Glazing study

Learning process through Glazing

Before and after glazing

Portrait study

This portrait became an important study for me in understanding how glazing can transform not only color, but also mood and atmosphere within a painting.

The monochrome underpainting already contained most of the structural information I needed the placement of light, shadow, and the overall expression. But after the surface dried completely, I began slowly introducing transparent layers of color over the form.

What fascinated me during this process was how the painting gradually shifted from feeling sculptural to feeling alive.

Warm reds and earth tones brought softness into the cheeks and lips, while cooler notes in the hair and shadows helped create balance without flattening the form. Instead of painting the entire portrait opaquely, glazing allowed me to preserve the earlier value structure while gently altering the emotional temperature of the image.

The drying process itself taught me patience. Since the earlier layers contained linseed oil, the surface took several weeks to fully dry before I could safely continue working over it. Since then, I have gradually moved toward using gel medium for later stages, as it allows faster drying while still giving me the translucent effects I look for during glazing.

One of my favorite parts of painting portraits is observing how small shifts in color can completely change the emotional reading of a face. Even subtle transparent layers can soften, deepen, or intensify an expression in unexpected ways.

For this painting, I used a reference photograph of my cousin, who was wonderfully supportive throughout the process, and thankfully, she loved the final result as much as I enjoyed painting it.