The overlay of one layer of paint on top of another is called. Methods for creating a painting composition using gouache technique

Where to start drawing? Beginning artists often ask this question when they start working. However, experienced draftsmen have long known the answer to this, because in classical art school there is a wonderful principle of doing work. You should draw or write from the general to the specific, from the largest to the smallest.

To understand this clearly, just remember how little children draw. Often a child will focus on drawing a detailed drawing of an object without thinking about its size or how it fits into its environment. Children can draw a small figure on a large sheet of paper. It happens that the drawn object is somewhere in the corner of the sheet, and there is empty space around it. Children, due to their age, do not perceive the entire sheet as a single whole, so they draw everything separately.

Something similar happens when novice artists begin drawing or painting. I would like to convey all the beauty of a single detail, to draw it in detail, without thinking about the unity of the picture, about how this detail should be subordinated to its surroundings. But when you look at a “conscientiously” worked fragment from afar, moving away from the easel, you see that everything is not as good as it seemed up close. The detail itself may have been a great success, however, it did not fit into the rest of the drawing, so overall everything turned out crooked. Let's look at this with an example.

Let's say an artist is painting a portrait. And he begins work immediately by drawing the eye, forgetting about everything else. Next he draws the nose, lips, the entire face and the contours of the head. Then he completes the entire portrait. That is, I started the drawing with the eye and ended with the entire silhouette of the head (see illustration). As a result, the eye itself turned out, but shifted to the side. The same thing happened with the nose and lips. Therefore, the portrait came out not only different, but also crooked.

But why did this happen? Because the artist first began to draw small objects, and then finished with large forms. That is, he worked from the smallest to the largest. But if he had started working with the contours of the head, the oval of the face (i.e., from the large one), and then moved on to the nose, lips, eyes (smaller) - the above-described error would not have occurred (more precisely, the likelihood of this would have been less). After all, having outlined the basis large forms, it is much easier to fit small details into it. It's easier to compare distances and proportions. And if you start with little things, without defining the big silhouettes, then it will be very difficult to fit one to the other later. Therefore, artists use a drawing sequence from largest to smallest. And although this method in itself does not guarantee success, it significantly helps in the work. But isn't it possible to draw the way you want? In any order? Great artists with great experience can start a drawing from point A and end at point B without thinking about the sequence. They succeed at everything already on an intuitive level, since they have vast experience behind them. But in most cases, it is recommended to start work not with small things, but with general, large masses, looking at the picture as a whole. After all, even great masters, even if they violate the classical stages of drawing, still see the picture in their minds as a whole, not in fragments.

Seeing the whole among the small details is very important for a number of reasons. One of them is the ability to generalize. Without generalization it is impossible to imagine either drawing or painting. Generalization is not only a way to make work easier. Through generalization, artists create an illusion in which a painting or drawing can come to life. Take, for example, a bouquet of flowers. If you start painting it from individual petals, and continue to work with such detailed writing until the end, then the painting may not only contain errors, but also be less expressive, “dry”. However, if the artist starts working with large masses, generalizing and combining flowers into groups, and then paints individual flowers in detail, then such a sequence will help not to get confused in the shades, to see the main thing, to enliven the painting. Revive with the effect of selection, when the artist generalizes the secondary and highlights the main thing. The juxtaposition of the detailed and the generalized creates an illusion in which the depicted view seems to come to life.

Such selection requires from a person the ability to see the big picture, the ability to pay attention to the main thing, and not focus on the little things. When an artist has an “eye” in this regard, he will be able to better determine what needs to be generalized and how to do it. Looking at the painting from this angle, the artist will be able to more accurately determine the proportions and better see color and tone relationships.

When performing a painting, you must adhere to a certain sequence. Typically, an artist begins work on a painting or wall painting by completing several small-sized sketches in which he concretizes his idea. For the same purpose, he can perform sketches from life.

Then the artist draws the future painting. He can use a pencil, charcoal or thinly diluted paint and a thin brush for this. It is possible to produce so-called “tracing paper” or “cardboard” in the case when the drawing needs to be transferred to some surface. Sometimes artists skip this stage of work and immediately begin to paint without preliminary drawing.

There are many ways to apply paint to a plane. Some artists prefer to use the glazing technique: applying thin transparent layers on top of the dried paint layer. Others achieve the desired color scheme immediately in one coat, while others use separate strokes.

The artist can simultaneously work on drawing, composition, sculpting forms, conveying space and color. This is how P. Cezanne loved to work, especially when he painted his landscapes or still lifes from life.

