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What about Technique?
Fresco:
Working in fresco is very coarse, simple and elemental.
The paint is applied directly upon fresh plaster. The
chemical changes that occur as plaster sets lock the pigment
into the surface. There is no eraser. Small mistakes
may be able to be handled in fresco secco (no guarantee).
Larger mistakes simply require a fresh start.
The information here does not come from long, in depth
experience, rather this is what I know from a few experiments.
If you are serious and interested, I recommed a good book,
course, or seminar. Here is an informative
disinterested site with more information as well as
additional links. If you do not have a wall handy on which to
experiment, the back side of large tiles from your local tile
shop may offer a highly textured surface fully appropriate for
your first fresco experiments. Arrichio:
A wall that is ready for a mural must be of relatively
even surface but coarsely textured. It must be solid and
not allow moisture to enter from the rear. It is a good
idea to wet the entire wall surface with a hose the night before
applying the arrichio in order to insure a good bond. The arrichio is a mixture of slaked lime and
sand (1 part lime putty to 2-3 parts coarse sand), applied about
1/2" thick. It can hold the basics of the
underpainting. If you are painting on tiles, you
can omit this step and go straight to the intonacco. Sinopia:
The full scale design or drawing can be
transferred to the arrichio. The Renaissance Masters seem
to have used red sinopa pigment for laying in the basics of the
design. It will be covered by a final layer of plaster
called the intonocco, so the purpose is to lay in the complete
composition to determine relationships in situ, as well as
provide a guide for the 'giornata'. Intonacco:
This is the final layer of plaster upon which one paints.
It is a mixture of slaked lime putty, sand and powdered marble (one
part lime putty to two parts fine sand plus 10% marble dust),
applied approximately 1/4'' thick.
An amount of fresh plaster is mixed and plastered onto the wall
(or tile) for one day's effort (which is then called the 'giornata').
The 'sinopia' (or design that has been laid on the arricio)
is used as a guide to determine where to lay in
the 'giornata'. Artifical boundaries (like the traditional
grid for transposition) are avoided, whereas edges of bodies,
buildings etc..form natural boundaries. The working session for one day of fresh plaster can
at best be 12 - 14 hours (depending on your external climate).
Therefore, the design needs to be well thought out ahead of time
in order to be able to complete the day's section well and to
allow it to invisibly merge with the rest of the painting.
Allow about an hour for the fresh plaster to set before
beginning to paint.
Cartoon:
A monochromatic design is
rendered full scale for the project, then transferred to the
fresh plaster intonocco via a pounce bag tapped over tiny holes
that have been pricked into the drawing. This can help one to
work quickly and effectively. Be careful, the pricked
holes become part of the final painting, so only transfer dark
lines, or use a light to medium value pigment in your pounce. Pallette:
Because the technique occurs as a chemical change, the pigments
need to be chosen carefully. Stick with known minerals from the earth
as the lime burns organic and vegetable pigments.
See the seperate page for fresco
pallette recommendations. Using a pallette knife,
simply mix a small amount of dry pigment with distilled water to
create a useable paint. Painting:
Now, finally, to painting. A tip on
technique: as in watercolor, many dilute strokes can be
absorpbed to build up color. In this way one can avoid
large garish mistakes while gently building up the design.
This of course, needs to be balanced with the need to work
quickly. Remember to let an area dry before returning to
it to apply fresh paint. Have on hand a variety of sizes of good sable brushes.
Mix up your colors and tints before hand. Good luck. Have fun.
If you run out of time, or find small errors that need
correcting, it is possible to continue in Fresco Secco after the
plaster has dried. Here is what I know...
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A
work in progress
The technique I use to paint landscapes in oils.
The
Ground
How to choose and prepare a panel for painting.
Egg
tempera
Some basics on painting with eggs.
Mixed technique
from the Ecole des Beaux Art, Paris.
Fresco
Some basics of painting fresco and fresco secco.
Encaustic
Some new expereince with an old technique.
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