Some of you oil painters may be more familiar with this method of painting, but the average joe is probably crying out… “Gazelle-what??”

This is my handsome boy and his best friend. Which is which? Ask them. I thought this would be a fun opportunity to demonstrate the Grisaille method in watercolors…

Wikipedia defines the Grisaille method as this, “A painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish colour”.

Any oil painter will know it is quite common to paint a neutral underpainting before adding more “traditional” tones later in the process, but can this be done in watercolors, a transparent medium?? I say, YES. Not only is it possible but lends quite a wonderful depthy effect I LOVE.

Here is my Grisaille underpainting. The primary reason for doing this is of course the VALUES. If you’re a beginner artist, studying value is GOLD for your art journey. The key elements to any painting are VALUES, SHAPES, and EDGES. When painting in greyscale you are eliminating the complexity of color choice and focusing on one of the most important elements in a painting, which in this case could be translated into CONTRAST for better understanding of the word value (if you are a photographer, you know how important contrast is to a photo). The human eye is naturally drawn to contrast, and this will make everything pop.

So what are the steps in painting the Grisaille method? Sharp control over the water-to-paint ratio is key. You can pre-wet the area for a smooth finish, or simply paint in a very wet, sheer layer. This is your underpainting. I like to turn my own photos B+W to guide me through the values. Allow this sheer layer to dry, and you are now ready to “colorize” your subject. Simply work fast, preferably with a BIG brush to cover more area, and swipe vibrant hues over-top of the neutral tints of your underpainting. Keep your reference photo close by, because you’ll want to follow the temperatures, but I absolutely loved how I can be just a little sloppy as I throw rich hues over the neutrals and suddenly…

Something of note, to paint in the Grisaille method it is NOT necessarily limited to grey tones! Although it would be perfectly effective, I am more fond of following the rules of temperature when choosing neutral tints in the underpainting… In the deep shadows, perhaps a mellow blue or purple. In the lighter areas, could be a sepia, and in some areas you could use green, such as at the neck of a person where the color gets quite dull. Any color will do really, when you work in sheer layers your underpainting will serve as a deep, warm or cool tone… so just think of it that way.