plate no. 5182
How now - said Scrooge, caustic and cold as ever
recreation guide
This recreation guide addresses the oil painting technique associated with Arthur Rackham’s illustration style, specifically focusing on the layering methods described in historical oil painting manuals. While the specific visual details of 'How now - said Scrooge' are not described in the provided sources, the process relies on the traditional 'old master' approach of building color through glazing and scumbling over a monochrome underpainting. This method allows for the luminous, transparent effects characteristic of high-quality oil illustration from the Art Nouveau period, where the underlying structure is established in neutral tones before color is introduced.
estimated time
20-30 hours over 6-8 sessions (allowing for drying times between layers)
materials
9 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas or panel | Support for the painting | Primed linen or cotton canvas |
| Charcoal | Initial sketching and underdrawing | Vine charcoal or compressed charcoal |
| Raw Umber | Underpainting and initial tonal modeling | Raw Umber oil paint |
| White (soft white) | Highlighting and mixing in underpainting | Titanium White or Lead White (historical) |
| Turpentine | Thinner for initial layers and cleaning | Odorless mineral spirits or Gamsol |
| Linseed Oil | Medium for glazing and scumbling layers | Refined linseed oil |
| Oil of Copavia (or Dammar Varnish) | Medium for first and second paintings to ensure proper drying and gloss | Dammar varnish mixed with linseed oil |
| Black, Ultramarine, White | Creating the grisaille (monochrome) underpainting | Ivory Black, Ultramarine Blue, White |
| Red and Yellow tones | Glazing and scumbling to add color | Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow, or similar transparent oils |
preparation
surface prep
The surface should be prepared to accept oil paint. While specific priming instructions for Rackham are not in the sources, traditional oil painting requires a stable ground. The sources imply a process where the painting is built up in layers, so the ground must be smooth enough to allow for fine detail but absorbent enough to hold the initial charcoal sketch (Source 2).
underdrawing
Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal (Source 2). Do not hesitate to hold your brush or measuring tool against the model (or reference) to ascertain proportions, making the study slightly smaller than life if applicable (Source 3). Make all corrections in the charcoal stage, as charcoal offers little resistance to a brush and none to bread erasers (Source 3). It is reckless to put down paint with obvious errors in construction (Source 3).
underpainting
Create a grisaille (monochrome) underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white, mixed with oil of copavia (or a similar resinous medium) (Source 1). This layer establishes the values and forms without color. The goal is to mentally extract red and yellow colors, translating what would be left in nature if those colors were not present (Source 1). This preparation should be quite dry before proceeding (Source 1).
color palette
Black
Ivory Black or Lamp Black
Grisaille underpainting for shadows and depth
Ultramarine
Ultramarine Blue
Grisaille underpainting for cool shadows and mid-tones
White
Lead White or Titanium White
Grisaille highlights and mixing with other colors
Raw Umber
Raw Umber
Initial painting from life, mixed with white and turpentine for tonal modeling (Source 3)
Red Tones
Transparent reds (e.g., Alizarin)
Glazing and scumbling to add warmth and flesh tones
Yellow Tones
Transparent yellows (e.g., Yellow Ochre or Cadmium)
Glazing and scumbling to add light and warmth
composition
The sources do not describe the specific composition of 'How now - said Scrooge'. However, general principles suggest harmonizing colors inherent to the objects and perceiving modifications of light on the model (Source 5). The artist should be aware of simultaneous contrast, where colors appear different due to adjacent hues, and adjust tones accordingly (Source 5).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→drying→refining→finishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the subject with charcoal, ensuring accurate proportions and correcting any errors before applying paint.
Tip — Use bread to erase charcoal if needed; do not paint over errors.
Charcoal sketching
underpainting
step 02
Apply a grisaille layer using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Establish all values and forms.
Tip — Mentally exclude red and yellow colors to focus on value structure.
Grisaille
first pass
step 04
Begin glazing and scumbling with oil. Apply transparent coats of color (glazing) and semi-opaque layers (scumbling) to introduce red and yellow tones.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat; scumbling is semi-opaque, allowing the underpainting to show through.
Glazing and Scumbling
drying
step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation, usually within two weeks, but wait until fully hard.
Oxidation drying
refining
step 05
Continue layering colors, adhering to the 'fat over lean' rule. Each subsequent layer should contain more oil than the previous one.
Tip — If layers contain less oil, the painting may crack and peel.
Fat over lean
finishing
step 06
Refine details and adjust tones. Use varnish and oil mixed for later stages if mastery is gained.
Tip — Be aware of simultaneous contrast; colors may appear different due to adjacent hues.
Varnish glazing
critical techniques
Glazing
Applying a transparent coat of color over a dry underpainting to build depth and luminosity. Used to add red and yellow tones after the grisaille is dry.
Scumbling
Applying a semi-opaque layer of paint through which the underlying painting shows. Often used over darker grounds to create a grey bloom or coldness.
Fat over Lean
Ensuring each additional layer of paint contains more oil than the layer below to prevent cracking and peeling.
Grisaille
Creating a monochrome underpainting using black, ultramarine, and white to establish values before adding color.
common pitfalls
- →Painting over errors in the charcoal stage, which leads to fatal corrections in paint and loss of lucidity (Source 3).
- →Violating the 'fat over lean' rule, causing the paint film to crack and peel (Source 2).
- →Applying color before the grisaille is completely dry, which can muddy the layers (Source 1).
- →Ignoring simultaneous contrast, leading to inaccurate color perception and application (Source 5).
what the sources don't tell us
Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.
- ·Specific visual details of 'How now - said Scrooge' (e.g., Scrooge's expression, clothing, background elements) are not described in the sources.
- ·Arthur Rackham's specific personal palette preferences beyond general oil painting practices are not detailed.
- ·The exact year of creation is not available, limiting precise historical context for material availability.
- ·Specific brush types or sizes used by Rackham are not mentioned.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Grisaille underpainting, glazing, scumbling, and medium usage
- PAINTING FROM LIFE — applied to Underdrawing with charcoal, correcting errors, and initial tonal modeling
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 315-318 — applied to Color perception, simultaneous contrast, and harmonizing colors
cross-referenced from
Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.
Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to General oil painting techniques, fat over lean rule, drying times, and materials
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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