104. P. CEZANNE. In the forest

However, this path is not available to everyone. You must have excellent visual memory, precise drawing, compositional thinking, and an impeccable sense of color.

Most artists prefer to work from the general to the specific, gradually applying the main color of objects and monitoring the modeling of volume. Then they clarify the nuances of color, color reflexes, and the overall coloring of the picture. At the last stage, they again move on to generalization. In order to achieve the integrity of the work, you can remove unnecessary details, weaken contrasts, and highlight the main thing. This is how the wonderful artist A. A. Ivanov loved to work. He did a huge amount of preparatory work before creating the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People.” Numerous pictorial studies exhibited next to this painting in Tretyakov Gallery, help to trace the author’s creative search.

105. A. A. IVANOV. The Appearance of Christ to the People

106. A. A. IVANOV. Head of John the Baptist. Sketch for the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People”

For educational purposes, it is better to work on a pictorial composition sequentially. The statements of the masters at the end of this book will help you learn some of the secrets and mysteries of painting.

Painters convey the beauty of the world around them with the help of paints. You can choose any base: canvas, paper, cardboard, board, wall, etc. The base is usually primed with special compounds. Painters use a variety of paints: gouache, watercolor, tempera, oil, etc. Paints are applied to the base with round and flat brushes of different thicknesses. Sometimes they use a palette knife, a knife, a rag for this, or even apply paint with their fingers, but it is still better to create works of art using special tools rather than improvised means. The writing technique and its features largely depend on the properties of paints, solvents, and tools.

107. Watercolor, gouache and oil paints

108 a. Watercolor b. Gouache c. Oil

Until the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries, artists and apprentices prepared paints on their own; this was usually entrusted to apprentices, who crushed stones into powder and mixed it with glue, oil or egg. With the industrial production of paints, the color palette has become more diverse.

Painting paints have special names. Very often these names tell us from what chemical or natural elements (minerals, plants) they are made. The basis of all paints is pigment (finely ground colored powder). Often the name of paints comes from the binder used to prepare them. For example, for oil paints The base is linseed or some other oil. Adhesive paints are watercolor, gouache, tempera. In the old days, egg tempera was made from the yolk of a chicken egg.

1.Which of these colors is not “warm”:

A) yellow;

B) red;

B) orange;

D) blue

2. Which definition best matches the concept of “aerial perspective”:

A) the art of depicting three-dimensional space on a plane;

B) change in the size of objects depending on their distance from the observation point;

C) a change in the color of an object depending on its distance from the observation point;

D) proportional change in objects.

3 . Primary colors are...

A) red, purple, green;

B) red, blue, yellow;

B) yellow, blue, green;

D) yellow, blue, orange.

4. Harmonious combination, interconnection, tonal unification various colors in the picture it is called:

A) local color

B) color

B) contrast

5. When performing a painting, you must adhere to the following sequence:

A) from general to specific;

B) from cold to warm;

B) from light to dark.

6. What kind of lighting does not reveal the shape, volume and texture of the depicted objects.

A) backlit

B) frontal

B) lateral

7. What form of painting can convey the volume of objects in space, their relationship with the environment.

A) abstract

B) decorative

B) realistic

8. Which stage can be neglected when writing a short-term sketch of a head?

A) molding

B) color-tonal relationships

B) elaboration of details

9. Write life, write vividly, i.e. conveying reality fully and convincingly is:

A) painting

B) drawing

B) DPI

10 . Work done from life is:

A) sketch

B) sketch

11. When performing a head study, which angle is most beneficial for conveying volume:

A) front

B) profile

B) three quarters

12. Certain established systems of work methods that were developed by various national schools.

A) painting technique

B) gouache painting materials

13. Drawing for gouache painting is usually done

A) coal

B) felt-tip pen

B) pencil

14. Harmonious states, interconnection, tonal combination of different colors in a picture are:

A) color

B) lightness

B) monochrome

15. The main color of an object without taking into account external influences is:

A) reflex

B) local color

B) semitone

16. The main tasks of realistic painting:

A) write vividly, catchily

B) write in relationships

B) use more color

17. Which of the following thinners is used in gouache painting:

A) water

B) turpentine

B) acetone

18. If the artist depicts only seascapes, then they are called:

A) "Marinami"

B) "Svetlana"

B) "Elena"

19. The overlay of one layer of paint on top of another is called:

A) glaze

B) alla prima

B) raw

20. Which color is not chromatic:

A) red

B) white

B) blue

D) blue

21. On black, gray appears lighter, and on white, darker. This phenomenon is called:

A) light contrast

B) color

B) color contrast

22. Painting a complex plastic form – the sitter’s head – should be based on knowledge:

A) anatomical structure of the skull

B) art history

B) linear perspective

23. The painting method, in which the color of each detail of the production is taken immediately in full force, in one layer, is called:

