Oil Painting Techniques Glazing

The Art of Glazing: A Luminous Journey in Oil and Acrylic Painting

Hello and welcome to the wonderful world of glazing. Below I have attempted to cover the subject in a practical manner including the use of both oil colour and acrylic colour. My personal process is to utilise acrylic colours in the underpainting only and then apply oil colours in glazes and opaque paint to finish. I do this because I prefer the more vibrant and luminous effects of oil colour.

Having said that I am still willing to try new combinations and learn from other more experienced artists as I continue to develop. I encourage you to try various solutions also as our preferences and working practices may well be different.

Glazing is a magical painting technique that can transform an ordinary artwork into a luminous masterpiece. Whether you're working with oils or acrylics, glazing allows artists to build depth, create rich colour variations, and achieve an incredible sense of luminosity that simply can't be achieved with direct painting methods.

I personally do not use turpentine or white spirit, aiming for a toxic free and environmentally friendly process. I am also giving the Liquitex Bio Heavy Body Acrylics a try as these are more considerate towards the environment.

An Underpainting of Street Scene - Demo Pre- Glazing with Oil Colour.

Understanding Glazing Basics

At its core, glazing is the process of applying thin, transparent layers of paint over dry underlying layers. Think of it like adding delicate sheets of coloured glass over a painting, each layer subtly changing the colour and depth beneath.

Oil Painting Glazing: A Time-honoured Technique

For oil painters, glazing is a slow, meditative process:

Many people shy away from oil colour because they say it dries too slow and is messy. I personally find that oil colours are clean and easy to manage, they also dry overnight ready for another layer if I have used alkyd medium correctly.

The Street Scene after glazing and opaque highlights.

  1. Start with a completely dry underpainting. (I often do this stage with acrylic paint but do not take it too far.)
  2. Choose a glazing medium like Liquin or Galkyd. For Liquin, start with a 1:1 ratio with paint; for Galkyd, try a 1:2 ratio of medium to paint.
  3. Select transparent or semi-transparent colours – avoid opaque paints that will obscure your underlying work.
  4. Mix your glaze to be incredibly thin – you should be able to see through it easily.
  5. Apply the glaze quickly and confidently with a soft, wide brush.
  6. Experiment with techniques like dabbing with a cloth or using a dry brush to create interesting textures.
  7. Allow each layer to dry completely – this will take 24-48 hours. (I find that it can be useful to work on two small to medium size paintings at a time)

Pro tip: It's always better to build up multiple thin layers rather than applying one thick layer. Patience is key in glazing!

Landscape Demo: The underlayer was completed using the extraction technique in under 15 minutes with acrylic paints. A quick glaze in oil was added to demonstrate the process 45 minutes later.

 

 

 

 

Acrylic Glazing: A Faster, More Spontaneous Approach

Acrylic painters have a similar but quicker process:

    1. Ensure your base layers are dry (which happens much faster with acrylics).
    2. Mix your glaze using a 1:4 ratio of paint to glazing medium. Use transparent colours where possible.
    3. Work quickly, as acrylics dry faster than oils.
    4. Each glaze layer typically takes only 15-30 minutes to dry. A retarder medium can help slow the drying time.
    5. Keep a spray bottle handy to keep your palette workable.

Landscape Demo: An Additional Glaze was added later with Opaque highlights.

 

The Role of Opaque Colors and White

Here's where many artists get confused. Opaque colours and titanium white have specific roles in a glazing process:

  • Use opaque colours and white in your initial underpainting and base layers
  • Establish composition, values, and initial colour blocking with these. Note: each subsequent layer may darken the tone slightly so you may want to allow for this.
  • Avoid using titanium white or opaque colours in your actual glaze layers
  • Save bright highlights and opaque touches for the final stages of your painting. Care is needed here as opaques will cover the glazes and undo all the good work.

Practical Tips for Success

  1. Always work from darker to lighter layers This is a general practical tip which I have included but I am not sure I agree with. If the underpainting tone is too dark you cannot lighten it with glazes, subsequent glazes will if anything darken the tones. Your thoughts are welcome!
  2. Test your glaze mixtures on a separate surface first
  3. Use transparent or semi-transparent colours for glazing. High Quality paints will thin better than less expensive brands.
  4. Work in thin, even layers. Note: If the layer is too fluid you may be in danger of creating runs when the surface is vertical. It may be necessary to lay the painting flat if this is a risk.
  5. Be patient and allow each layer to dry completely

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using too much medium, which can cause wrinkling or cracking
  • Applying thick glaze layers
  • Using opaque colours in glaze layers
  • Not allowing sufficient drying time between layers

Whether you're working in oils or acrylics, glazing is a technique that rewards patience, experimentation, and a delicate touch. Don't be discouraged if your first attempts aren't perfect – like any artistic skill, glazing takes practice.

So grab your brushes, prepare your palette, and start exploring the luminous world of glazing. Your paintings will thank you!

 

Here are some tips from Patrick J Jones, Sci-fi and Fantasy Oil Painting Masterclass.

Canvas Prep:

1.Pre-primed stapled and stretched to board. (Note: Make sure the board is smooth)

2.Clean canvas with white spirit

3.Transfer the drawing to the canvas and use light fixative spray to seal.

4.Three coats of Liquitex clear medium, lightly sanded.

After the underpainting is complete:

Patrick uses the oiling out process either over the whole painting or the area he is going to be working on with a mix of 50% Liquin and 50 Linseed oil. This is rubbed in before painting the next layer and enables Patrick to paint using oil colour and linseed oil keeping his paint mixes free from Liquin and allows him to keep his mixes for days if necessary. The pre-applied Liquin he states enable the layer to dry overnight.

Patrick uses more Liquin in early stages to speed drying time.

I hope this helps. By the way I am not generally a fan of fantasy art, I purchased Patrick’s book for the painting guidance especially the glazing ideas. Patrick is a wonderful artist in life drawing and this shows in his wonderful artwork. The book is well worth purchasing.