As usual, the first step in starting any painting...from easel painting to the most massive mural...is separating the light from the dark by indicating everything "dark" with a translucent orange glaze. This the first step in the "tonal study" and must be executed across the entire surface. No dark shape, shadow or form is left behind. In case you haven't noticed, this "global glazing" technique creates a wonderful visual continuity from the very beginning of the 13-step process.
The so-called "global glazing" technique creates "visual continuity" throughout the 13-step process.
No shadow, shape or form that qualifies as "dark" is omitted in the first orange glaze.
When I start a painting, I work methodically across the entire surface to indicate separation between light and dark. This "global" approach not only keeps the process nicely organized, but also immediately creates a certain continuity, which will pay off in spades as the painting develops.
Time to fire up the 2nd glaze, a translucent red.
With each successive glaze, the resolution increases dramatically. I consider the first glazes as "sketch" glazes, preparatory studies that allow me to make critical decisions in the refinement of the detail. This is possible due to the fact that each glaze presents so much more detail.
The second (red) glaze nears completion.
You can plainly see that the details of the mural increase exponentially with each successive glaze.
Look what happens with the addition of the "violet" glaze!
Once I initiate the "violet" glaze, things really start to pop. I think of violet as the first really definitive glaze, as far as the resolution of the detail goes. Put it this, you better make sure that you have a good handle on the composition and detail by this time, because by now, you are definitely committed!
Violet is a definitive glaze, as it really pops the detail.
I always find it so gratifying to reach glaze three, which is a translucent violet. Even with ten remaining glazes to full-on technicolor, the violet glaze creates a powerful impression of the potential of the image.
From one end to another and from top to bottom, each glaze is methodically applied.
This so-called "Global Glazing" technique is something that I have meticulously developed over the course of sixty-odd large murals and hundreds of easel paintings. Make no mistake about it, this technique was developed over many years of trial and error, but mostly it is common sense when the desired end game is a lustrous, rich, life-like result.
The third glaze (translucent violet) shown in its completion.
Followers of my blog will recognize that each glaze serves to enhance all of the preceding glazes. One of the huge advantages of employing the "translucent" glaze is that all of the successive glazes mingle and dance with their fellow glazes. Nothing gets "buried" as I progress through the complete 13-step process, but rather, all of the glazes compliment each other, glowing in their full-spectrum glory. So stay tuned, as this mural will blossom rapidly in front of your eyes!
If you want to see a sneak preview of the entire 13-step process, feel free to check out this 48-second video that I created a while back.
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