Starting Paintings with Background Wash or Base Layer

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I’m currently experiencing an internal struggle with the start of my process. Most artists I follow start their oil paintings with a background wash or base layer of color, which helps eliminate the bright white from their canvass or paper and potentially makes blending easier. But, for most of my 240ish oil paintings, I have started my loose outline without this background wash. I have had a few experiences when it seemed the base layer made it too easy to turn the painting to a muddy mess, so it’s scared me from doing it too often. But lately, especially over the last 15-20 paintings, I’ve found I’m starting to appreciate it! This featured portrait is one I actually started with a background wash of a brownish base layer. It was dry prior to starting the portrait though, which helped prevent me from turning the piece muddy.

I really like the zones of distinct color in the subject’s face in this piece, and enjoyed exploring the warmer and cooler areas of color. This portrait study was painted on 12 x 12 oil paper and was my 229th overall. I’ll follow my standard format here, which is to share an image of the painting, the Instagram time lapse, and some verbiage specific to the piece. Then, I’ll embed the YouTube discussion video, including another brief writeup on the topic, materials used, and some other hopefully useful information. I’ll wrap the post up by sharing the YT Shorts time lapse and some other similar painting videos.

EPSON scanner image

Shop link related to this piece:

This specific painting may have represented a start to this trend for me of using background washes more often. Maybe it’s the lack of formal training, but I just don’t have an issue with little spots of white peeking out – not that I don’t do it, more that it just doesn’t bother me. It’s more so that I’ve found lately having a thin base layer of oils helps me as I lay down additional paint. I still have to be cautious not to over-blend, because that risk of becoming a muddy mess is definitely there. But if I lay down paint in discrete zones, I’m finding it useful.

In this embedded discussion video, I explore some aspects of this background wash vs empty space debate. I will add though, that often I have sort of accidentally used a background wash. It’s happened pretty frequently because I messed up my initial subject outline and wiped it away with a paper towel. That leaves a thin base color, which I then paint directly into. But I’ve found it useful enough that I started doing it intentionally! So there you go – learning by stumbling into something!

Here are some additional details of the discussion video I shared on YouTube, including materials used and some other information. I’ll also embed the Shorts video, although it’s kind of redundant to the Instagram Reels post, as I typically just share the same edited vertical time lapse on both platforms. As I mentioned, it was my 229th total oil painting – the Shorts video did fairly well, but the others didn’t get a ton of traction. The video discussion I’ve embedded is about 4 minutes, and is similar to some of the others I’ve done (also linked after the timestamps).

Discussion Video Timestamps:

  • 00:37 Dry Background Layer
  • 01:23 Wet Background Wash
  • 02:17 Starting Empty

Materials Used:

Colors Used:

🎞️ Here are the playlists I’ve grouped my art videos into:

🎨 Here are some other painting walkthroughs:

✏️ Here are some pencil drawing videos:

Blick Art Materials
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2 comments

  • surfsensei
    January 12, 2025 12:40 pm

    Nice work, I can see the steps forward you’re making in your journey. I use a ground of white gesso mixed with a little acrylic colour in a variety of neutral tones on different surfaces, no pattern to this yet, it depends what mood I’m in whether to go warm or cool, both work with landscape in different ways. A widely used “traditional” approach with portraits was to lay down a grey-green tone. On some landscapes, especially Welsh and Scottish mountains, I like to use a strong red. You can paint oils on top of acrylics when they’re thoroughly dry, which is nice and quick with acrylic and gesso, though I would normally prepare a surface (or a batch of them) in advance and give it at least 24 hrs before painting on top. That way you don’t get the muddy mixing that is a risk with freshly-laid underpainting in oil, even if thinned a lot.
    There is also an important principle with oils that I’m just having to think about now called “Fat over Lean”, this video explains it well: https://youtu.be/BemDtOI6fRE?feature=shared Although it’s less applicable to Alla Prima approaches, which is sort of what I tend to do having got used to acrylics for a long time, I’m beginning to learn a new approach which allows more working after the first session, which is often cut short by having to go to work and other commitments for a few days. Hope this is useful. Best wishes for the year ahead!

    Reply
    • Jon Amdall
      January 14, 2025 4:55 pm

      Thanks for the thoughtful and informative comment, both here and on the youtube video! I actually just mentioned this elsewhere, but this is exactly the sort of thing that I have long valued about the WordPress blogging community. I learned so much about drawing and painting from other artists being willing to share insights like you have about acrylic base layers and oils (and avoiding the dreaded mud soup). Thanks again, and hope your 2025 is off to a good start!

      Reply

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