Grisaille underpainting: the basis for depth and contrast in your painting

What is grisaille underpainting?

Grisaille is a classic painting technique in which you begin with an underpainting in shades of gray before adding color. The term comes from the French word "gris" (gray) and has been used for centuries by old masters such as Rembrandt, Rubens, and Vermeer.

The purpose of a grisaille underpainting is to establish the values ​​(light and dark) of your composition before worrying about color. This gives your painting a solid foundation of depth, volume, and contrast—the foundations of any strong artwork.

Why grisaille is so powerful:

• You separate value (light/dark) from color, which simplifies the process
• You create a strong foundation for depth and three-dimensionality
• Colors you add later automatically gain more richness and nuance
• You can perfect composition and contrast before adding color
• It prevents muddy colors in later layers

The history of grisaille: from old masters to the present

Grisaille isn't a modern trend, but a time-tested technique used since the Renaissance. Old masters used it to construct complex compositions with maximum control over light and shadow.

Famous examples:

• Rembrandt – used brownish grisailles (also called 'dead layer') as the basis for his dramatic light effects
• Rubens – worked with gray underpaintings for his dynamic compositions
• Vermeer – captured values ​​in grisaille before adding his characteristic colors

Today, grisaille is still taught in art schools and used by professional painters worldwide. It's a timeless technique that works regardless of your style or subject.

Why use grisaille underpainting?

You might think: why not start right away in color? There are good reasons to start with grisaille:

1. Value is more important than color

A painting with perfect colors but poor values ​​looks weak. A painting with good values ​​but "wrong" colors can still be powerful. Value is the backbone of every strong work of art.

Grisaille trains your eye to see values ​​without being distracted by color. This is an essential skill for any painter.

2. You avoid muddy colors

If you start with color right away and have to mix and correct a lot, you quickly end up with muddy, gray tones. With a grisaille underpainting, you've already established your values, so you only need to add transparent layers of color later without much mixing.

3. You get more depth and luminosity

By glazing transparent colors over a grisaille, an optical blend is created that is deeper and richer than direct color. Light reflects through the layers, creating that characteristic glow of classical paintings.

4. You have more control over your composition

In the grisaille phase, you can still easily make adjustments to composition, contrast, and focus without worrying about color harmony. It's a safe stage for experimenting.

What colors do you use for grisaille? (No black!)

Here's a common mistake: many beginners use black and white for their grisaille. That works, but often results in a cold, lifeless effect. Professional painters use warmer alternatives.

My recommended grisaille palette:

Option 1: Burnt Umber + White (my favorite)
Burnt Umber mixed with Titanium White creates a warm, brownish grisaille. This is what the old masters often used. It provides a natural, organic base that works well under almost any color.

Option 2: Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Sienna + White
This combination creates a more neutral gray with more variation. You can make it warmer (more Burnt Sienna) or cooler (more Ultramarine). Very versatile.

Option 3: Payne's Grey + White
Payne's Grey is a composite color (usually blue + black + sometimes brown) that produces a cooler gray. It's good for landscapes and cool compositions.

Option 4: Verdaccio (traditional for portraits)
A greenish-gray underpainting made of black, white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Traditionally used for skin tones because it provides a perfectly complementary base for warm skin tones.

Why not pure black?
Ivory Black or Mars Black mixed with white creates a cold, lifeless gray without nuance. It absorbs light instead of reflecting it, resulting in flat, lifeless paintings. Always use a warm or colored base.

Step-by-step: how to make a grisaille underpainting

Step 1: Show your canvas (optional but recommended)

Start with a tinted base in a neutral color like Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, or a light gray. This will neutralize the bright white of your canvas and create a harmonious base. Let this dry completely.

Why show? The white canvas is the lightest value in your painting. By showing, you work from a midtone, making it easier to assess both highlights and shadows.

Step 2: Sketch your composition

Lightly sketch your composition with charcoal or a thin paint (thinned with turpentine or a medium). Keep it simple—just the main shapes and lines. Fix your charcoal with a spray or blow off any excess.

Step 3: Capture your darkest values

Start with your darkest shadows. Use your grisaille color (e.g., Burnt Umber) relatively pure, diluted with medium for a smooth application. Identify your deepest shadows and capture them.

Tip: Squint at your reference. This eliminates details and reveals only the large masses of value.

Step 4: Build your midrange

Mix your grisaille color with white to create different mid-tones. Gradually build up from dark to light. Think in broad strokes, not in details. You're creating a value map, not a detailed painting.

How many values? Try working with 5-7 clear value increments from dark to light. More than that becomes confusing, and less doesn't provide enough nuance.

Step 5: Add your lights

Now come the highlights. Use more white in your mixture for the brightest areas. Be sparing with your purest lights – save them for the all-important highlights. This creates focus and drama.

Technique tip: Use drier paint for highlights (less medium) so they sit on top of the wetter base layers without blending.

Step 6: Refine and Balance

Step back and assess your values. Is there enough contrast? Are the darkest and brightest points in the right places? Make adjustments. This is the time to perfect your composition.

Test: Take a photo of your grisaille and convert it to black and white. If the values ​​are correct in black and white, your grisaille is correct.

Step 7: Let dry completely

This is crucial. Let your grisaille dry for at least 24-48 hours (depending on the thickness of your paint). For oil paint, it's better to let it dry too long than too short. You want a dry, stable base before adding color.

From grisaille to color: glazes and opaque layers

Now comes the magic part: adding color over your grisaille. There are two main techniques:

Technique 1: Glazing (transparent)

Mix your color with a glazing medium (for example, linseed oil + a little turpentine, or a commercial glazing medium). The paint should be transparent so your grisaille will show through.

