watercolor techniques. Five basic tricks

The “alla prima” technique can be described as a fast, creative manner of writing, and the Italian term itself can be translated with the words “in one go”. The picture, if you work in this manner, is written immediately in one session, i.e. no steps that require layers to dry before re-applying the next. The main thing here is to capture the essence, to show the most interesting with bold colorful spots, while avoiding glazing - the colors should be pure.
This technique is applicable both in oil painting and in watercolor, but there are differences - watercolor is fluid and transparent, so it is very important to avoid "dirty" flows, but at the same time, the infusion of color into color can be used to advantage.
You need to start work with an analysis of nature - try to conditionally, in your imagination, break the object into spots of color, and do not forget to “weigh” on a darker / lighter scale. You can start with the most intense, bright colors and work your way up to the lighter ones. Actually, each spot of color is applied to its place, and the image is formed, as it were, like a mosaic. You can, of course, overlap something again, but in watercolor this can lead to a loss of freshness.
The leaflet exercises illustrate the above.

And this is fruit. Isn't it beautiful?

By the way, this technique is indispensable if you need to quickly capture something elusive. Such work can serve as a sketch, or an independent work, if you can do it carefully. For example, I will try to portray a bird - the most restless creature. The parrot is offered a branch of grapes, and while he is tormenting it, I take up paints.

I'll start with the bird (before it turned the other side, I had a minute).

I write everything else in the same way - I immediately apply the color that is needed in one place or another.

Perhaps this method of painting seems too free, but it, like no other, contributes to the acquisition of confidence, because it requires a tenacious look and a firm hand. The pictorial work will have a lively breath and the power of a real impression right from the scene.

Translated from Italian, "alla prima" means "in one step." This is a technique in which the drawing is done immediately, without retouching, also known as "painting without underpainting". If you want to work with this technique, all you need is to be able to finish the drawing before the paint dries. This may require one or more sessions, although purists argue that one is enough.

This definition leaves room for different interpretations. For example, some say that retouching is permissible until the paint is dry, while others believe that in the alla prima technique, every stroke matters and should not be corrected. Most agree that you can erase and redo those places that you do not like. You can choose what you like. For many, this is a favorite technique, because it has a place for spontaneity and freshness.

The alla prima technique, as it exists today, was first used in the 16th century by the Flemish artist Frans Hals. It was very different from the then common and very time-consuming practice of using underpainting and many layers of paint. In fact, his one-step drawing techniques have been used since ancient times and are instinctively understandable. Due to its speed, the alla prima technique is often used in plein air painting, oil sketches and preliminary studies.

Use a tinted canvas or base

A white surface can be distracting or embarrassing. In addition, it will not be scary if there are unpainted parts of the canvas somewhere. Use a medium or neutral tone. Personally, I like grayish-pink the most.

Consider colors

Prepare the colors you want to use and try to limit the palette. Mark places where there will be a lot of flowers with a brush, pencil or charcoal (you need to be careful with it - make sure that it does not spoil the color of the paint). Remember that the purpose of this preparation is to create a drawing in one layer. Despite the fact that painting "alla prima" is instinctive to some extent, it is quite difficult to achieve a good result without planning.

Move from dark to light colors

This is my personal preference; some artists do the opposite, going from light to dark, or even start with neutral colors. The advantage of going from dark to light tones is that when you work with fresh paint, the colors blend quickly. It will be difficult to get a rich dark color if there is already a lighter one underneath. The lightest colors are best used last.

Be confident

Start with the largest brush and end with the smallest one, and don't skimp on the paint - pick it up profusely. Make confident strokes. The main principle of "Alla Prima" is that every stroke matters.

Do not overload individual sections

If you make a mistake, just strip the paint down to the canvas and start over. This will help you maintain a fresh, economical finish to your alla prima work.

Three samples

If you run out of inspiration, you can consider the work of some masters. Explore light, colorful portraits by Dutch artist Frans Hals, as well as paintings by the great impressionist Edouard Manet, who used the alla prima technique to capture fleeting here-and-now phenomena such as clouds or sunsets. Finally, discover Tom Thompson, a Canadian landscape painter of the early 20th century. This is a lesser known artist, the author of bright miniature oil sketches.

