PAINTING SECRETS – GLAZE & MIST

 

It has become apparent from online painting lessons being requested that a post covering glazing and also misting effects is needed.

                          Let’s first look at GLAZING:

Glazing in this instance is another term for thin washes of transparent paint, mixed either with appropriate solvents or Retouching Varnish (if using oils).

Sometimes we might finish a painting only to find it is not quite what we hoped for – colourwise – maybe it is too cold, too dull or the colours don’t relate to one another as a whole.   This can often be helped by putting a thin wash over the entire painting (or parts of it if you wish) using transparent paint.  Not only does this unify the painting’ s overall colouring but it can brighten or subdue as needed.

Oil paints are best for this, although you can glaze with acrylics, but not as effectively in my opinion.  Both oils and acrylics come in transparent and opaque colours and all of course are transparent to a degree when you thin them down with the appropriate medium.  Here are my favourite transparent oil colours suitable to glaze with, along with directions…

Here is a painting lacking in warmth and needing a little “sunshine” washed into it.  The painting is largely blueish so I will glaze using the complementary opposite to blue on the colour wheel, which is orange.

I am going to apply a soft orange glaze with a brush first to the left hand side and will use a mixture of Indian Yellow and Crimson Alizarin oil paints, diluted with Retouching Varnish. Can you see how it is bringing this little painting to life?   

As well as providing a protective finish,  Retouching Varnish gives a sheen to the paint, bringing up any flat areas and enriching the darker colours.  It is, to my knowledge, the only varnish safe to use on oil paintings prior to 6 months after their completion.  This is because it is turpentine based and allows the paint to cure by drying out through it.  It is best to apply this varnish with plenty of ventilation to avoid inhaling.

Next I take the glaze right across, covering the entire painting evenly, then with a soft rag, wipe back some of the cream highlights. Because the glaze takes about a half to 1 hour to dry thoroughly, I can remove some of it with a rag before it dries if I have have overdone the effect.  Some people apply the glaze with a rag, rubbing it in a circular action all over – but I prefer to use a soft brush, only using the rag for any removal.  Here is the painting fully glazed…

Now here is a picture showing the painting before and after glazing.  You be the judge.  Has glazing improved it? I would love to hear what you think! 

 

This painting needed brightening up, but supposing you have the opposite problem – a painting that is too bright or strong in colour.  If you take the main colouring in the painting as a guide, you can then SUBDUE it with a glaze using its complementary opposite colour on the colour wheel.  There is much about mixing and using colours in Post 11, but here is a basic colour wheel to see here…

                  Next, lets look at MISTING effects…

Misting in this instance is like glazing, except with opaque colour instead of transparent, mixed with a little Retouching Varnish.

Sometimes as artists, we would like to soften and fade back distance in landscapes or play down parts of a painting so as to draw attention to focal points.  This can be done by misting.   First, here is one of my paintings in oils which has an effect of broken light in a bushland setting – to give you an idea of what I mean…

The foliage behind the trunks has been misted softly and rays of light added for drama.

How was it done?  Well here is an example…the oil painting below I had discarded as a failure, being too dark and lacking in atmosphere.  I decided to do what I could to save it by “rolling in the mist” and maybe some shafts of light.

First, I prepared a mix of 2 oil paints – white + indigo (a dark cool grey). I also had handy some Retouching Varnish and a soft rag.  You can apply this method over oils or acrylic so long as they are dry to the touch.

There are many different greys you can use – you need to choose whether you want warm or cool grey and just how pale to mix it for your particular painting – I do suggest however that if you mix a grey with just black and white, add a little colour into it so that it doesn’t have a ‘dead’ look.  The warmer the grey, the more dusty or sunlit it will look.  Cooler greys suggest mist or smoke.

 

Can you see the soft grey at the right, which has been mixed from the 2 at left? That is the grey I will pick up on a rag to apply over the painting. I like to mix with a painting knife for a clean mix and easy wipe clean.

First dampening a small part of the rag with Retouching Varnish, I put my finger behind that part and rub it into the grey mix on the palette and begin applying it to the painting, starting at the top right hand corner…

Working my way down & picking up more paint mixed with Retouch Varnish as needed, I begin to create an effect of shafts of light as well as overall mist, by stroking with the rag at an angle… 

I continue over the rest of the painting, heartened by the effect being achieved!

I realise that I’ve now overdone it and too much detail has been lost in the mist – so taking a clean dry part of the rag, I rub to remove some of the pale grey – still working at the same angle. If I need to take more off, I moisten the rag with clear retouch varnish only and rub.

I have seen an opportunity to focus on patches of dappled light as a feature in this painting and build up some softly sunlit areas.  Sometimes we see this effect with early morning mist or with smoke. 

 

Here is a close up to show the effect, which I have seen all too often in my childhood in my “little home among the gumtrees” (not unlike this one) in the Australian bush.

Ok now lets take a look at the before and after pictures and once again – you be the judge! Did misting improve it?

 By the way, this is a great way to put in a whisp of smoke from a chimney or campfire in a painting or if you use a warm grey, suggest dust rising – for example around the feet of cattle or horses.  I remember one of my classes were thrilled to learn this, as some were painting horses at the time and this meant they could disguise their feet, which they were having a lot of trouble with!  Actually, I’ve seen some marvelous innovations by students to deal with this problem: water splashing up, dust rising, snow and long grass!  Anything rather than learn how to paint their hooves properly!  It has been a great source of amusement to me over the years.  I’m sure in my earlier stages of learning I was guilty of it too!

Below is a diptych I painted in 2007.  It has been on my wall opposite my easy chair so I have looked at it a lot.  Slowly I came to wish it were softer and more mystical with cleaner lines to suit my meditational state when I sit in that chair.   So, after some deliberation – down it came off the wall…

At first I set to and eliminated a fair bit of detail between the trees with a light cream paint.  Then I felt the need to contrast the warm colours with cool and “let the mist roll in” to this Australian bush scene.  It have loved the bush in morning mist so often as a child with the magpies carolling, that I decided that this was the effect I would try to achieve…so here it is:

Ah – now it can go back up on the wall and I know I will feel more peaceful when my eyes wander over this softened image.

Which version do you like best?  After all, we are all different – so lets rejoice in our differences  as we enjoy our growth and embrace all positive change.

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How about some overall feedback from you? Do you like these effects? Are they useful to you?

I have found them invaluable over many years, both when using oils and acrylics. It’s a great way to achieve atmosphere in paintings.

All for now and Happy Painting to you all!  Don’t forget, feedback and suggestions are very welcome, as this is all in the spirit of free sharing.

Julie