![]() “Paint is likely to become literally transparent with the years–because of the increase of the refractive index of linseed oil film with age or for other reasons–the general effect of transparency exists in all old paints. Well interestingly, the Refractive Index of Linseed Oil doesn’t stay the same, it changes with time.Īs Linseed Oil ages, it’s Refractive Index increases, causing oil paint to become more transparent and gain a more ‘glass-like’ quality which is why oils are such a great medium for this glazing technique. ![]() Light waves travel in a straight line through an empty space but when light travels through other materials, such as the oil used in oil paint, the light waves bend-something called refraction. The Refractive Index measures the bending of light when it passes from one medium into another, specifically, a change in the speed of light as it travels through different materials. What the heck is a ‘Refractive Index’ I hear you cry? My thoughts exactly.īut the Refractive Index of Linseed Oil is one of the secrets as to why those Old Master paintings have such an elusive quality to them. So when my older brother gave me his scientific insight, it not only changed my perspective but it turned out Vanessa had been more on point than I’d first thought! The Refractive Index of Linseed Oil However, it wasn’t just the thinness of paint application or the transparency of the pigment or the technique – the missing ingredient I’d overlooked was time. I’d been trying to paint lots of perfectly mixed colours next to each other within the same wet layer, which is why is it hadn’t looked the same. Grisaille underpainting of Imogen followed by the first overpainting layers of translucent skin toneĪlthough very simple, the transparency of all these thin glaze layers creates an optical depth and luminous skin tone that just can’t be achieved from opaque painting alone. It’s a method of stacking layers and layers of paint on top of each other – once the layer below is dry. Glazing a portrait by building up a tonal underpainting, followed by multiple layers of translucent veils of colour and transparent glazes I found to be the simplest way to create a realistic turning of the form. Unhelpfully she used to say “ Isn’t it just old?” I’d repetitively ask Vanessa, “ When will I be able to paint the melt of the cheek you see on the Mona Lisa?” In my naivety, I just couldn’t work out how you could paint one colour next to another colour yet create such a smoky transition. Not only did the skin look realistic, but they’d managed to capture those bluish grey tones that lie just beneath the skin’s surface. When I was trying to find my way in portraiture, I’d spend hours studying Old Master paintings thinking “ Wow, how did they do that?” How to Glaze an Oil Portrait for Beginners Course
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