Methods of Painting

In watercolor painting, glazing denotes to smearing a thin transparent layer of paint over another, dry layer to build up or modify the underlying color. This is one of the most widely used acrylic, watercolor and oil painting techniques that will add luminosity and depth to your artwork which can't be achieved through color mixing. And although it may sound simple at first, there are a lot of nuances you should know to do everything right.

1. Study your transparent colors

The first thing you should do is learn to distinguish among transparent, semi-transparent also opaque pigments. Using transparent colors to paint glazes will give you beautiful, subtle shades, but with time you can also try to experiment with opaque paints for this purpose.

2. Wait until the paint dries

Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to glazing. Don't apply another coat of paint until the previous layers dries completely! Else the colors will mix together, which is roughly we are trying to avoid. You can also move between several paintings at once while a glaze is drying.

3. Use a light-colored ground

Light colors are recognized to reflect light as disparate to dark colors that tend to absorb light. Therefore using a light-colored ground will give you more command over the final look of your glaze.

4. Use glazing mediums

Nowadays, there is a wide range of means to facilitate the multimedia painting process. By mixing glazing mediums into the paint, you will thin it to an optimal consistency for glazing. Fast-drying formulas will also reduce the drying time.

5. Glaze with a soft brush

The layer of veneering should be thin and smooth. Your ordered brush might leave imprints in the paint coating, so it's advisable to apply it with a very soft, rounded brush such as filbert. If there still some visible brush marks, you can effectively remove them using a hake brush or a dry fan.

Glazing will tremendously improve your treatment of color and allow you to achieve amazing visual effects. However, there are a lot of other oil painting techniques(http://afremov.com/LIGHTS-IN-THE-NIGHT-PALETTE-KNIFE-Oil-Painting-On-Canvas-By-Leonid-Afremov-Size-30-x40.html) you might find handy. One of the artists that knows how to work with oil paints is Leonid Afremov, a famous modern impressionist working with a palette knife.