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LP artist Brendan Smith in acrylics

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Syd Edward

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I am very interested in the techniques employed by this artist . Before starting the painting in colours he paints his drawing in a series of tones from light grey to almost black on a warm blue previously prepared sheet . In other words he doesnt do a separate rough tonal thumbnail sketch but prefers to paint on top of dry blocked in greys. I should think that the final paint colours will be modified by the blocked in greys and I wouldnt see the sense of not doing a rough tonal sketch separate from the painting. What do other artists think?.....Syd
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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I've not looked at this closely, but to be honest - we all have our rituals and hope and think they work; a lot of this is theory plus a touch of superstition, a bit like tweaking a rabbit's foot. For myself, I paint either on a burnt sienna or plain white ground - I really don't believe it matters one hell of a lot, because in acrylic and oil, you're piling paint on paint, and in watercolour if you tried this approach you'd tend to end up with a dull painting (tonally, anyway). My view is - do what you do and if it works rejoice, and if it doesn't, change it. This method would work, alongside others, if you employed the old glazing techniques which few use nowadays - otherwise, it's wise to work on a light coloured ground in oil and acrylic, building the painting up from dark to light: much as it always was, whatever technique you use.

Alan Bickley

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Interesting article Syd, I've just had a quick scan over it. Nothing too unusual here mind you to my own way of working, generally covering the canvas/board/paper with a grey background before commencing. A mid grey is the most popular choice (this is what Ken Howard uses - Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna + White), but I also push the boat out and paint on dark reds and blues, anything but white really although Hockney paints directly on white so there's a thought. The mid grey, as Andre has said, will allow you to gauge accurately your tonal values, adding tonal colour up and down the scale from that initial mid grey. (I can clarify that further and in more detail if you need me to at a later date). On your last point, I never do a separate thumbnail tonal sketch, I just play it by ear during the painting process, but it can't do any harm. (Apologies, I gave the wrong colour combination for the grey background, I have now corrected this error).

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by alanbickley

Peter Davison

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I use a mid grey ground for my canvases and boards to help judge tone. For the same reason my palettes are mdf board finished with a mid grey undercoat paint and covered with three coats of clear varnish.