Da Vinci's paintings are some of the most timeless and mysterious works of art to ever be created. Many people assume that his techniques have been lost to time and are impossible to replicate, but Da Vinci outlined his entire method and thought process in his book A Treatise On Painting. However, it's full of jargon and antiquated terms that are difficult to parse, so in this class I will help you understand and apply the techniques discussed in this book to create a forgery of the famous Mona Lisa.
We will talk about his drawing and hatching, how to transfer this drawing to a panel, how his sfumato approach separated him from other Renaissance artists, the dead color underpainting approach, and how to glaze and scumble in the final layer. Indirect painting (a multilayered painting process that relies on transparent glazes to produce color) is a subject that's often overcomplicated and you'll learn a very straightforward and practical way to approach glazing that you can apply in your own work, while producing a beautiful Da Vinci copy in the process.
- 4-session live oil painting course focusing on Da Vinci's techniques
- Learn the legendary sfumato technique and indirect painting methods
- Create your own copy of the Mona Lisa using Renaissance techniques
- Master glazing, scumbling, and the dead color underpainting approach
- Every class starts with lecture and demonstration
- 2.5 hours of open painting time with individual feedback
- Open to all skill levels - no prior experience required
Week 1: Drawing with Da Vinci's TechniqueDrawing with fluid lines/pentimenti, single directional hatch marks, how to use toned paper/white chalk, and how to transfer a drawing.
Week 2: Preparing the Panel & Dead Color
Toning the panel to prepare for painting, transferring and inking the drawing, beginning the dead color layer.
Week 3: Finishing the Dead Color Layer
Making corrections and finishing the dead color layer.
Week 4: Glazing & Scumbling
Glazing and scumbling to achieve Da Vinci's luminous, transparent color effects.
Required Materials
Many of the materials that were popular during Da Vinci's life are more difficult to attain now as well as being more toxic than a lot of modern equivalents. While I'll discuss in class the exact kinds of materials that Da Vinci used, it's more practical to use more widely accessible modern equivalents.
Drawing Materials
- Sheet of light tan toned paper (avoid super rough pastel papers; Strathmore 400 or Canson Mi Teintes work well)
- Graphite Pencils: 2H, HB, 2B (any brand)
- Pencil sharpener
- Kneadable eraser
- White chalk or white pastel pencil
- Hand mirror
Painting Surface- 12x16 or 16x20 inch panel (Ampersand Gessobords are excellent)
- OR smooth acrylic or oil primed linen
- If using store-bought acrylic primed canvas: apply a few layers of acrylic gesso and sand between layers to smooth the surface
BrushesBuy a variety of sizes of filberts and rounds with soft synthetic bristles. Sables are excellent but very expensive, so I recommend using a brand similar to the Blick Wonder White line or Princeton Velvetouch.
- Variety of filberts and rounds (soft synthetic)
- Couple of quite small brushes for details
- Fan or mop brush for blending
Oil Paint Colors- Titanium White or Lead White (Lead white has different working properties and is more accurate to Renaissance era, but is toxic and expensive. Titanium white will do perfectly fine.)
- Ivory Black
- Raw or Burnt Umber
- Transparent Red Iron Oxide
- Indian Yellow or Transparent Earth Yellow
- Alizarin Crimson
- Ultramarine Blue
Additional Supplies- Palette (glass palette or disposable palette paper)
- Linseed oil
- Gamsol
- Silicoil jar
- Bar of Ivory soap
