It is time to think of the other possibilities that can be obtained with the under wash.
Salt sprinkling into wet paint is one method that is used extensively to create texture. I have seen many paintings that are dominated by this technique. As a matter of fact, some works have so much salt texture that it could be said that the subject of the work is SALT. Why not use salt texture as the under wash and put a transparent glaze over it?
I use a natural sponge or spattered color for woodland texture.
With no glaze over the texture, it shows detail. With a flat glaze over the texture, the texture is pushed inside the image. By placing a second glaze over the texture, it would appear deeper inside the image.
An under wash of texture can have an additional wash of texture added to create more depth.
Alternate layers of texture and flat washes can create a wonderful depth. When this effect is placed beside a flat wash, the unglazed area comes alive.
MOUNTAIN WATERS and THE SILENT NIGHT have textured under washes. The hardness of the rocks and the roughness of the wood required a textured application of paint.
Dry brush texture can be applied to show rough wooden surfaces. After applying a flat glaze, more dry brush can be applied. The end result will create a visual sense of touch in the work.
The under wash can be used to enhance grays or to mute saturated color
Burnt Orange Cobalt Blue
In the left visual, I have applied Burnt Orange and Cobalt Blue as a wet in wet under wash. I mixed the orange and the blue on the palette to achieve a flat gray. I made a wash over the two dry colors leaving some areas untouched. The gray has become more interesting.
In the visual on the right, I mixed Cobalt Blue and Burnt Orange on the palette and applied a flat wash of this mix on the paper. After it dried, I applied some of the blue and some orange over the gray. The colors became muted.
Complicated shadow patterns can be an under wash in a painting. I have painted a COBALT BLUE shadow pattern on the pear and its cast shadow.
The shadows are in place and the painting only needs glazes of the local colors.
When considering an under wash, think about the colors that you have chosen for the painting. The under wash can consist of some of those colors or it can consist of colors that are analogous to the dominant color in the work.
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