Execution of Dead Color- Under-paint by Master Algrim. 2017
When you have completed the underdrawing is the second stage “dead-coloring”. To day it is called underpainting. Under the Renaissance was dead-color one of the key-techniques and this pictorial strategy was used until the French Revolution. Without an adequate theoretical knowledge and mastery of the technique you will not be able to achieve a satisfactory art-work. Why it is called dead-color is the lack of color used in this technique only 2-3. (Lead-white or lead thin yellow, raw umbra and maybe som boneblack in the final stage). Dead-coloring was so important that it vas mandatory in the Flemish-school.
Dead-color technique is seldom used by artist to day. Because they dont understand why they shall use so mush time to paint with dead-color and then cover it with new paint. To day most of the artists paint directly on a white commercial-prepared and cheap canvas, with a full color palett. Often even without a plan or drawing on the canvas as a resolve of that, they dont understand why the function and the practice of underpainting/dead-coloring is comprehended.
Dead-color technique is a kind of a monochrome version of the final painting. The advantage is that the artist can fully concentrate to the main compositional elements, details, volum, contrast,
anatomi and create illumination of dark and light. I recommend to execute the dead-color painting with an chiaroscuro effect. It was more or less common to “block out” areas with dull colors witch anticipated the final colors. (This technique must not be confuse with “hounding” wish I will talk about later). Following this block-out metode, each individual area will “merging” with the final color in a flat tint.
If the dead color technique is done correctly, you will experience that this does not complicate the painting-process. You will also understand that it will save you a lot of time and a lot of frustration in the long run. A much better final result is obtainable. If you master the basic technique the artist will understand the logic in dead color underpainting.
PAIN
How would a dead-color painting appear? In theory it would be pleasant to see a “finished” and correctly preformed dead-color painting and it would be fully possible to “communicate” with the artwork already on this stage. It would of course miss the entirety a finished work produces with it`s color, depth, final details and texture.
In theory you can use almost any earth-pigments for dead-color. But it is important that you find a “neutral” color that will communicate with the colors you plan to use in the next layer.
Raw Umbra is the most common pigment that has been used. If you buy a quality-pigment (not chemically preformed) the Raw Umbra has a green-like tone. But as it is for all the earth-pigments, the color and how the pigment behaves depends on where it is extracted since there are big varieties geographically.
The way the pigment is grinned and cleansed is also determining in prominence for how the pigment will be to work with. Buy quality and not necessarily from the big and globalized producers when these has profit and not always quality as their first priority. It is a connection with quality and prise! It exists producers that has specialized in presenting high-quality nature-pigments for fine art use.
The preparation of the canvas has to be neutral and correctly done. This means that the preparation is stable and at the same time flexible for corresponding with the canvas. It has to be matte, free of dust an “sucking” so the underpainting attach to the preparation, fat on lean. ( go to preparation of canvas)
The dead-color pigment is grinned in the usual way with cleansed Walnut-oil (go to cleansing of oil) with a grinder on a toughened glass-surface (go to painting). The medium to the dead-color painting has to be “thin” and can rationally mixed with one part oil and tree parts solvent such as turpentine or lavendel. It is hard to describe the correct texture and “flow” on the dead-color painting, but the darker parts of the painting should be laid with “mezzapasta” witch means half-pasta in Italian.
