Fine weave canvas triple primed with sandable acrylic gesso, fourth layer is matte medium tinted with acrylic Ivory Black and Raw Sienna applied with a smooth synthetic brush. Copy of drawing is transferred with dark brown soft pastel rubbed on the back then traced with a hard pencil. Drawing is fixed with spray fixative.
A medium made up of 2 parts Gamsol and 1 part Drying Linseed Oil is applied to entire canvas by scrubbing in with a large bristle brush and then wiped away with a lint free cloth. Values are blocked in with a #1 bristle brush using Burnt Umber. Paint is thinned with medium made up of 2 parts Gamsol and 1 part Drying Linseed Oil.
The underpainting is left to dry overnight.
Step 3
Grey background is added with a large bristle filbert brush keeping the paint thin by adding my
Gamsol/Drying Linseed Oil medium
Step 4
Warm and cool darks are added and applied with a #1 filbert bristle brush and kept thin with my medium.
Step 5
Local color or middletone is added and thinned with medium using a bristle brush.
Step 6
Warm and cool colors are added to this local color.
Step 7
More refined warm/cool colors are added to the local color on the face. A thinly applied middle-tone is also added to the shirt. I never want to cover up the underpainting completely because I want the light canvas to show through. This helps the painting stay open and breath without running in the danger of feeling heavy and flat with an opaque layer. This is an aspect of the indirect method of painting that I like. This stage can also be called an Ébauche
Step 8
Painting was oiled out with medium by scrubbing on with a bristle brush and wiped away. The same background color was added with less medium.
Step 9
Same local color as the first layer of dry coloring was applied with less medium. Paint is semi transparent and applied by dabbing and scumbling with the filbert bristle brush.
Step 10
Same process of adding color to the face is done with the shirt.
Here the portrait finished
