Underpainting

The traditional stage in oil painting of using a MONOCHROME or DEAD COLOR as a base for composition. Also known as laying in.<br><br>The traditional stage in oil painting of using a monochrome or dead color as a base for composition. Also known as laying in.<br><br>The first, thin transparent laying in of color in a painting.<br><br> A layer of color or tone applied to the painting surface before the painting itself is begun, to establish the general compositional masses, the lights and darks (values) in the composition, or as a color to affect/mix with subsequent layers of color. Underpainting is generally a thin, semi-opaque layer of paint.<br><br>The layer or layers of color on a painting surface applied before the overpainting, or final coat. There are many types of underpainting. One type is an all-over tinting of a white ground. Another is a blocked out image in diluted oil paints that serves as a guide for the painter while developing the composition and color effects.Also see abbozzo, azurite, grisaille, pochade, and sinopia.