Gray-Layer, Oil Painting Techniques also known as the "Dead Layer"

The gray-layer, in oil painting techniques. This is also called the dead layer, because, well, it looks dead. No color.

Life comes to the painting after this layer with the color layers. But for now, you will establish all of your shadowing in greater detail, your half tones, and the modeling of each object in the painting.

You should spend your most efforts and time in this layer. You get this layer right, and the rest will fall like water off the roof. Smooooth! and easy!

Lets start with your dead layer color mixture.

The photo below shows how to mix your black. Using 2 parts black, 1 part burnt umber(for drying enhancement) and 1/8 part ultramarine blue (for deepening your black).

Now that you have your black mixed. Use it to create your other gray tones. See the Palette for an example.

OH! Before I forget! Between each layer, before you oil out, link to umber page which you do for each layer, you will take a razor blade that has had it's corner rounded on a grinding wheel to scrap your painting surface.

You can do this with a wide blade palette knife also. This removes dust, brush hairs, and any other objects that prevent your surface from being smooth. See below photo.

After scrapping and oiling out, we can begin the gray-layer. You start by appling paint. Here in photo I'm adding paint to the background. I use a small round brush to do this. This allows for an equal distribution of paint and also allows some of the umber layer to show through.

This helps make sure you're not overpowering your contrast range! Keep the gray layer close to the underlying umber and your overall contrast of the painting is preserved.

I then begin to correct and blend with my medium and large mop dry brush.

This technique of applying paint, correcting, then blending is not only used in the gray-layer, but is repeated through all steps except the finishing.

You use less blending on the final layer as you want the thick paint to stand out of the canvas. A small trick to capture more of the available room light.

Here's another example of applying the gray layer mixtures,

Then correcting and blending with the soft, mop dry brush.

And here again a 3rd example of the gray-layer,of applying paint, correcting then blending.

Here's another tip about the correcting part of this technique. I usually apply paint with a small round brush. I then correct with a filbert or flat. You can also use a worn out round. Your goal is to remove excess paint, blend edges of two different shades, or push more paint where needed. This happens on round surfaces, in flat surfaces that contain shadows, etc. Preserve your hard edges for the final layers.

Below is the completed close up of the finished gray layer!

"A Real Art Lesson" by artist DG Phelps

60 Day Money Back Guarantee!

Don't forget to click "return to vendor website" box to receive the download link!

Not Sure?

More information on this offer

Back to Top of "gray-layer, oil painting techniques"

<>