Glazing

[Karin Wells]

A glaze is pure color mixed with medium that is translucent. If you add any white (or other pigmented color) to the mixture, it is called a scumble.

Glazing is generally used to enrich/enhance a color that lies underneath...a result that you can't get by just mixing wet paint.

Sometimes I lay down a wet glaze into a dry area of my painting in order to begin to paint thick light into it. This not only adds color, it makes it convenient so that I am able to paint "wet into wet"...and yes, that destroys the effect of the glaze.

Before you begin to glaze a color, the paint underneath (sometimes an underpainting) needs to be rather finished looking. Glazing does not build or add form to a painted object....think of a glaze as adding more color and "atmosphere."

And for Pete's sake, use some common sense here, if you put a glaze onto a painting and it does nothing to enhance the look, wipe it off before it is dry and try something else.

[Peter Garrett]

Karin!

Perhaps I've missed something. You say "if you add white or any other pigmented paint" (or was it color?) "it becomes a scumble".

My experience seems to be that the important point is the transparency of the pigment. If you use, say, pthalo or transparent quinacridones you definitely don't get a scumble. I agree broadly on white, but even this depends, for example, on whether it is flake, cremnitz, zinc or titanium. All oil paint is pigmented, is it not?

Would you say that whether it's a glaze or a scumble is dependent on the opacity of the pigment? Don't know that it matters as long as the effect is as intended...just intrigued once again by the way art terminology seems to mean different things to different people...

[Michael Georges]

I like to think of a glaze as likening it to a thin pane of colored glass. A glaze should generally be accomplished with transparent or semi-transparent paint. If you glaze with an opaque paint you are likely to get speckles of suspended opaque particles of pigment.

[Karin Wells]

I tend to divide up my palette into "glaze paints" and "pigmented paint."

Some examples of "glaze" paints would be: Alizarin Crimson, Prussian Blue, Raw Sienna, Raw Umber...i.e., they are clear.

Some examples of "pigmented" paint would be:Yellow Ochre, Indian Red, Titanium White...i.e., they are opaque.

Yes, Zinc white is the most transparent white and I use it as a scumble to "cool" an area in a painting.

In general, a glaze adds a layer of color to what is underneath. What I refer to as a scumble is a little bit of "pigmented paint" plus a lot of medium. A scumble will look "milky."

Are the painting terms you use in Australia much different?

[Patt Legg]

I was so happy to find this particular subject for discussion as I have been in such a dilemma about all of this for using various mediums.

Let me say this, I have painted for many years, self-taught, and always used Liquin as I thought it was the only thing. Since then, I experimented (with suggestions from others) with mixtures.

Recently I apprenticed with an artist who teaches in the Dutch, Old Master techniques. Here is how I paint now in the order in which I was taught. Pay close attention please as I have definite questions about my problems afterward.

1. Drawing and umber painting of all the value stages. This umber layer is very thin a vaious degrees of value.

2. After that layer drys. I rub linseed oil directly onto the dry painting. I then proceed thinly painting the "dead color" or local color of the entire painting without any pure color and/or highlights, etc.

3. I continue do several layers but always first rubbing the juice of an onion onto the dry painting, then linseed and always thin my paint if with my "pre-mixed" medium of turp and damar varnish.

4. I will do this onion thing each and every time that I begin painting until the finish of the highlights, pure color. If I do not use the onion and mixture, then I use only my mixture of 1/3 damar, 1/3 turp, 1/3 linseed.

I love painting this way. But the problem.
After this dries, I usually have wet and dry streaks. I do not like to use damar varnish as it is so shiny and glassy. I read that I could use simly "retouch" varnish to finish it.
This drys the same way.

I never had such a problem with the Liquin and then Damar. But have not enjoyed painting with the Liquin as I cannot seem to manipulate or move the paint around and it drys too quickly for me.I must be doing something wrong. I have noticed that these layers have trouble drying at all. They stay quite tacky therefore prohibiting me to do a finish varnish. Help!

Any suggestions are appreciated. And particularialy about the Old Master techniques.

Patt

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Patt, I too find that Liquin dries fairly quickly and I am having a problem with my skin tones looking 'splotchy'. I'm not sure of a better way to describe it. My 'Lady Agnew' after Sargent looks like she put on make-up and didn't do a good job of applying the foundation. I tried using a bigger brush but it didn't solve the problem. I am finding that with glazes each layer shows through and therefore any irregularities pile up on each other and are perhaps exaggerated.

