Swiss landscape near Geneva

surface prep

Prepare a standard oil-primed canvas. Serebriakova’s practice involved traditional oil painting techniques, which require a stable ground to prevent cracking. The 'fat over lean' rule dictates that subsequent layers must have higher oil content, so the initial ground should be relatively lean (Source 4).

underdrawing

Begin with a charcoal sketch to establish the composition. Traditional oil painting techniques often start with sketching the subject onto the canvas with charcoal or thinned paint (Source 4). For landscape painting, contour drawing can be used to emphasize the mass and volume of natural elements like mountains or trees, focusing on the outlined shape rather than minor details (Source 7). Make all corrections in the charcoal stage, as charcoal offers little resistance to a brush and can be easily removed with bread or erasure, preventing fatal errors in the paint layer (Source 2).

underpainting

Apply an initial wash or thin layer of paint using turpentine to establish values and composition. This aligns with the practice of painting with the idea of going over the study multiple times (Source 2). Ensure this layer is 'lean' (low oil content) to adhere to the 'fat over lean' principle, which prevents cracking in later layers (Source 4).

Fat over Lean

Each layer of paint must contain more oil than the previous layer to ensure proper drying and prevent cracking. This is a basic rule of oil paint application (Source 4).

Complementary Color Mixing

Use complementary colors to darken hues without shifting them, avoiding the hue shifts caused by adding black or white (Source 1).

Contour Drawing

Use contour lines to emphasize the mass and volume of landscape elements, focusing on form rather than detail (Source 7).