Sunlight in the park

surface prep

The canvas should be primed to accept oil paint. Traditional oil painting techniques often begin with sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 7). Ensure the surface is stable to prevent cracking, as the quality and type of oil lead to a strong and stable paint film (Source 7).

underdrawing

Begin with a charcoal sketch to establish the composition. Contour drawing is an essential technique that emphasizes the mass and volume of the subject rather than detail (Source 1). Make all corrections in the charcoal stage, as charcoal offers little resistance to a brush and none to bread, whereas correcting in paint is fatal to lucidity (Source 3). Do not hesitate to hold your brush against the model (or reference) to ascertain proportions (Source 3).

underpainting

Set the palette with raw umber and softer white, using turpentine to thin the paint (Source 3). Apply an initial layer with the idea of going over it at least three or four times (Source 3). This initial pass should establish the broad masses and values, adhering to the 'fat over lean' rule where each additional layer contains more oil than the layer below (Source 7).

Contour Drawing

Used to emphasize mass and volume rather than detail, conveying three-dimensional perspective through line variation (Source 1).

Fat Over Lean

Each additional layer of paint should contain more oil than the layer below to prevent cracking and peeling (Source 7).

Illusion of Illumination

Kuindzhi used intense colors and main tones to depict the expressive illuminative aspect of nature, creating a panoramic view (Source 5).

Correction in Charcoal

All corrections should be made in the charcoal stage to avoid fatal errors in paint lucidity (Source 3).