My Materials - Painters Online

Welcome
How to use this e-book
Imprimatura is the first in my series of ‘Learn Painting in an
Hour’ workbooks. Each book is dedicated to one of the
key skills or principles in traditional painting, and has a
straightforward step by step project for you to follow.
Further in depth, structured and personalised training can
be found by enrolling at my Norfolk Painting School, or
online via our Home Study program, the first volume of
which will be available in Spring 2011
Home Study offers tuition via an online studio experience,
whilst the original Norfolk Painting School is my real life
teaching studio, offering short courses to small groups of
students each week.
The examples in this book are done in my preferred
medium oils, but you will find them applicable to most
mediums.
Visit the Norfolk
Painting School
Visit Martin’s
Website
Download Free
extras
What is an Imprimatura?
Imprimatura literally means ‘first
painting’ and refers to the wash
of colour placed over the white
priming on a support.
In this diagram of a large oil
study the pinkish Imprimatura
can be seen beneath the
brushmarks; giving the work a
lively warmth
An Imprimatura is simply a
translucent layer of paint
sandwiched between the white
support and the painting itself
How the Imprimatura works
The imprimatura creates an optical effect
on anything painted over it, depending on
exactly how this is done you can make the
finished picture seem:
•More vibrant (complementary)
•Less vibrant (harmonic)
•More Spontaneous
•Glowing and luminous
As the imprimatura is the first thing you’ll
paint, it must be thought out before you
begin.
The imprimatura shows through the
overpainting, creating an optical effect.
Opacity
Imprimaturas only work if
you allow them to show
through subsequent painting,
so you must either:
1.
Work loosely over them,
allowing uncovered areas
to remain
2.
Work translucently over
them allowing them to
show through the
overpainting to a degree.
In this example the
pinkish imprimatura is
clearly visible between
the brushstrokes
In this example the pink
imprimatura was
overpainted with a thin
translucent sky colour
creating a subtle
luminosity
Vibrant Imprimaturas
To make a picture more vibrant
the imprimatura should be
roughly the opposite of the
main colour used on the final
painting; great if your work
needs a bit of life!
For example a bluish sky picture
will appear more vibrant if
painted over an orangey
imprimatura
Any two opposites on
The colour wheel will
create this simple
illusion of vibrancy.
I used an orange
imprimatura, scumbled
over with blue to get this
lively effect, any 2
opposites or
complementary colours
would work!
Harmonic Imprimaturas
Basing your imprimatura on an
adjacent colour to the principal
one in your intended painting
will create an harmonic effect;
ideal if you have trouble making
your work look cohesive.
For example a yellow green is
good for sunlit woods, a blue
green for a colder picture; a pine
forest, in both cases the
harmonic imprimatura will ‘bind’
your painting together.
This sea painting was started an
harmonic imprimatura of blue
and green, ideal for tying the
complex overpainting together.
Simple Imprimaturas
The simplest imprimatura can be
made from a single colour,
washed over the entire support.
Traditional colours for this are
pink, buff, pale grey, and violet,
but any soft colour will do.
Experiment with opacity, and
saturation to get different effects,
but remember to choose a
complementary or harmonic
scheme.
Venetian Red is a
traditional choice for
landscape, particularly
woods.
Constable often chose
buff Yellow Ochre plus
White as a rough
complementary for
bright sky studies
Ultramarine Violet is a
great harmonic choice
for seascapes
Split Imprimaturas
A split imprimatura is based on two
colours, one for the ‘sky’ the second
for the ‘land’.
Dutch artists such as Jakob Ruisdael
(1599-1588), often used a
complementary salmon pink for the
sky, and a more harmonic Sienna for
the ground in their landscape
paintings.
Try this double system with one
colour for lit areas of your painting,
and a second for shaded ones.
For this landscape I used a salmon pink
mixed from Venetian Red and Raw
Sienna for the sky, and a more harmonic
Burnt Umber for the ground.
The more saturated these are the more
effect they will have on the overpainting.
Colour Beginnings
JWM Turner (1786-1840),
developed a type of imprimatura he
called a ‘colour beginning’ .
Rather than apply a complete wash
Turner placed masses of bright
colour under his principal shapes.
Once this was dry he used it as a
base to develop the forms from,
creating luminosity and unity.
