Female figure

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared according to standard oil painting practices of the period. While specific details of Induno's ground preparation are not explicitly detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting often involves a primed canvas to receive the oil layers. The 'fat over lean' rule implies that the initial layers must be leaner (less oil) than subsequent ones, suggesting a stable, absorbent ground is beneficial (Source 1).

underdrawing

Traditional oil painting techniques often begin with the artist sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 1). For a figure painting, a keen sense of construction and understanding of the human body's structure is essential to render the form successfully, even if the final result focuses on color and light (Source 6).

underpainting

The initial layers should be lean, using more solvent (mineral spirits or turpentine) and less oil to ensure proper drying and prevent cracking in later layers (Source 1). This aligns with the 'fat over lean' rule, where each additional layer contains more oil than the one below (Source 1).

Fat over lean

Each additional layer of paint should contain more oil than the layer below to allow proper drying and prevent cracking. This is a basic rule of oil paint application.

Color mixing with complements

To darken a color without shifting its hue, use its complementary color rather than black. This prevents unwanted shifts toward greenish or bluish tones.

Construction of the human figure

A clear knowledge of the body's structure is essential for rendering the human form successfully, even when focusing on surface effects like light and color.