GRISAILLE

Grisaille is a painting technique developed by the European Masters. It is a French word which means ‘grey tones’ and is pronounced ‘griz-eye’. Traditionally, Grissaille is the underpainting (foundation layer) of a painting. You can use as many or as few as three tones of grey, depending on the depth you wish to achieve. Once the grey tones are dried, coats of transparent glazes can then be applied and built up to achieve the colour intensities required. When the washes are complete, the values in the underpainting become enhanced, as its detail of form remains visible through the transparent overwash of colour. Also, multiple washes of different colours over a grisaille underpainting help produce a deep luminosity in the image