Try Turner’s system with translucent
paints to get more luminosity in your
work
This 40 inch study after
Turner was started with
a freely applied ‘colour
beginning’ (above),
which was rapidly
developed into a glowing
‘landscape (left)
How to Make a Simple
Imprimatura
My Materials
•Venetian Red oil paint
•Solvent (white spirit)
•Primed canvas
•A large brush
•Paper towel
Method
1. Mix up a wash of paint, using ample
white spirit
2. Apply freely to the support
3. Wipe excess paint away with a paper
towel
4. Allow to dry (approx 10 minutes)
before working over the canvas as
normal.
Tip
Prepare a number of these at one go
This is a great way to prepare panels for
traditional portraits such as this study after
Rembrandt, shown here in an early
Stage of ‘blocking in’ over the
Imprimatura.
How to Make a Split
Imprimatura
My Materials
•Venetian Red oil paint
•Raw Sienna oil paint
•Solvent (white spirit)
•Primed canvas
•A large brush
Paper towel
Method
1. Mix up a wash of paint for the sky ,
using ample white spirit
2. Apply freely to the support
3. Wipe excess paint away with a paper
towel
4. Repeat for the ground colour
5. Allow to dry (approx 10 minutes)
before working over the canvas as
normal.
Tip
Turn the support on its side to prevent the
washes running over each other.
This simple marine study was begun with simple
washes which lend life and luminosity to painting,
as this image of the unfinished study shows.
How to Make a Colour
Beginning
My Materials
•Transparent Earth Red oil paint
•Cerulean Blue oil paint
•Yellow Ochre oil paint
•Ultramarine Violet oil paint
•Solvent (white spirit)
•Primed canvas
•A large brush
Paper towel
Method
1. Mix up a wash of paint, using ample white
spirit
2. Apply freely to the support in selected
areas allowing the washes to blend slightly
3. Wipe excess paint away with a paper
towel, cutting back to the white support to
suggest light sources
4. Allow to dry (approx 10 minutes) before
working over the canvas as normal.
Tip
Use translucent paint over a white ground for
maximum luminosity.
This atmospheric
picture of ‘Dawn
over Wells’ started
life as a simple
colour beginning
Other Mediums
Water based paints
Dry Mediums
Copyright Notice
Imprimaturas must be sound enough to work
over, therefore Acrylic, which sets to a waterproof
finish is the ideal water based option. Acrylic also
makes a good alternative to a solvent based wash,
if you prefer to work in a low solvent studio.
The effect of a broken imprimatura is easily
achieved with pastels over tinted paper.
Martin Kinnear
Watercolour and Gouache are
re-soluble, and therefore not ideal for this
technique; although the latter is opaque enough
to use over tinted card or paper.
Experienced artists can have some success with
Turner’s ‘Colour Beginning’ technique and loose
watercolour overpainting.
Generally speaking dry media (chalks, pastels, oil
pastels, coloured pencils) do not have the same
scope for translucency as paint, therefore some of
the luminous effects possible with oils cannot be
replicated.
Further Information
This technique, and much more, is covered in my
online course a free example of which can be
downloaded from
www.norfolkpaintingschooldirect.com/trial
© 2010 Norfolk Painting School Direct. All rights
reserved. These notes are for your personal use as
part of the Norfolk Painting School Direct
distance learning programme. Unless otherwise
specified, these digitised notes are for your
personal and non commercial use. You may not
modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display,
reproduce, translate, photocopy, publish, license,
create derivative notes or work from, transfer or
sell any information obtained from these notes
without the written permission of Norfolk
Painting School.
Where do you go from here?
Norfolk Painting School
Design your perfect painting course
Painting is a personal journey, so at the Norfolk Painting School we offer a range of ways to learn that can fit around your time and lifestyle.
Any of our routes to learning can be combined into a tailor made package which you can mix and match to suit your individual needs. For
more advice simply visit our website here and book a free consultation with your painting tutor.
Read an
Ebook
E books are inexpensive
and informative guides
to specific aspects of
painting, written to be
accessible to all levels of
ability they are an great
introduction to the key
areas of painting. E
book projects are not
moderated by the
School
Work through
a Project
Paint with Martin
Kinnear step by step
with one of our
illustrated, rich media
Projects. Based on a
single painting, each
project is an ideal way to
practice skills learned
through the School, and
chargeable moderation
is available for Projects
based on courses you
have taken
©Norfolk Painting School Direct 2010
Study at
Home
Take our proven course
in traditional oil painting
from the comfort of
your own studio, based
around 9
comprehensive
workbooks the course
includes dozens of
projects which you can
complete privately, or
upload to the tutor for
optional chargeable
moderation
Take a live
class
Live classes run at the
Norfolk Painting School
from Feb – Dec each
year, and enable you to
question the tutors,
watch them at work and
experience at your easel
tuition. Classes are
limited to just 8 students
so book early to ensure
your place.
