plate no. 1682
Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up!
recreation guide
Arthur Rackham’s 'Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up!' is an illustration executed in oil, characterized by the Art Nouveau style. While specific visual details of this particular scene (such as the exact arrangement of the room or the characters' expressions) are not described in the provided sources, Rackham’s general practice involves meticulous preparatory drawing and a layered approach to oil application. The artwork likely benefits from the traditional oil painting techniques of the period, which emphasize a strong underdrawing to ensure structural accuracy before applying paint. The style suggests a narrative quality typical of genre illustration, where the focus is on storytelling through composition and character interaction rather than strict realism.
estimated time
20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions
materials
8 items
steps
6 in sequence
materials
| item | purpose | modern equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas or panel | Support for the oil painting | — |
| Charcoal | Initial sketching and underdrawing | — |
| Raw Umber | Setting the palette and initial monochrome underpainting | — |
| White (soft) | Mixing with raw umber for tonal values | Titanium White or Lead White |
| Turpentine | Thinning paint for initial layers and cleaning brushes | Mineral Spirits or Odorless Mineral Spirits |
| Linseed Oil | Medium for subsequent layers to ensure 'fat over lean' application | — |
| Oil Colors (Red, Yellow, Ultramarine, Black) | Glazing and scumbling for final color application | — |
| Varnish (optional) | Mixed with oil for final glazing layers | Dammar Varnish |
preparation
surface prep
The surface should be prepared to accept oil paint. While specific priming methods for Rackham are not detailed in the sources, traditional oil painting practices of the era often involved a gesso or oil ground. Ensure the surface is smooth to allow for the fine detail characteristic of illustration.
underdrawing
Begin by sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal (Source 3). The sources advise making the study slightly smaller than life and holding the brush against the model’s face to ascertain length if painting from life (Source 1). Make all corrections in the charcoal stage, as charcoal offers little resistance to a brush and can be easily removed with bread (Source 1). Do not put down paint with obvious errors in construction, as correcting in paint is fatal to lucidity (Source 1).
underpainting
Set the palette with raw umber and a softer white, using turpentine to thin the paint (Source 1). Apply this monochrome underpainting (grisaille) to establish the tonal values. The sources suggest that one painting will not suffice to complete the study, so paint with the idea of going over it at least three or four times (Source 1). This stage allows for modeling with a dry brush (Source 1).
color palette
Raw Umber
Raw Umber + White + Turpentine
Initial monochrome underpainting to establish values
White
Soft White
Mixing with raw umber for highlights in the underpainting
Red and Yellow Tones
Oil colors glazed over dry grisaille
Final color application, applied as transparent glazes or semi-opaque scumbles
Ultramarine and Black
As per Sir Joshua Reynolds' method cited
General color structure, potentially for shadows and depth
composition
The composition likely relies on the rhythmic power of lines, with vertical and horizontal lines setting up relationships within the rectangular frame (Source 8). Dark masses may be used in corners to direct the eye toward the center of the picture (Source 8). The arrangement of abstract lines underlies the expression, even if hidden by natural appearance (Source 8).
step by step
underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing
underdrawing
step 01
Sketch the subject in charcoal, ensuring the drawing is slightly smaller than life. Compare the drawing with the model or reference through a hand-glass, keeping the drawing on a level with the face to avoid scale distortions.
Tip — Make all corrections now; charcoal is easily removable with bread.
Charcoal Sketching
underpainting
step 02
Mix raw umber and white with turpentine. Apply this monochrome mixture to model the forms. Use a dry brush to model with, going over the painting three or four times to build up the tonal structure.
Tip — Do not hesitate to hold the brush against the model to check proportions.
Grisaille Underpainting
first pass
step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. Begin applying color using glazing and scumbling techniques. Start with oil as a medium.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors from the initial monochrome stage to translate what would be left in nature.
Glazing and Scumbling
refining
step 04
Apply yellow and red tones as they occur, much like tinting an engraving with watercolors. Use glazing (transparent coats) and scumbling (semi-opaque painting) to build color depth.
Tip — When scumbling over a darker ground, be aware it tends to coldness, which can be used to obtain a grey bloom.
Layering
finishing
step 05
Continue layering, ensuring each additional layer contains more oil than the layer below to adhere to the 'fat over lean' rule. Use varnish mixed with oil for final glazes if desired.
Tip — Ensure proper drying time between layers to prevent cracking.
Fat over Lean
varnishing
step 06
Allow the painting to dry completely (up to two weeks) before applying a final varnish if desired.
Tip — Oil paint dries by oxidation, not evaporation.
Drying by Oxidation
critical techniques
Glazing
Applying a transparent coat of color over a dry underpainting to build depth and luminosity. This was a common practice among old masters and is recommended for this style.
Scumbling
Applying a semi-opaque layer of paint through which the underlying painting makes itself felt. Useful for creating texture and subtle color shifts.
Fat over Lean
Ensuring each subsequent layer of paint contains more oil than the previous one to allow proper drying and prevent cracking.
common pitfalls
- →Putting down paint with obvious errors in construction or drawing, which leads to fatal corrections in paint and loss of lucidity (Source 1).
- →Violating the 'fat over lean' rule, which can cause the final painting to crack and peel (Source 3).
- →Attempting to correct scale issues by placing the drawing too close to the sitter, which can create optical illusions of incorrect scale (Source 1).
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 (e.g., character positions, background elements) are not described in the sources.
- ·Arthur Rackham's specific palette preferences for this particular piece are not detailed; the guide relies on general oil painting practices of the era.
- ·The exact year of creation is not available, so period-specific material nuances are inferred from general Art Nouveau and oil painting traditions.
grounded in
The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- PAINTING FROM LIFE — applied to Underdrawing and initial monochrome underpainting techniques
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Glazing and scumbling techniques for color application
The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- ILLUSTRATING SOME OF THE LINES... — applied to Compositional principles regarding line and eye direction
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 rules, including 'fat over lean' and drying times
Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.
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