Dutch Masters Series — Post 2: Underpainting & Value Design (Imprimatura → Grisaille)
- Durhl Davis
- Nov 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 11
(Deep Dive — Part 2 of 7)
Links back to: The Dutch Masters Method — A Step-by-Step Guide to Classical Oil Painting.
Introduction — The Painting Beneath the Painting
Long before the glow of color, long before the shimmer of glaze, every classical masterpiece begins with a quiet layer of foundation — the underpainting.
The Dutch Masters understood something modern painters often overlook:
Color means nothing without value.Value is the architecture on which the entire painting stands.
In this post, we explore the classical progression from imprimatura to grisaille, the two stages that determine the strength, depth, and clarity of everything that follows.
This is where the painting’s bones are built.
1. The Purpose of the Underpainting
Underpainting is not just preparation — it is strategy.
The Dutch approach gives you:
A controlled value structure
A unified tone across the canvas
Accurate drawing without harsh lines
Balanced light–shadow relationships
An optical foundation for glazing and color harmony
If the underpainting is strong, the rest of the painting becomes effortless.
If it is weak, the painting will fight you at every layer.
2. Stage One: Imprimatura — The First Veil of Tone
Imprimatura is the first translucent wash of color laid over a primed canvas. Its purpose is to remove the intimidating “white void” and create a tonal ground that harmonizes the entire piece.
A. What Color Should You Use?
Classical choices include:
Raw umber + a touch of black (cool and neutral)
Burnt umber (warmer, for portraits or warm scenes)
Transparent oxide brown (a modern, beautiful alternative)
Your goal is a thin, transparent, even veil — like looking through warm smoke.
B. Why It Matters
Imprimatura gives:
A mid-tone starting place
Instant control of lights and shadows
A unified warmth beneath all future layers
A “grippy,” slightly absorbent surface for the grisaille
It’s the whisper that invites the rest of the painting to come forward.
3. Stage Two: Grisaille — Sculpting the Light
Grisaille is a monochrome underpainting done in values, often using:
Raw umber
Ivory black
Lead white (historically)
Titanium or a warm white (modern substitution)
This is where the Dutch Masters carved form with precision and poetry.
A. Think Like a Sculptor
Grisaille is sculptural.
You’re not painting objects —you’re shaping the light that reveals them.
Focus on:
Planes of the face or objects
Transitions from light to shadow
Clean shadow shapes
Edge control
Soft vs. firm turning edges
Accents (small moments of deepest dark)
B. The 5-Value System
The Dutch often worked within a simple value framework:
Shadow mass
Halftone
Light
Highlight
Accents
Keeping values organized gives the painting quiet authority.
4. Chiaroscuro — Controlling Light With Intention
Grisaille is where chiaroscuro reveals itself — the interplay of light and darkness.
The Dutch Masters used chiaroscuro to guide:
visual hierarchy
emotional intensity
spiritual symbolism
narrative focus
Ask yourself:
Where do I want the viewer to look first?
What should remain mysterious?
How will shadow unify the composition?
Light without shadow is decoration.Light emerging from shadow is drama.
5. Common Grisaille Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
✅ Mistake 1: Painting the grisaille too dark
Solution:Keep values in the light to mid-range so glazes don’t become muddy.
✅ Mistake 2: Over-detailing too early
Solution:Think general → specific.Large shapes first. Details last.
✅ Mistake 3: Hard edges everywhere
Solution:Reserve edges.Soft transitions make hard edges meaningful.
✅ Mistake 4: Using pure black and pure white too soon
Solution:Save highest contrast for the end.Let the grisaille feel like sculpted fog.
6. The Optical Magic — Why Grisaille Works
The Dutch Masters understood how the human eye sees.
When light passes through layers of translucent color (glazes) and hits a well-structured grisaille beneath, it produces:
luminosity
depth
richness
atmospheric unity
a glow that cannot be achieved with direct painting
The underpainting acts like an illuminated manuscript — light bounces through it.
That’s why even subtle glazes create incredible radiance.
7. How to Know When Your Grisaille Is Finished
Ask these questions:
✅ Does the subject read at a glance?
✅ Are the shadows unified and calm?
✅ Do the lights feel consistent?
✅ Are the edges intentional?
✅ Does the composition feel balanced?
✅ Does your eye move naturally across the scene?
If yes… stop. Do not oversculpt.
A grisaille is a foundation, not a final painting. It should feel like a whisper of what’s to come.
8. How This Step Connects to the Dutch Masters Method
Underpainting is the bridge between vision and color.
Imprimatura sets the emotional temperature
Grisaille creates the dimensional form
The dead layer deepens structure
The color layer rides on its back
Glazing reveals the inner glow
Scumbling adds atmosphere
The final unification ties all layers together
Without a strong underpainting, the Dutch method collapses.
With a strong underpainting, everything sings.
Conclusion — The Strength to Hold the Light
The imprimatura and grisaille breathe quiet order into the painting.They are the architecture beneath the poetry.
Where Post 1 explored intention, Post 2 reveals structure.
Together, they form the foundation of the Dutch Masters method. Everything after this is refinement — adding flesh to the bones, light to the form, and color to the soul.
Read the main guide:The Dutch Masters Method — A Step-by-Step Guide to Classical Oil Painting.
Next in the series:Post 3 — Dead Layer: Sculpting the Light
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