Optional Moderation
All of our routes to learning contain exercises to help you practice the
important skills covered in them.
Distance learning courses rarely offer moderation, as it is time consuming
and expensive, however we have a unique approach to meeting your needs.
All of our exercises (except e-books) are available with optional
moderation; that is 1 to 1 feedback from your tutor, Martin Kinnear at
incremental cost.
In this way, you can get extra personalised tuition for the things that are
most important to you, but don’t pay for tuition you don’t feel you need.
Moderated tuition is delivered in the most appropriate form for the exercise
as determined by the tutor, this could include, e-mail, telephone, instant
messaging, video messaging or even having digital images of your work in
progress corrected with photo manipulation software.
To find out more about moderation tuition, and what you can expect to
receive see workbook 1
©Norfolk Painting School Direct 2010
E- book Option
If you like Martin’s articles, you’ll love his e-books, as they are expanded
and illustrated workbooks based on his pieces in ‘The Artist’ ‘Paint’ ‘Artists
& Illustrators’ and ‘Leisure Painter’ .
E books are written with the beginner in mind, but cover fundamental
subjects such as tonal planning, colour mixing and key techniques such as
glazing or scumbling.
Unlike our other routes to learning, e-books are not available with
chargeable moderation, they are simply stand alone booklets for you to
work through at your own pace; making them an ideal introduction to
learning from home.
E-books are available to download from as little as £5 making them
a great way to try home study or learn a little more about one of the
key concepts in traditional oil painting
©Norfolk Painting School Direct 2010
Project Option
Project workbooks are detailed, media rich documents, each taking you
step by step with Martin Kinnear, through one of his Norfolk Painting
School paintings.
Projects are rated from Beginner, through to Intermediate and
Advanced, and while you can download any project at ant time,
moderation is only available for projects you have undertaken study
courses of the appropriate level for.
Our online course unlocks moderation for Foundation projects, whilst
home study for Intermediate and Advanced projects will be available
soon (and can be taken at the School at any time, subject to your
experience).
Projects include everything from Martin’s most
popular paintings to copies of Old Masters,
with each step described in detail for you to
follow at home
©Norfolk Painting School Direct 2010
Home Study Option
Work Book 1
Techniques from
glazing to thinking
like a painter
Work Book 2
Full descriptions of each course unit can be read
online at www.norfolkpaintingschooldirect.com
Workbook 1 covers our Foundation courses and is a
comprehensive introduction to oil painting with 22 multi
part exercises, many available with pay-as-you-go
moderation
Workbook 2 covers our Intermediate courses, with
particular reference to picture planning and developing
styles for different types of work
Proven Methods for
painting outdoors or in
the studio
WorkBook 2
Old Master secrets to
inspire and give your
work the edge.
©Norfolk Painting School Direct 2010
Workbook 3 covers our Advanced courses (past and
present) with particular emphasis on important Old
Masters, technical studio work and the practical use of
scientific optics and colour perception.
Live Study Option
The Norfolk Painting School provides a structured program
of practical 2, 3 and 5 day courses in the studio of and with
Martin Kinnear.
All courses are based on our proven ‘tell – show – do’
method. First Martin will tell you about a technique, then he
will demonstrate it for you at his easel, finally you will try it
for yourself under his instruction.
To facilitate this, classes are limited to just 8 students, and
classes of five or more will be taught by both Martin and a
professional Assistant Tutor whom he has trained. In this
manner the School provides only around 400 student places
per year; so please check the website for availability before
planning your visit.
All materials for use on the courses are supplied; all you need
to bring is an open mind and lots of enthusiasm!
A full list of courses, prices and dates can be viewed online at
www.norfolkpaintingschool.com
©Norfolk Painting School Direct 2010
©2010, Norfolk Painting School. Church St, North Creake, Norfolk , NR21 9AD.
Tel 01328 730203 e [email protected]