Glazing Technique in Oil Painting

Art Lesson 30, Part 7

Discover what Glazing Technique in Oil Painting is

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Glazing Technique in Oil Painting

We have reached the last stage of the painting process – we are going to finish the painting in Glazes and Velaturas. We will use Stand Linseed Oil as the Glazing Medium. We need a stiff Hog Brush; with its help, we will cover the whole surface of the painting in a thin glaze layer. We take undiluted Stand Oil, add a bit of Yellow and rub the paint into the surface with circular movements, trying to spread the paint as thinly as possible. I tried the glaze on the canvas and decided to go for a bigger and stiffer Brush – it spreads the paint better.

Now, while the glaze layer is wet and flexible, we prepare a mix for applying Velaturas (semi-transparent glazes). Venetian Red, Yellow Ocher and White are in the mix (all Colors from the Titian Palette). Of course, we need a Medium for that – Stand Oil is our usual choice. We apply Velaturas in shades – for now, the shades look too dark and we have to lighten them.

We also set up highlights over the wet and viscous layer of Glaze we applied beforehand – it gives a very nice integration of the paint into the lower wet layers. Highlights could be laid densely, or on the contrary, they could be easily blended and gradually disappear in halftones.

At the end, we can improve a hairstyle in a few loose brushstrokes.

We are done with the glazing. As this is a short demonstration of the painting technique, we can stop at this point. However, when we do a proper artwork, it could require many sessions of Glazing painting. During the process, we can combine Glazings with Velaturas to improve the color and overall visual appearance of the painting.