Painting Techniques Only a sample – there are principles but there are NO RULES
Alla prima A painting done in just one layer
Alla Prima
Richard Diebenkorn
Henri Matisse - link
Broken color Layering paint so that the bottom layers show through
Paul Cezanne
Paul Cezanne - link
Willem De Kooning
Richard Diebenkorn – link
Andy Warhol
Stippling using the tip of the brush to apply dots of color Paul Klee
Pointillism Georges Seurat
Pointillism Georges Seurat
Georges Seurat - link
Impasto Applying very thick paint so that the brushstroke actually leaves a trail in the paint and these trails create texture and shadow.
Vincent Van Gogh - link
Philip Guston
Wayne Thiebaud
glazing Applying thin coats of paints on top of each other
Cornelis deHeem - link
Morris Louis
Morris Louis - link
Richard Deibenkorn
Helen Frankenthaler
Wayne Thiebaud
scraffito Putting on a layer of paint and then scratching back through it to reveal the paint underneath
Jean Dubuffet
Cy Twombly
Cy Twombly - link
drybrush Using an almost empty brush to apply the color
Francis Bacon
Claude Monet – link
scumbling Putting layers of lighter color over layers of darker colors
J.M.W. Turner
J.M.W. Turner - link
Claude Monet
Sfumato – or smooth blending Blending the paint in a naturalistic way
Titian - link
Eduard Manet
Georgio Morandi
The steps to making a painting Whether realistic or abstract
imprimatura Putting down a thin layer of color before painting thicker layers on top of it
The underpainting Highlights and details are gradually added. Note the colors are in contrast to what the final colors will be.
Color is gradually added and modeled in both thick and thin layers until the final result is achieved.
Another example
A good site to visit for more information