Benefits: Adds luminosity, depth, and rich colors. The values ​​of your grisaille remain visible and do the work.

Disadvantages: Slower process, requires drying time between coats.

Technique 2: Opaque layers (covering)

Paint directly over your grisaille with opaque paint, using the values ​​of your underpainting as a guide. Your grisaille will largely disappear, but it will have helped you find the right values.

Benefits: Faster, more direct control over color.

Disadvantages: Less luminosity, more chance of muddy colors if you mix too much.

Combination (best of both)

Many painters combine both: glazes for transparent areas (sky, shadows, skin) and opaque paint for opaque areas (highlights, details, accents). This provides maximum control and variety.

Common Grisaille Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Mistake 1: Too much detail too soon

Problem: You start with details before you get the big picture right.
Solution: Think in broad strokes. Details come later, in the color layers. Your grisaille is a value map, not a detailed painting.

Error 2: Too little contrast

Problem: Your grisaille is too gray and flat, without real dark shadows or light highlights.
Solution: Dare to go for true darks and highlights. Contrast is what gives your painting power.

Error 3: Not letting it dry

Problem: You're adding color over a wet grisaille, causing everything to blend and become muddy.
Solution: Patience. Let your grisaille dry completely. For oil paint: at least 24-48 hours, preferably longer.

Error 4: Using Black

Problem: Pure black produces cold, dead shadows without nuance.
Solution: Use Burnt Umber, or a mixture of complementary colors for richer, warmer shadows.

Error 5: Too thick paint in the grisaille

Problem: Thick grisaille layers dry slowly and may crack later.
Solution: Keep your grisaille relatively thin. Thin with medium. Follow the rule of "fat over lean."

Grisaille for various subjects

Portraits

Grisaille (or verdaccio) is essential for portraits. It helps you capture the subtleties in skin tones before adding the complexity of color. Use a warm grisaille (burnt umber) or verdaccio (greenish gray) as a base.

Landscapes

Landscapes benefit greatly from grisaille for atmospheric perspective. Use cooler grays for distant elements and warmer ones for the foreground. This enhances depth.

Still life

For still life, grisaille helps you understand the shape and volume of objects before adding color. Perfect for learning about light and shadow.

Abstract work

Even in abstract work, grisaille can help you establish composition and balance before adding color. It gives structure to your abstraction.

Materials you need

Essential:

• Canvas or panel (toned or white)
• Burnt Umber (or your chosen grisaille color)
• Titanium White
• Brushes (various sizes, both flat and round)
• Turpentine or odorless mineral spirits (for dilution)
• Palette
• Palette knife (for mixing)

Optional but useful:

• Medium for glazing (later, for color layers)
• Charcoal for sketching
• Fixative spray
• Rags or kitchen paper
• Palette cups for medium

Exercises to learn grisaille

Exercise 1: Value scale

Create a scale of seven values, from pure Burnt Umber to pure white. Practice making consistent increments. This trains your eye and your hand.

Exercise 2: Simple shapes

Paint simple geometric shapes (sphere, cube, cylinder) in grisaille. Focus on light, shadow, and volume. These are the building blocks of any complex subject.

Exercise 3: Black and white photo

Choose a black-and-white photo and create a grisaille study. Without color, you only need to copy the values, which simplifies the learning process.

Exercise 4: Master copy

Copy the grisaille phase of an old master painting (search online for "grisaille underpainting examples"). Learn from the best.

From technique to art: my experience with grisaille

As a professional artist, I don't use grisaille for every painting, but I do use it for complex compositions where value is crucial. It gives me control and confidence—I know my foundation is solid before I add color.

What I appreciate most about grisaille is the focus it brings. Instead of being overwhelmed by color, composition, value, and detail all at once, I work in phases. First value, then color. This makes the process clear and the results consistently better.

For artists who want to elevate their work, grisaille isn't an option—it's essential. It's the foundation upon which all great paintings are built.

Conclusion: Why grisaille transforms your paintings

Grisaille underpainting is more than a technique—it's a way of thinking. It teaches you to see value, to work in layers, and to be patient with your process.

The results speak for themselves: paintings with greater depth, richer colors, better contrast, and a professional look. It's a technique used by old masters that remains relevant today.

Start today:

• Choose a simple topic
• Create a grisaille with Burnt Umber and white
• Focus only on values, not on details
• Let it dry and then add color

You will be amazed at the difference.

Frequently asked questions about grisaille

Should I always use grisaille?
No, it's a technique, not a rule. For quick studies or alla prima paintings, you can work directly in color. But for complex compositions where value is crucial, grisaille is indispensable.

Can I use grisaille with acrylic paint?
Absolutely! Grisaille works with any paint: oil, acrylic, watercolor, even digital. The principle remains the same: values ​​first, color later.

How long should my grisaille dry?
For oil paint: at least 24-48 hours, depending on the thickness. For acrylic: 30-60 minutes. Test by gently touching – it should be completely dry, not sticky.

Can I add details in the grisaille phase?
You can, but it's not necessary. Most of the details come from the color layers. Keep your grisaille relatively simple – focus on the large values ​​and shapes.

What if my grisaille is too dark?
No problem. You can always add lighter values, or glaze transparent light colors over dark areas. Dark areas are easier to correct than too light.

Should my grisaille be completely gray?
No, 'grisaille' is a broad term. You can work in shades of brown (burnt umber), greenish-gray (verdaccio), or even blue-gray. It's about value, not exact color.

Can I combine grisaille with other techniques?
Yes! Grisaille works perfectly with impasto (thick paint), glazes, scumbling, and alla prima in later layers. It's a foundation, not a limitation.