In technical terms, this method of painting is the best, since with it all painting consists of one layer, the drying of which, with a moderate thickness, proceeds unhindered and quite normal, which is why it is protected from cracks with an appropriate primer, just as the paints themselves retain their original freshness. But not always this method can be implemented in practice and, moreover, it is not always included in the task of the painter.

The primer for painting "alla prima" should not be too pulling, as well as too impenetrable and slippery, which is why when using adhesive primer, all necessary measures are taken to prevent too noticeable a change in colors on it in tone due to loss of oil. An oily soil, especially one that has dried out and is therefore impenetrable, is given some permeability, which is achieved by rubbing it with alcohol or pumice; in addition, choose a soil with a rough surface. As for the color of the ground, the most suitable in this case are light grounds with different shades, according to the painting task, as well as pure white ground. Pinkish, yellowish and other shades of ground are obtained by painting white ground with transparent paint.

The described method of painting often does not require the execution of an ordinary drawing, and the artist can proceed directly to paints and writing, depending on the painting task and the experience of the master.
If the drawing is necessary, then it can be limited to a light charcoal sketch. Black charcoal drawing with its fixer should be avoided, as any sharp black outlines will later show through a thin layer of paint and thus spoil the painting. The composition of the fixative is also not indifferent to its strength.

The drawing can be executed separately on paper and then transferred to the canvas to better preserve the purity and color of the ground.

In order to be able to finish painting in a wet way, that is, before the oil paints begin to dry, all sorts of measures are taken, but harmless to painting, starting with the selection of paints. Slow drying paints are preferred here. So, zinc white is more appropriate here than lead; in addition, the composition of the binder of paints is also of great importance here. That is why paints grated on slow-drying oils are most applicable here: poppy, walnut and sunflower; linseed oil paints are suitable only for quick, short-term work.

In order to delay the drying of the paints as long as possible, the painting being performed is placed in the intervals between work in the cold, in the dark, and, if possible, the free access of air to it is blocked. The implementation of these last measures, unfortunately, cannot always be used, especially when the size of the painting is large, while these measures are very effective.

Essential oils are used for the same purpose, slowing down the more or less strong drying of oil paints, which are mentioned above. The most energetic in this case would be clove oil. There are, however, authoritative indications of the harm from the use of these oils for painting in large quantities.

Painting by this method is carried out differently and depends largely on the individuality of the artist; that is why, in presenting this method, one can confine oneself to the most essential and important indications.

Under the painting "alla prima", in the direct meaning of these words, one must mean one of the methods in which the artist sets himself the task of immediately reproducing in paints everything that he sees in nature, i.e. color, shape, chiaroscuro, etc. , without resorting to the division of this complex task into separate moments of work. The difficulty of solving this problem is, of course, great, and becomes all the more so if the artist strives to finish his work “in a raw way,” that is, before the colors dry.

Painting is done differently. It can be started with smears of semi-thick paints, applied freely, tone to tone, without mixing them for a long time on the palette, until the entire canvas is revealed. At first, it is beneficial to keep the shadows lighter and warmer than they should be in their finished form; light, on the contrary, is darker and colder. The strongest lights and shadows are applied at the last moment, when the painting comes to an end. Decisive and final blows with impasto paints are very appropriate here.

Painting should be done with tube paints as they are, without the addition of fatty oils to them. When using black paints (light in weight), they should not be applied in a thick layer, since heavy paints applied over them drown in black, polluting the painting.

When applying too thick a layer of paints that makes further work difficult, you should remove their excess with a palette knife, spatula and knife, as well as by applying clean paper to the layer of paints, which is pressed against it with the palm of your hand and then, upon removal, takes on all the excess paints .

It is possible, when painting “alla prima”, to start it by rubbing, diluting the paints with turpentine and applying them liquidly, like watercolors. This laying is carried out flatly, without modeling forms, having the task of only a broad overall effect. For her, it is better to use body paints, introducing white into them. Then, in further work, pastose colors are introduced and real painting begins.

When working "alla prima", on a too pulling ground, oil paints give a matte painting, which is inferior to tempera in terms of color and, moreover, if the paints are too strongly de-oiled, it is devoid of strength.

