Part 2 – The Ébauche Method
The word ébauche translates from French as draft or rough sketch. It describes an approach to oil painting used by many of the old masters including Singer Sargent, Turner and Corot, as well as many successful modern day painters. I was taught oil painting using this technique, and still use it in virtually everything I do.
Having prepared my painting ground as described in my earlier post, I continue by loosely sketching my design in a dark translucent colour using very dilute paint. This dries very quickly so I can move on to the next stage within a few minutes. Using a large brush and a dark mix of dilute translucent colour, I roughly paint in the large shadow masses of the painting. Any highlights can be easily removed by dabbing with a rag or finger before it dries.
It is only at the next stage that I introduce white into the palette in order to mix some opaque mid-tones with slightly thicker, fatter paint. I continue painting loosely with a fairly large brush, taking care to avoid the dark shadow areas. In the final painting, the translucent areas of paint will seem to recede, whereas the opaque paint stands out and appears closer, so this is a useful way to enhance perspective.
Adding more white, I create thicker, brighter paint for the lighter areas, and then I use a small brush to finesse the painting by adding more detail. Finally I add highlights with very thick light paint in selective areas of the painting. The key rule, which works for me, is to progress from painting large areas to small detail, translucent to opaque, and dark to light.
Look out for my next post when I will discuss my choice of palette.
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