A) glaze

B) raw

B) "alaprima"

ANSWERS TO PAINTING TESTS

Kuzmina G.N.
teacher additional education
UIA TO MEC
(painting, fine arts)

Tests for knowledge of the basic criteria of painting

1.Which of these colors is not “warm”:
A) yellow;
B) red;
B) Orange;
D) blue
2. Which definition best matches the concept of “aerial perspective”:
A) the art of depicting three-dimensional space on a plane;
B) change in the size of objects depending on their distance from the observation point;
C) a change in the color of an object depending on its distance from the observation point;
D) proportional change in objects.
3. Primary colors are...
A) red, purple, green;
B) red, blue, yellow;
B) yellow, blue, green;
D) yellow, blue, orange.
4. A harmonious combination, interrelation, tonal combination of different colors in a picture is called:
A) local color
B) color
B) contrast
5. When performing a painting, you must adhere to the following sequence:
A) from general to specific;
B) from cold to warm;
B) from light to dark.
6. What kind of lighting does not reveal the shape, volume and texture of the depicted objects.
A) backlit
B) frontal
B) lateral
7. What form of painting can convey the volume of objects in space, their relationship with the environment.
A) abstract
B) decorative
B) realistic
8. Which stage can be neglected when writing a short-term sketch of a head.
A) molding
B) color-tonal relationships
B) elaboration of details
9. The type of painting is based on the principle of stylization:
A) realistic
B) decorative
B) abstract
10. A type of painting based on a non-figurative color composition.
A) decorative
B) abstract
B) realistic
11. Write life, write vividly, i.e. to fully and convincingly convey reality is:
A) painting
B) drawing
B) DPI
12. Work done from life is:
A) sketch
B) sketch
13. When performing a head sketch, which angle is most beneficial for conveying volume:
A) front
B) profile
B) three quarters
14. Certain established systems of work methods that were developed by various national schools.
A) painting technique
B) gouache painting materials
15. Drawing for gouache painting is usually done6
A) coal
B) felt-tip pen
B) pencil
16. When working on a landscape from nature, how long does it take for the state of nature to completely change:
A) two hours
B) four hours
B) thirty minutes
17. Harmonious states, interconnection, tonal combination of different colors in a picture are:
A) color
B) lightness
B) monochrome
18. The main color of an object without taking into account external influences is:
A) reflex
B) local color
B) semitone
19. The main tasks of realistic painting:
A) write vividly, catchily
B) write in relationships
B) use more color
20. Which of the following thinners is used in gouache painting:
A) water
B) turpentine
B) acetone
21. What is the most important stage when writing a study on a state:
A) working out details
B) color relationships
B) molding
22. How does work on a pictorial sketch begin:
A) working out details
B) layout in format
B) construction
D) laying out the basic color and tonal relationships
23. Which of these colors does not belong to the achromatic group:
A) white
B) purple
B) gray
D) black
24. If the artist depicts only seascapes, then they are called:
A) "Marinami"
B) "Svetlana"
B) "Elena"
25. The overlay of one paint layer on another is called:
A) glaze
B) alla prima
B) raw
26.Which color is not chromatic:
A) red
B) white
B) blue
D) blue
27. On black, gray appears lighter, and on white, darker. This phenomenon is called:
A) light contrast
B) color
B) color contrast
28. Painting a complex plastic form – the sitter’s head – should be based on knowledge:
A) anatomical structure of the skull
B) art history
B) linear perspective
29. The reflex in relation to the illuminated part of the sitter’s head is always:
A) lighter
B) darker
B) exactly the same
30. The painting method, in which the color of each detail of the production is taken immediately in full force, in one layer, is called:
A) glaze
B) raw
B) "alaprima"
31. Choose the correct sequence:
A) generalization, arrangement, molding, construction
B) layout, molding, construction, generalization
C) construction, layout, molding, generalization
D) layout, construction, molding, generalization.
ANSWERS TO PAINTING TESTS
1. G
2. B
3. B
4. B
5. A
6. A
7. B
8. B
9. B
10. B
11. A
12. A
13. B
14. A
15.V
16. A
17. A
18. B
19. B
20. A
21. B
22. B
23. B
24. A
25. B
26. B
27. A
28. A
29. B
30.V
31. G

When creating a painting, you must adhere to a certain sequence. Typically, the artist begins work on a painting or wall painting with several small compositional sketches, in which the idea is specified. For the same purpose, he can perform sketches from life.

