Working in layers

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Working in layers is a system for creating artistic painting that has been employed by many schools of art over many centuries. For example, Cenninio Cennini gives specific examples of how to paint in layers in the egg tempera medium. In contrast, his directions for painting in fresco, done in one session on damp plaster, offer a distinct system from working in layers although even here, there is some layering employed. The important distinction is that in fresco, a second layer of paint will physically blend with the first, whereas in egg tempera, which dries rapidly, a second layer will cover and optically blend with the first layers.

Working in layers is used extensively in oil painting as well -- for paintings that require more than on session. For a painting that develops over several days, allowing for the oil paint to dry for a given layer, it is helpful to work with explicit painting layers. The first layer may be an underdrawing. Then comes an underpainting, and finally, an overpainting. To understand the role of underpainting, one can use metaphor; think of the underpainting as a base-rhythm in music, and the overpainting as a solo played over this.