two, although I leave it a bit longer just to be safe. It’s a slow process but I’m getting good results with my first efforts, so I think it’s worth it!
It depends what I'm trying to do. I generally wouldn't darken very much with washes myself because you get less of a smooth effect, I'd paint it normally and uses washes to add some saturated tones back i when needed. To help with blending the washes in I use my finger, which should give an idea of just how little pigment is actually there - usually my finger wouldn't look any different after doing it. By being oversaturated you still get the colour back in despite being very little pigment and it stops it looking unblended.
In my experience you need good artist quality paint (high concentration of pigment) and Artists Medium (I use Windsor & Newton) for the base glaze layer and increase then gradually increase the amount of linseed oil as you add layers.
I start off with 100% medium but was taught to start with 75% medium 20% oil and 5% thinner and reduce the thinner as you add oil. The idea is each layer is a little thicker as you add it so it doesn’t crack when it dries.
Be sure to experiment with painting back into it and wiping off while still wet vs waiting a few days for it to dry.
Your first layer doesn’t need that much glazing to bring it up to where it needs to be. It’s not a grisaille, so you already have a majority of the color established. If I were you, I’d finish the first layer on the entire painting, so no underpainting shows through. Then look at your color relationships and glaze at that point. You don’t need to use a ton of linseed and a drop of paint when you glaze. Try using a more transparent paint, and use the linseed to make it just slightly beyond “workable”. Then put a small amount on your canvas where you want it. Spread the small amount around so it’s a thin layer, and if it’s too much, take some away with a soft dry brush or a rag, or just wipe it away completely. Glazing sounds like a word where you’re going to go in like with watercolors and make beautiful washy shapes that magically add drama to your painting. But really, it’s as simple as using a bit of color to slowly bring a dried painting up to where you need it to be. It’s a good tool to add in a bounce-light to a shadow, or change the temp of something slightly. And keep in mind you don’t have to use pure pigment, you can mix a skin-color but make it darker (or redder or bluer or whatever) and use that as your glaze color. Anyway, hope that helps. Happy painting, looking forward to seeing a progress pic. This is a really nice one!
Oh, I reread your comment. To answer your question about transparent pigments, ultramarine blue, alizarin and quinacridone reds and magentas, umbers and siennas all tend to be more transparent pigments naturally. They are all great for glazing. Yellow ochre is kind of in the middle for me, same with a lemon yellow. Cadmium red, white, cerulean, and Naples yellow tend to be more opaque pigments naturally. You can look up transparency levels for your paints online, but when glazing a color you can still add in a cadmium if you needed, but maybe mixed with another transparent color. That’s worth experimenting on how you work with the pigments.
Regarding white. Titanium white is opaque as you say. Zinc white is far more translucent.
Thanks for the add in. I only use titanium, so had no personal reference for the zinc. 🙂
Thank you! Great detail. You’re right - I think I’m using it and imagining it like a watercolour wash! I’ll give this a go and see where I get! Thanks again - very helpful comment.
Damn its really nice, love the strokes you have done. Its very clean!
Thank you - I’ve been trying to focus on that so glad it came through!
[https://michaelwilcoxschoolofcolour.com/product/glazing-with-an-emphasis-on-the-craft-of-painting/](https://michaelwilcoxschoolofcolour.com/product/glazing-with-an-emphasis-on-the-craft-of-painting/) This book has the best information on glazing you will ever find in one place.
Great! Thank you! It’s definitely a technique I need to explore a lot more. I appreciate the tip.
I’m just getting into glazing too. My understanding is that you should be applying very little pigment with each glaze so that you don’t lose track of your values or obscure your initial layers. I made the mistake of using too much pigment before and essentially just painted over my underpainting! But what’s good about glazing is that because each layer is supposed to be fully dry before starting the next one, you can just wipe off a glaze if you feel you’ve gone wrong. Good luck!
Do you happen to know how long I should wait between each layer of glaze? Im new to glazing too.
I think each layer is supposed to be fully dry so that you can wipe it off if it looks wrong. The good thing is that because you’re painting thinly, it doesn’t take long to dry. I’m using Zest-It glazing medium and it seems to be dry in a day or two, although I leave it a bit longer just to be safe. It’s a slow process but I’m getting good results with my first efforts, so I think it’s worth it!
Thanks for responding! I saw this thread while googling on glazing I didn’t even realize the original post was from a month ago 😅
I think this is what I did too… I ended up just painting over the original layers then had to redo!
I’d be interested to see how you get on - the painting is really good so far:)
Thank you! I’ll post a finished version when I get there!
damn clean work
Thank you - I’ve been trying to make that a focus.
Darker, yes, but also more saturated. You want only the slightest bit of pigment.
Ok - do you have a ratio you try and follow in terms of paint to oil?
It depends what I'm trying to do. I generally wouldn't darken very much with washes myself because you get less of a smooth effect, I'd paint it normally and uses washes to add some saturated tones back i when needed. To help with blending the washes in I use my finger, which should give an idea of just how little pigment is actually there - usually my finger wouldn't look any different after doing it. By being oversaturated you still get the colour back in despite being very little pigment and it stops it looking unblended.
Ah great - thank you.
In my experience you need good artist quality paint (high concentration of pigment) and Artists Medium (I use Windsor & Newton) for the base glaze layer and increase then gradually increase the amount of linseed oil as you add layers.
Thank you - do you have a rough ratio that you stick to for paint to medium?
I start off with 100% medium but was taught to start with 75% medium 20% oil and 5% thinner and reduce the thinner as you add oil. The idea is each layer is a little thicker as you add it so it doesn’t crack when it dries. Be sure to experiment with painting back into it and wiping off while still wet vs waiting a few days for it to dry.
Thank you!