To create an interesting painting, you need to learn to see interesting events, characters, motives, perspectives and states in the life around you. Constantly making sketches, sketches and sketches from nature develops not only the eye and hand, but also compositional thinking.

Seeing an interesting compositional motif in life is not so easy. A viewfinder frame, which is easy to make yourself, can help with this. The main thing is that its opposite sides remain movable, then it will be possible to easily change the format, increase or decrease the circle of objects included in the field of view. If there is no frame, then you can simply fold your palms as shown in the figure.

Choosing the most expressive subject for a composition is also not an easy task. Hundreds of people perceive and interpret the same story in different ways, that is, they create their own version. By plot we must understand what the artist directly depicts on the canvas, but the content or theme can be much broader, that is, works with different plots can be created on the same theme.

It is important to try to imagine the future picture even before starting the image. As a rule, the artist first makes several small sketches to find the most expressive composition. At this stage, the format of the painting is determined (vertically elongated, rectangular, square, horizontally elongated, etc.) and its size.

The elongated upward format gives the image a sense of harmony and sublimity. The horizontal rectangle format is useful for depicting epic action. We have already said that a format based on the proportion of the golden ratio is well suited for depicting a wide landscape motif. The format obtained by enlarging the square with a full diagonal is equally convenient for depicting landscapes, still lifes and thematic compositions.

An excessive increase in the vertical format turns the image into a scroll, and an excessive increase in the horizontal format dictates the use of a panoramic or frieze composition. When choosing a format, you should take into account the location of the main objects of the composition - horizontally or vertically, the development of the plot - from left to right, into the depth of the picture, etc.

The square format is best used to create balanced, static compositions because they are mentally related to equal central axes and equal sides of the image's borders.

The composition in an oval and a circle is built relative to imaginary mutually perpendicular central axes. The top and bottom of the image should be clearly defined here. Oval is often used as a format for portraits, as this configuration easily correlates with the oval of a human face or the contour of a bust image.

Artists also use formats of complex configurations, consisting of a combination of two geometric shapes, for example half-circle and rectangle.

The sketch outlines the general compositional scheme, the location and the relationship of the main characters without detailed drawing. Possibly tone and color scheme sketch. Next they move on to drawing the composition, then to its pictorial embodiment.

One of the interesting stages of the work is the collection of natural material: observations of the surrounding life, sketches and sketches of the house and on the street, depending on the chosen plot. You can collect natural material immediately after choosing a subject, or do this after the first sketch of the composition.

Then the artist draws the future painting using a pencil, charcoal or thinly diluted paint and a thin brush. It is possible to make so-called tracing paper or cardboard if the drawing needs to be transferred to some surface. If something doesn’t work out in the drawing, you can go back to the sketches again, work out the details that caused difficulties, and then refine the drawing using the collected natural material. You can even make a new compositional sketch.", taking into account the completed sketches and sketches from life, clarify the plan.

After this, they move on to the pictorial solution of the canvas. First, an underpainting is performed using thinly diluted paints, in which the general color and tone relationships of objects and their local color are determined. Then they begin the main stage - the actual painting of the canvas. It is best to work from the general to the specific, gradually applying the main color of the objects and working on the modeling of the volume. It is necessary to clarify the contrasts and nuances of color, color reflexes, and the overall coloring of the picture. At the last stage, they again move on to generalization. In order to achieve the integrity of the work, unnecessary elements should be removed, contrasts should be weakened, and the main thing should be highlighted.

The listed stages of completing a painting are very important, especially for educational purposes. However, it happens that artists refuse some stage. Everyone works differently. Some carry out a detailed sketch, while others write straight away, without preliminary pencil drawing. Someone persistently searches in nature for everything flown for a painting, makes sketches in various states of nature, draws sitters in appropriate costumes and poses, studies the necessary historical or art historical material. Another artist trusts his visual memory and imagination more and generally refuses to study nature.

An artist can simultaneously work on drawing, composition, sculpting a form, conveying space and color. This is how P. Cezanne loved to work, especially when he painted his landscapes or still lifes from life. However, this path is not available to everyone. You must have excellent visual memory, precise drawing, compositional thinking, and an impeccable sense of color.

Most artists prefer to carry out all the necessary steps to create a painting. This is how L.A. Ivanov loved to work. He carried out enormous preparatory work for the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People.” Numerous pictorial sketches exhibited at the State Tretyakov Gallery help trace the author’s creative search.

All of the above about working on a painting should not be understood as a permanent, mandatory and unchanging order. However, following the rules helps to achieve good results and master skills.