Paint on a Dark Ground With Oil Paints
There's a certain brilliant glow and dark, moody atmosphere to a painting when a dark ground is used. This classical technique, employed by artists like Rembrandt, involves laying down a coat of dark paint on top of a primed canvas before painting along with a few other steps that result in a luminous effect. Dark grounds also serve as an ideal basis for the strong lighting of chiaroscuro. Here's paint on a dark ground with oil paints.
Instructions
1. Start with a primed canvas or other painting surface. Ensure that the gesso is completely dry.
2. Apply a thin, opaque layer of dark pigment to the surface of the canvas. If you choose to use black, add in a bit of red, blue or another color to give it more depth and interest. Allow this layer to dry completely.
3. Sketch in the main outlines of your painting. How much detail you put in at this point is up to you. Allow the sketch to dry.
4. Underpaint in grisaille (shades of gray). Leave the darkest areas unpainted so the ground shows through.
5. Model tones in frotties (semi-transparent tones in a glaze or thinly spread paint). Allow to dry.
6. Apply the upper layers of paint, starting with the mid tones. Keep the tones light to allow for later glazes.
7. Paint in the lightest highlights and allow them to dry.
8. Apply tinted glazes on top to add in golden tones of hair, flushed skin, and other colored areas of the painting.
