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A Painter's Process

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A Painter's Process L I V I N G C R A F T A P A I N T E R’S P R O C E S S EDITION FOURTEEN: TABLE OF CONTENTS AND TEXT SELECTIONS T A D S P U R G E O N Z O E T R O P E THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHT © TAD SPURGEON -, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Except for small portions to be quoted in a review, no portion of this book may be reproduced in any way, shape, or form without the express written consent of the author. Quotations from Oil Painting Techniques and Materials by Harold Speed, The Craftsman’s Handbook by Cennino d’Andrea Cennini, and Methods and Materials of Painting of the Great Schools and Masters by Sir Charles Eastlake used by permission from Dover Publications. Quotation from Novum Organum by Francis Bacon, translated and edited by Peter Urbach and John Gibson, by permission from Open Court Publishing Company. Published in the United States by Zoetrope Cover, design and typography by Zoetrope Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania First edition May Fourteenth edition October PAPERBACK ISBN ---- With regard to authority, it is the greatest weakness to attribute infinite credit to particular authors, and to refuse his own prerogative to time, the author of all authors, and, therefore, of all authority. For, truth is rightly named the daughter of time, not of authority. It is not wonderful, therefore, if the bonds of antiquity, authority, and unanimity, have so enchained the power of man, that he is unable (as if bewitched) to become familiar with things themselves. – Francis Bacon Novum Organum, TABLE OF CONTENTS Formulas x Acknowledgments xiii Major Sources xiv To the Intrepid Reader xv INTO THE LABYRINTH . The Frame of Reference . Older Practice . Wonder CONCEPTS . A Mysterious Portal . The Creative Dialogue . In Plain Sight . Simplicity . Synthesis . Balance . Authenticity . The Long View . Process ASPECTS . Nature . The Painter’s Art History . Scholarship . Criticism . Alberti’s Triad . Drawing . Water Mediums . The Transition to Paint . Photographs . Memory . Rough and Smooth . The Structure of Style . The Narrative Moment . Creative Tension . The Value Scale . Physical Scale . Composition . Rhythm . Brushwork . Edges . The Axioms COLOUR . An Unruly Lexicon . The Quest for Dimension . The Logic of Light . Temperature i . Observed and Mixed Colour . Colour Blocks . Contrast . Value and Temperature Relation . Chromatic Relativity . The Greek Key T. The Tetrachrmatkón . Transparent, Translucent, and Opaque . Axes of Differentiation . Colour Types . The Envelope . Spatial Convention Overview . Dimensional Scale . Colour Key . Theory and Practice . The Art of Black . The Worlds of Gray . Unity . The Grammar of Colour . Spatial Convention Chronology MATERIALS . Time . Space . A Craft of One’s Own .. Types of Written Craft .. The Most Reliable Resource .. Supplies .. Notebook .. Tools .. Safe Practice .. Easel .. Palette .. Test Panels T. Paint & Medium Test Panel T. Incremental Test Panel .. Long-Term Technical Issues . Structure . Supports .. Stretchers .. Canvas ... Bulk Priming .. Paper ... Increasing Stability .. Paper Board .. Panels ... Hardboard ... Quality Plywood ... Fabric on Panel Techniques ... Unattached Fabric on Panel ... OMG Panels . Size Overview ii . Grounds .. Commercial Grounds .. Relative Absorbency .. The Traditional Stone Dusts .. Stretched Canvas .. Glue Gesso ... Gypsum Gesso ... Chalk and Marble Dust Gesso ... Paradoxical Gesso ... Glue Gesso Techniques .. PVA Size and Ground .. Acrylic Size and Ground ... Acrylic or PVA Ground with Gypsum .. Methyl Cellulose Size and Ground ... Methyl Cellulose Stabilizer .. Oil Grounds ... The Imprimatura or Toned Ground . Brushes .. Brush Types .. Using Brushes .. The Brush Tip .. Brush Care .. Painting Knives . Oil Paint .. Commercial Paint T. Medium to Commercial Paint Ratios .. Handmade Paint .. Handmade Tempera ... Methyl Cellulose Tempera . Recommended Colours .. Primary Colours .. Secondary Colours ... Brown Pigment Nomenclature Issues .. Black .. Earth Colours .. Emulating Historic Pigments .. Traditional Extenders .. White Overview ... Titanium Alterations .. Lead White ... Traditional Lead White Variations ... The Transparentizing of Lead White ... Unwashed Lead White . The Oil T. Drying Rates of the Major Painting Oils .. Paint Film Overview .. Linseed Oil ... The Darkening Potential of Linseed Oil ... Causes of Darkening ... Prevention of Darkening .. Walnut Oil .. Hemp Oil iii .. Poppy Oil .. Further Slow Drying Oils .. Further Quick Drying Oil . Refining the Oil .. The Colour of the Oil .. Organic Flax Oils .. Refining Procedure Overview .. Traditional Refining Procedures ... Chemistry of the Process ... Refining Ingredients .. Water, Sand, and Salt Refining ... Storing and Aging the Oil ... Refining Details and Adjustments .. Emulsion Prewashes .. Larger Scale Refining .. Water and Salt Refining .. Water-Alone Refining ... Improving Commercially Refined Oil .. Alcohol Refining .. Boiling Water Refining .. Snow Refining .. Emulsion Refining ... Roland’s Liquid Soap Refining ... Methyl Cellulose Refining ... Ground Silica Refining ... Chlorophyllin Refining ... Water-Soluble Beeswax Refining .. Prior Oxygenation .. Refining Summary . Solvents . Driers .. Primary Drier Overview .. Primary Drier Alternatives MEDIUMS & VARNISHES . Proportion and Evolution T. Relative Ingredient Proportions .. Medium Types .. Medium Characteristics .. Fat Over Lean T. Fat Over Lean in Practice Examples ... Fat Over Lean in Practice ... Fat and Lean Materials .. Layers and Increments ... Alla Prima Incremental System ... Indirect Incremental System T. Indirect Medium to Paint Ratios ... Medium to Paint Ratios T. Saturating Medium to Paint Ratios T. Saturating Medium Ratios in Layers ... The Number of Layers .. Creating Mediums iv .. Using Mediums .. Historic Medium Patterns ... The th Century Dilemma .. Stabilization and Sequestering ... The Sequestering Agents T. Sequestering Agent Ratios . Oil Mediums T. Oil Types and their Characters .. Aged Oil .. Autoxidized Oils T. Relative Oil Thickness ... Minimizing Autoxidized Oil Yellowing T. Mixing Oils to Minimize Yellowing .. Preheated Oils .. Thickened Oils ... Handmade Prepolymerized Oils ... Commercial Prepolymerized Oils .. Leaded Oils ... Basic Leaded Oil ... Other Leaded Oils ... Leaded Oil Details ... Unsun Oil ... Unsun-Solvent Mediums ... Ecks ... Leaded Oil Conclusion .. Mixed Oil Mediums T. Prepolymerized Oil Comparison . Conditioning Mediums T. Example Conditioning Ratios .. Oil Conditioning ... Oil-in-Oil Thixotropy ... High Oil Phase Emulsion Overview . The Putty Medium T. Putty Ratios and Use .. Putty to Paint Ratios .. The Stone Dusts .. Putty Additions ... Dry Additions ... Thicker Oil Additions ... Resin Additions ... Water-based Additions .. Putty in Use .. Basic Putty Formulas .. Fused Damar-Beeswax Oil or Putty .. Putty Exercises . Silica Gel Mediums .. Silica Gel Proportions ... Silica and Water Gel ... Silica Gel and the Putty Medium ... Gel de Gent . Resin Mediums .. Resin History v . Soft Resin Varnishes and Mediums T. Resin Ratings .. Damar Resin ... Fused Damar ... Incremental Fused Damar and Egg White .. Mastic Resin T. Incremental System Example ... Mastic Gel Mediums ... Roberson’s Medium .. The Balsams ... A Small Amount of Pine Resin ... Cold Balsam Medium ... Fused Balsam Medium ... Rubens, Resin, and Solvent ... Balsam, Oil and Solvent Medium ... Mobile Larch Medium .. Alternate Soft Resins ... Spirit Copal or Sandarac Concentrate . Hard Resin Varnishes and Mediums .. Sandarac Varnish .. Copal Varnish ... Copal Oil Medium ... Rembrandt Peale’s Copal Vehicle .. Amber Varnish ... Methods and Amber Oil ... Amber Spirit Varnishes .. Strasbourg Method . Emulsion Mediums .. Egg Emulsion Mediums ... Tempera Grassa T. Oil and Water Phase Tempera ... Tempera Grassa Using Commercial Paint .. High Oil Phase Emulsion Mediums ... Egg White Emulsions ... Starch Emulsions ... Starch Emulsion Additions ... Starch and Fused Damar ... Glue or Methyl Cellulose Emulsions ... Cherry and Almond Gum Emulsions ... Gum Tragacanth Emulsions ... Gum Arabic Emulsions .. Compound Egg Emulsions .. Silica Gel Emulsions . Beeswax .. Soft Resin, Oil, & Beeswax Mediums ... Fused Damar, Oil, & Beeswax ... Fused Balsam, Oil, & Beeswax ... Sandarac or Copal with Oil & Beeswax ... Triple Boiled Oil with Balsam & Beeswax ... Commercial Oil with Balsam & Beeswax ... Egg Yolk with Resin & Beeswax .. Combined Soft Resin, Oil, & Beeswax vi .. Water-Soluble Beeswax .. Hardened Beeswax .. Other Waxes . Traditional Liquid Soap . Drying, Removal, Grinding Back . Final Varnishing .. Traditional Varnishes ... Traditional Varnishes in Use ... Oil as a Temporary Final Coating .. Modern Varnishes ... Modern Varnishes in Use .. Matte Finish .. When to Varnish . Framing METHODS . Animation and Organization . Paint Handling . Paint Development . The Triads .. Single Triad Palettes ... The Tetrachromatikón ... Vivid Tetrachromatikón ... Classical with Modern Pigments ... Cool Process ... Painterly Process ... Dark Transparent ... Light Opaque .. Four Colour Palettes ... Modern Vivid ... Modern Grounded ... Painterly Process with Black ... Constable Study ... Valenciennes Study ... French th Century: Low Chroma ... Seascape or Dry Season
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