From 3 feet away it looks great, but I know I'm having trouble. Is it possible to use too little pigment with the Liquin? After I put the first layer on I could hardly tell any difference at all. I just waited for that to dry and applied another.

Thanks,
Joan

[Karin Wells]

I'd love to help you guys but from the descriptions of your painting methods I can't figure out what you are doing. Sorry.

The only help I can offer you is how to extend the drying time of Liquin. Winsor Newton has a product called "Blending and Glazing Medium." If you add a couple of drops of that to your puddle of Liquin, it will retard the drying time. This will let you "play" with your paint for a much longer period of time, but it can still dry overnight.

If you really want to extend the time your paint stays wet (days), switch from Liquin to Gamblin's Neo-Megilp.

[Patt Legg]

Thanks to all

Karin, I did not describe the technique very well but it seems that this technique was one of the Old Masters--the artist who does this technique is at http://flemishrealism.com and his name is David Weaver. I think that is his page. As a matter of fact, I just noticed that on the inside cover of The Artists Magazine June 2002, he is there and Maimeri Paints seem to be endorsing him and his work. Check it out and get back to me.

He teaches with and onion and linseed combination. I am certainly not an Art Historian so I do not know, but it seems that years back this was a common practice for the Old Masters, the onion changing the viscosity of the linseed. I love it not only because of slower drying but because you are actually painting onto wet linseed oil which has been applied to the panel or canvas. I actually rub the oil onto the panel with the palm of my hand. Painting into this is so smooth and pleasing.

And Joan, I know what you mean. I understand that paint dries at different intervals and at the end of all the drying process, I then look at it from the side with the light across it and there is shiny and dull areas, probably showing that I worked on it at different times and it dries at different levels. I hate this too and can't seem to get a smooth all over even look in my finished paintings. There is so much to learn about all of this. I have painted many years and yet when it comes to the technical part of mixing this and that, I do get so confused and quite discouraged.

If anyone there would give a run down of their techniques...just what you use as a painting medium while painting and then what do you put on your finished painting?

[Michael Georges]

Patt:

Rubbing Garlic and Onion on paintings has been a practice for many hundreds of years. It is usually used when painting over a dry layer or a layer that is shiny or slick. The garlic or onion applied to the surface will eat into the paint layer a bit and help the adhesion of your subsequent layers.

As to your use of a Damar-based medium. Yes, the damar is what is causing the gloss to the finished work. Actually, it is a hallmark of many Dutch masters that their works are quite glossy and enamel like.

As to the streaking, I suspect it may be caused by the use of the onion and linseed combo. I would exercise care in spreading linseed directly into your painting as it has a tendency to yellow quite a bit over time and it takes forever to dry. I might suggest using a spray instead made of 9 parts rectified turpentine and 1 part stand oil. Apply your onion juice, let it sit for a couple of minutes and wipe it off with a cloth. Then spray this mixture onto the passage you will work on - wait about 3-5 minutes for the turps to evaporate off (ventilation please) and you will be left with a very thin coat of stand oil on the surface. This should mimic your linseed oil and allow you to paint wet into wet without the deliterious effects of the linseed and hopefully, and this is only my guess, it will help with the streaking.

As to your question about retouch varnish, most retouch varnishes are just Damar and Turp. I use them to seal my charcoals and as the first layer after my underpainting to bring the values up to true. I would only use it at the end of the painting if I were fairly confident that the layers underneath were mostly dry. The turp in the retouch will hasten the drying of the top layer, but middle and bottom layers may still be wet - cracking could occur when they fully dry. I recommend waiting at least 6 months before final varnishing. That said, I usually apply a thin coat of my medium to the finished painting to even out all of the areas and bring the gloss to a uniform sheen over the whole painting.

Again, these are just my opinions and my outright guesses in some areas, so take them for what they are. Hope it helps.

[Patt Legg]

Michael, I appreciate your suggestions and all of the information. I will certainly take your advice into considration. The reason I began using the Retouch Varnish is from a suggestion taken from an art magazine (more than likely). I know to wait for at least 6 months to 1 year before a final varnish but the retouch was suggested to use sooner and as a final varnish. The results are not great for me so I definitely will make some kind of change. I get too anxious to finalize my paintings as they seem so uneven in sheen that I want to do something to be able to show the artwork without that "ugly" uneven look.This brings the values up as you said and I like that. Know what I mean?

I have heard that Linseed can yellow over time.I have to try a differnt way. I think this is one of the most diffecult things about painting. There are so many differnt ways and not necessarily wrong just different and the fun part is trying to decide which is for you.
Thanks so much again
Patt