Oil Portrait technique painted in two layers according to a photography.

Another portrait of Julien, this one painted in two layers is presented here as an example for comparison.

After having respected a minimum of two weeks drying period, it is a question of all repainting in half-paste a second layer over the first.

Nuance : When upon the beginning, our intention is to paint in 2 layers, the first can be a little less refined on the rendering, but however, the positioning must be perfect.

Oil being a relatively translucent matter, the first layer is used as foundation; the second enables us to refine the rendering to the maximum of our capacities.

This technique enables us to benefit from the translucent properties of the matter and to obtain effects that cannot be obtained in a single layer. This is where the oil-base paint finds its greatest qualities.

The work was once again been done over 2 days.

For the second step, a retouching varnish is applied to the portion to be redone in the course of the day.

The mixture of painting medium vs thinner should be slightly richer than the first layer so as to respect the law of fat over lean and avoid surface cracks.