How To Create Unity in a Finished Painting
Have you ever gotten near the end of a painting but something just isn’t working? It’s like the painting has pieces but they don’t all go together?
Stan Kurth (Ep.9) says you might have a unity problem. But don’t worry. He’s got a solution.
But first, what is unity?
Unity is one of your design principles. Good unity in a painting means that all the pieces feel like they come together in a cohesive whole.
Often it’s one of those things you can FEEL before you can name.
One way to help your unity is a limited palette (see Amy Brnger’s advice.)
But that’s a before-you-start-painting decision.
If you need a later-in-your-process solution, Kurth suggests something he often uses in his work: Glazing.
When Kurth glazes, he takes a very thinned down color (ie transparent) and covers large areas of his painting.
The result is that all the colors now have a touch of a the same color, which creates color unity.
Put it to Practice
The next time a painting doesn’t feel like it has unity, try glazing. Glazing is possible for all of the big three media: watercolor, oil and acrylic.
At its core is: Take a very thinned down color and add it over the whole painting.
But a word of warning: Glazing can be unpredictable. This is a strength but also can be a little scary. The more you do it (if you decide it’s right for you) the more predictability you’ll find.
No matter your medium, your first layer needs to be completely dry before you glaze.
Completely. Dry.
Next, thin down your color. With watercolor that means adding water. With acrylic that could be water or medium. With oil, add more oil or a medium.
Next, cover your whole surface with a thin layer of that paint.
Work in thin layers of glaze so you have more control. In acrylic and oil you might have a chance to wipe it off before it dries if you’ve realized you don’t like the color. However, in watercolor, once it’s on it’s on.
Again, glazing can be unpredictable. Build up your layers of glaze slowly. Stop when it looks good.