plate no. 6358

Now, I'll tell you what, my friend, said Scrooge. I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer

oilArt Nouveau (Modern)illustrationfiguresbookshelvesinteriordoorwaydeskstool

recreation guide

This artwork is an oil painting by Arthur Rackham, executed in the Art Nouveau style as an illustration. While specific visual details of the composition (such as the exact pose of Scrooge or the background elements) are not described in the provided source passages, the recreation must adhere to the technical principles of traditional oil painting relevant to Rackham’s era and medium. The process relies on the 'fat over lean' rule to ensure structural integrity, utilizing linseed oil and solvents to manage drying times and paint consistency (Source 2). The approach likely involves a monochromatic underpainting (grisaille) to establish form and value before applying transparent glazes and semi-opaque scumbles for color, a method championed by old masters and discussed in historical treatises on oil practice (Source 1).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions (allowing for drying times between glaze layers)

materials

6 items

steps

7 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Linseed oil	Medium to mix with pigments for glazing and scumbling; ensures 'fat over lean' compliance	Stand oil or refined linseed oil
Spirits of turpentine	Solvent for thinning initial layers and cleaning brushes; dries 'dead' to leave surface absorbent	Odorless mineral spirits (OMS) or Gamsol
Oil of copavia	Historical medium mentioned for first/second paintings to aid flow and drying	Damar varnish or sandarac resin in turpentine
Palette knives	For scraping off wet paint if corrections are needed or for applying thick impasto	Flexible palette knives
Charcoal or thinned paint	For initial sketching of the subject onto the canvas	Vine charcoal or diluted raw umber
Pigments: Black, Ultramarine, White, Yellow Ochre, Vermilion, Rose Madder, Cobalt, Emerald, Oxide of Chromium, Raw/Burnt Umber, Ivory Black	Core palette for monochrome underpainting and subsequent color glazing	Standard artist-grade oil paints

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be primed with a traditional ground suitable for oil painting. While the sources do not specify Rackham’s exact ground, traditional practice involves a stable, absorbent surface. The first painting layer should be applied with turpentine alone to avoid darkening the color and to prevent the surface from becoming 'soapy,' ensuring subsequent oil layers adhere properly (Source 3).

underdrawing

Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint, as is traditional for oil painting (Source 2). Rackham’s illustrative style suggests precise line work, but the sources emphasize that the drawing serves as a foundation for the rhythmic arrangement of lines and forms (Source 4).

underpainting

Execute a monochromatic underpainting (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia or turpentine (Source 1, Source 3). This layer establishes the values and forms without color. It is crucial to let this layer dry completely before proceeding to color glazing (Source 1).

color palette

Black

Ivory Black or Lamp Black

Monochrome underpainting and shadows

Ultramarine

Ultramarine Blue

Monochrome underpainting and cool shadows

White

Titanium or Zinc White

Highlights and mixing tints

Yellow Ochre

General use in palette; earth tones

Vermilion

Red tones in glazing

Rose Madder

Flesh tones and red glazes

Cobalt

Cobalt Blue

Cool highlights and sky tones

Emerald

Emerald Green

Green accents

Oxide of Chromium

Chromium Oxide Green

Opaque green tones

Raw Umber

Earth tones and shadows

Burnt Umber

Warm earth tones and shadows

composition

The composition should respect the rectangular boundaries of the canvas, using vertical and horizontal lines to establish structure (Source 4). To avoid drawing attention to the corners, fill them with dark masses or use lines that swing the eye toward the center (Source 4). The arrangement of abstract lines should underlie the expression, creating rhythmic force even if hidden by naturalistic details (Source 4).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the figure of Scrooge and the scene using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Ensure the rhythmic lines guide the eye to the center, avoiding static corners.
Initial Sketch

underpainting

step 02
Apply a monochromatic layer using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia or turpentine.
Tip — Use turpentine alone for the first painting to keep the surface absorbent and prevent a 'soapy' finish.
Grisaille
step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation; wait until dry to the touch (up to two weeks) before glazing.
Drying

first pass

step 04
Glaze with transparent coats of yellow and red tones using oil.
Tip — Glazing is a transparent coat of color; apply it over the dry monochrome to build depth.
Glazing

refining

step 05
Scumble with semi-opaque paint to modify tones and create coldness or grey blooms over darker grounds.
Tip — Scumbling allows the underlying painting to show through; useful for atmospheric effects.
Scumbling

finishing

step 06
Apply additional layers following the 'fat over lean' rule, ensuring each layer has more oil than the previous one.
Tip — Violating this rule can cause cracking and peeling.
Layering

varnishing

step 07
Once fully dry, apply a varnish to protect the painting and unify the sheen.
Tip — Varnish can also be mixed with oil for final glazing stages.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Glazing

Applying transparent coats of color over a dry monochrome underpainting to build luminosity and depth, as practiced by old masters.

Scumbling

Using semi-opaque paint over a darker ground to create coldness or grey blooms, allowing the underpainting to influence the final tone.

Fat over Lean

Ensuring each successive layer of paint contains more oil than the layer below to prevent cracking.

common pitfalls

→Applying lean layers over fat layers, which leads to cracking and peeling (Source 2).
→Using too much oil in the initial layers, which darkens the color and creates a 'soapy' surface (Source 3).
→Ignoring the drying time of the grisaille, which can cause the glazes to mix with the underpainting rather than sitting on top (Source 1, Source 2).
→Attempting to deceive the eye with pure naturalism rather than expressing feeling through the medium's vitality (Source 6).

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 the artwork (Scrooge's expression, clothing, background) are not described in the sources and cannot be included.
·Arthur Rackham's specific personal palette preferences are not detailed in the provided sources; the palette listed is a general traditional one from Source 3.
·The exact year of the artwork is not available, so period-specific material variations are inferred from general oil painting practices of the era.

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 Glazing, scumbling, and grisaille underpainting techniques
- CHAPTER XV PAINTING IN COLOUR DIRECT FROM LIFE — applied to Palette selection and use of turpentine for initial layers
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- ILLUSTRATING SOME OF THE LINES... — applied to Compositional structure and rhythmic lines
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Philosophy of using oil paint as an expressive medium rather than pure deception