By Jim Hingst
In this story, Jim Hingst explains how glazes are made and how to use glazes in painting.
What is a Glaze?
Ever since the advent
of oil painting, painters have utilized glazes, which are transparent layers of
paint applied over layers of dried, opaque paint. The Old Masters, such as Caravaggio,
Hals, Vermeer and Titian, would first paint the subject primarily using a monochrome
scheme of colors, such as greys or earth tones. For portraiture, tones of green
were frequently used in the underpainting.
After
the initial opaque layer had completely dried, the painter would apply transparent
layers of paint. These transparent layers would tint the painting just as if
you had overlaid the grey painting with colored films.
The
transparent layers typically do not physically mix with the dried layer below (or underpainting). Instead,
the transparent or translucent glazes allow light to pass through them and
reflect off of the opaque base layer. As the viewer perceives the reflected light, the
colors of the base layer combine with the those of the glazes. This illusion is
called Optical Color Mixing.
How Glazes Are Made
Glazes consist of two basic components:
a paint pigment suspended in a medium. In making a glaze, the glaze becomes
more transparent as you increase the amount of medium. When oil painting, you
can produce a glaze by simply adding more oil.
While the amount of oil affects
transparency, so does the choice of pigment. When mixing a colored paint with
medium, you should also read the label on the tube of paint to evaluate its
opacity or transparency.
Mixing
Golden Open series of paint with the Open Acrylic Medium makes a
great glaze, when painting with acrylics. The Golden Open products feature an extended
open time, so they handle similarly to oil paints.
Why are Glazes Used?
One primary reason that
the Old Masters used glazes was economic. Compared to greys and earth tones,
such as siennas, umbers and ochres, many colored pigments were expensive. Using
transparent glazes over a monochrome or grisaille
underpainting was cost-effective. Today colors are much less costly and there
is less reason to use glazes to reduce expense.
Another
more relevant reason to use glazes, is that they create a unique luminously or
brilliance that you cannot achieve any other way. Using multiple layers of
glazes also creates a sense of depth as well as producing a greater richness of
color.
Glazing
is not quite as difficult as you might image. It does, however, require planning,
experience and testing.
This painting on aluminum
composite material provides a smooth surface, which is preferred for glazing. A
smooth surface prevents pigments from collecting in the recesses of a texture,
resulting in a blotchy appearance.
Why Glazes Work Better on Smooth Surfaces
Glazes work best when you are working on
smoother surfaces, such as prepared aluminum composite material. The reason
is that smooth surfaces reflect light that passes through the transparent
colored glaze in the one general direction. On the other hand, rough surfaces refract
or deflect the light in many different directions.
If you paint on canvas, apply
several coatings of gesso, sanding between layers to achieve a smooth surface.
Using glazing techniques, you can create interesting
visual effects.
How to Glaze
● Many
artists overcomplicate the glazing process. The key to successful glazing is to
apply very thin coats. If the coating doesn’t look right to you, wipe it off. Before
you apply glazes, think about what you are doing and plan the process that you will
follow.
● The Old Masters would often apply as many as
20 different glazes to a painting. You can mix different colors in making a
glaze, but you are much better off glazing with one color at a time. Using a single
glaze of color at a time allows you to better control the final outcome. Using single
pigments will also help you learn how that particular color produces its visual
effect.
● If you are
painting with oil paint, you can make your own medium, mixing one to two
parts of turpentine to one part linseed stand oil. The viscosity of the
medium should be fluid enough to allow you to paint thin coats. You can use
alternatives to linseed oil, such as poppy seed oil and walnut oil. Expect
slight yellowing over time, however, when using these alternatives. Some homemade
concoctions can also take several days to thoroughly dry. Commercial brands,
such as Liquin, will usually dry faster.
For More
Information About Mediums Read These Articles:
Using Linseed Oil to
Make a Medium
● If
you paint with acrylics, try Golden Open series of paint. In making a
glaze, I combine their paints with the Open Acrylic Medium. The advantage
of the Open brand of paints and mediums is that the open time is extended, so
they handle similarly to oil paints.
● When painting with acrylics, do not
use water as a substitute for glazing medium. The water will weaken the binder
of the paint, which can compromise intercoat adhesion. On the other hand, the Open
Mediums are comprised of the same type of binder used in their paints. The mediums
ensure even distribution of color, which prevents any blotchiness.
● In mixing paint with glazing medium,
use 10 to 20% of paint to medium. Before applying it to your painting, test the
mixture on a white substrate.
● Use a soft brush to apply the glaze.
You don’t need to glaze the entire painting, just where it will achieves the
desired effect.
● After applying a glaze, allow it to thoroughly
dry before applying another glaze.
Other Painting Articles
Why
Paint Wrinkles
Why
Enamels can Dry Slowly
Why
Paints and Pigments Degrade
Paint
Pigment Basics
Safely
Working with Pigment Powders
Physical
Properties of Paints and Pigments
Troubleshooting
and Preventing Paint Problems
How
to Clean Brushes Used for Water-Based Paints
Blending
Colors
Painting
with a Limited Palette
Making
Oil Paint
Oiling
Out a Canvas for Oil Painting
Flesh
Tone Paint Recipe
Why
Yellow Ocher and Naples Yellow are Important in Painting Fleshtones
White
Lead Oil Paint
Best
White Paint for Oil Painting
Damar
Varnish Recipe
Fat
Over Lean Rule
Paint
Chemistry Terminology
