Concept · Color in Painting
Glazing and Direct Painting
Glazing builds color in thin transparent layers over dry paint; direct painting mixes each color on the palette and lays it on opaque, often wet into wet.
Light passes through a glaze and reflects off the layer below, giving a glow an opaque mixture cannot match. Direct painting trades that depth for speed and freshness, since each stroke shows its final color at once.
- Glazed darks look deep and jewel-like; direct painting shows solid, often thick strokes.
- Transparent pigments such as red lakes suit glazing; white makes them opaque and chalkier.
- Each glaze must dry before the next goes on, so the method is slow.
- Alla prima
- Italian for 'at the first attempt': a painting finished in one wet session.
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