Madonna and Child – How to Paint Red Draperies in Oils

Art Lesson 42, Part 8

Discover how to Paint Red Draperies in Oils

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How to Paint Red Draperies in Oils

It’s time to proceed to the drapery.

We start with a grisaille Underpainting. This technique has already been demonstrated to you in one of the previous video lessons.

Session One

Now we are ready to add color over the well-dried surface of our Underpainting. We prepare the first Glaze, which is pure Scarlet Lake thinned with Stand Linseed Oil. The red drapery will have a sequence of transparent red Glazes over the white Underpainting.

To cover the blueish dark shades, we make the Glaze almost opaque – just use pure paint, with little or no Medium at all. Apply the paint opaquely in shades; but in lighted areas, spread the paint in a thin, transparent coat. Increase the opacity of the shades if required. Do not smooth out the transition between shades and lights; vivid brush strokes add a picturesque effect to the painting.

The fabric will be painted in a rich red color, so the warm reflections will be present in the yellow pattern of the blue dress. Such strong reflections make the yellow pattern appear metallic. We will also paint a red reflection on the child’s leg. This reflection on the skin is more diffused. After that, we can set the canvas aside to dry or work on other parts of the composition.

Session Two

We can continue after the Glaze is completely dry. There is no rush to make the fabric as red as you would like it to be with the very first coat of Glaze. Do not try to apply the Glaze thickly. Color intensity can be reached by a succession of transparent layers.

Session Three

We continue over a completely dry surface. Oil Paints used for the Glaze is the same: Scarlet Lake, thinned with Stand Linseed Oil. Do not forget to wait till each layer of paint is well-dried before applying the next one.

To recap, here is a speed demonstration of the painting process for the red drapery.