The painting performed by "alla prima" has a peculiar beauty, it is pleasant with its freshness and immediacy, revealing the "stroke" of the author and his temperament. I. Repin's sketches for his painting "The State Council" can serve as examples of this kind of painting.

Alla prima (ala prima) is a painting technique watercolor on wet, implying work completed in one session. The term applies to both oil and watercolor painting. Basically, it's a job at a time.

Alla prima oil

As far as oil is concerned, the technique is good for many reasons. Typically, this material is characterized by long-term work with the canvas. This is due to the different drying time of different layers. Due to the imposition of fresh smears on an already dried one, cracks subsequently appear. And when working Alla prima (or a la prima), the master writes only one layer, thus avoiding the difficulty with applying glazes. In addition, due to the lack of a huge number of layers, the work remains fresh. In some places, you can even notice as if illuminated areas. This effect gives a primed canvas translucent through transparent layers of paint. In addition, such a lively manner allows you to make more dynamic and expressive work. This technique was especially popular with the Impressionists. Artists loved to paint in nature, creating in the field no longer sketches, but finished works that took place.

Alla prima watercolor

If we turn to watercolors, we will see how this material is revealed in the hands of the master in a completely new guise. In fact, working A la prima, the artist writes in one sitting. Since this is almost impossible with watercolor, paintings in this technique are always painted in raw. Hence the bright iridescent spills of colors. The artist has little time before the paint layer dries, so he needs confidence and a steady hand to wet watercolor painting. In addition, care is needed, as when mixing a large number of watercolor colors, there is a risk of getting not a juicy shade, but dirt. However, many masters use this technique as a basis for work, later applying a few more clear strokes already dry to shade the silhouettes and sharpen the necessary areas of work.




In short, Alla prima is a style of painting for highly effective parasites who find it difficult to sit still, layer by layer, writing out a photorealistic canvas

Technique - a la prima (alla prima) is currently used more often than others as it is more suited to the tasks of depicting “form in the environment”, plein air painting with its inherent airiness and transparency, softness of color and immediacy of the manner of execution.

The essence of this technique is as follows. The artist strives to convey in paints everything that he sees in nature: colors, chiaroscuro, without dividing the process of work into separate stages. At the same time, work, as a rule, is carried out "on the raw". Already after the first session, the artist refreshes the drying film on the dry paint layer in a certain way.

There are a number of ways to keep the ink layer fresh. An unfinished study is placed facing the wall in a cool but not damp room. You can use slow drying zinc white. In another case, before the start of the next session, the film on the paint layer (if it did appear) is dissolved with varnish for painting (interlayer varnishes) or the surface of the paint layer is wiped with a cut of a clove of garlic or onion (this method was used by the old masters).

Such a preliminary preparation of the paint layer for subsequent work will prevent the withering of the paint laid on the wet layer.

As a rule, painting in the "a la prima" technique is carried out with paints in tubes, without the use of thinner. Only in those cases when the consistency of some paints is much thicker than the others, it should be equalized with a thinner for the convenience of writing.

When working pasty, the artist must take into account that at the beginning of the work the paint layer should not be too thick, especially in the first session. The excess of colors is removed with a palette knife, and subsequent sessions are assigned to texture writing, in which, in the process of finalizing the work, the most powerful strokes and colors of ultimate power will appear where the artist has identified the most active color accents of the motif.

Another way to perform painting "a la prima" is as follows.

Initially, the canvas is widely painted over with diluted thinner paints and applied with a liquid solution like watercolors. With this writing method, the volume of the form is not modeled, because the purpose of the initial wide and thin-layer registration is to determine the main color relationships and general color masses.

Canvas greatly influences the color of a thin layer of paint. With this in mind, use the quality of the material in the same way as white paper is used in watercolor.

Working fluidly, you should immediately try to get the color ratio right. Then pasty strokes are introduced, the illuminated areas of objects are written in a more textured way (corpusal), shadows are applied in a thin layer.

Thus, in the “a la prima” technique, various methods of overlaying paints and various methods of texture modeling are possible.

But do not allow excessive layering of paints, as in this case the drying of the paint layer will slow down and be uneven, which will adversely affect the quality of the painting.

Based on materials: Eliseev M.A. "Materials, equipment, technique of painting and graphics"