I created this line drawing by taking a black and white copy of William A. Bouguereau's "The Prayer" and placing it under an acetate graph drawn with a red Twin Tip marker (using the ultra fine end).  The acetate graph was half the size of the drawing done on the gessoed* board. On a separate piece of acetate which I secured to the graph with tape I then traced with a black Twin Tip marker (using the ultra fine end) the contour of the form and all the important features, including lines which depict the shadows I saw on the original. When I began transferring the drawing from the acetate to the board I felt that all of the important features of the little girl were close enough to the graph lines that no further additional lines were necessary to properly depict her features. However, that will not always be the case. If further lines are necessary a third color of marker is used to draw oblique lines where the features of the face are not close enough to a graph lines. These oblique lines may be created by drawing a line from any point where two red graph lines cross or from any terminal point of the red graph lines at the borders of the rectangle. The oblique lines will be then transferred to the gessoed board as well prior to starting the line drawing.  Frank has further refined his system by asking that students use red conte' pencil to create the graph and a blue conte' pencil for oblique lines (other, more waxy, pencils should not be used because they may create problems with the painting itself).  By using the same colors to create the graph and oblique lines any confusion during the drawing process may be minimized.  Once all the graph and additional lines are in place then the transfer of the line drawing itself can begin using either a charcoal pencil or vine charcoal. The key to transferring the line drawing is to try not to think about what is being drawn (i.e. "I've never been able to draw noses!") and think only about the lines of the form in relation to the graph lines in each box.  By drawing slowly, moving from box to box, drawing only the lines seen until each box is completed the drawing takes shape more accurately.  However, to check accuracy use either a ruler while drawing, to check each box as it is drawn, by turning the board and acetate graph upside down checking to see that both the board and acetate look the same from every angle; or by holding the drawing up to a mirror. Any necessary corrections can be made with a kneaded eraser or by lightly scraping with an X-acto knife.  For a more detailed explanation see Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pgs... 52-58 (1982).  Once the line drawing has been completed India Ink** should be used to draw a small brush over each of the lines of the drawing.  India Ink may also be drawn on with a brush into any areas of the drawing which would be black.  The only areas which are black are those areas which do not reflect light. Normally this includes the pupil's of the eye, the line in the center of the mouth and the nostril.  The Bouguereau has two other areas which are black--the strap of the jumper is Black Velvet which means that the area nearest the viewer will be black and finally the area under the hands and arms is also black.  While the background may appear to be black it is actually a Value 1.

A portrait painters job is to create the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface.  To be successful technical tricks, schemata, passed on by the great Masters need to be used, the most notable of which is the creation of realistic flesh by employing the half-tone separation between light and dark.  Where light and dark meet on a painting an area of the verdaccio should be visible through the color application.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pgs. 90-92. (1982).

Verdaccio means "greenish first" in Italian.  To mix the gray-green tone of the verdaccio darken Chromium Oxice Green with Mars Black until it becomes a second value (darker than value 3, lighter than value 1; this is done by taking a small amount of the value 2 mixture and placing it on the value 1 and value 3 strips on the Covino Controlled Palette).  Once a true value 2 mixture has been mixed this is the base color from which all other values are made.  To create values 3 through 9 add flake white to the base color.  Compare each mixture with its value on the Controlled Palette again making sure that each value is darker than the next lightest value, yet lighter than the next darker value.  To create the first value add more Mars Black to the base color.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg. 92 (1982).

Values 1 through 5 are scumbled (a small amount of paint is applied and scrubbed into the board.  Values 6 through 9 applied in thicker layers of paint to build volume and is stated as "The higher the value, thicker the paint . . . "  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pgs. 96 (1982).  The more paint used in the lighter areas the more opacity it has.  This is important because the thicker paint will allow light to bounce, as well as, because light value paint becomes transparent over time due to the effects of light.

Follow the form of the face to sculpt and create interest, as well as, to make it look more realistic.   Examples would be:

1. The upper lid between the crease and the eye should be painted with small vertical strokes while the lower lid should be painted in one horizontal stroke. 
   
2. The bridge of the nose should be painted with small horizontal strokes.  While the sides of the nose may be done in longer vertical strokes that may be partially wiped away where recessional.
3. The lower lip is recessional thus the lips cannot be painted using the same values.  Again short horizontal strokes may be used.
   

The best advice is to keep in mind the sculptural form of the object being painted.  This will allow the object to be rendered more accurately and realistically.

It is advisable that the verdaccio is painted by primarily referencing the black and white photograph, however, should any question arise as to the true value represented the color photo may also be referenced.  It is also extremely important that as an area is painted no values are skipped.  So where a value 1 is next to a value 7, value 1 is painted, then value 2, then value 3, then value 4, and so on until value 7 is reached, even if that means that the application of each value is narrow.  Why?  Because when a high value color is mixed with a low value color all that is created is "mud".  By moving from dark to light in gradual increments the result is an application of paint which has a subtle, gradual transition which is exactly what a portrait artist wishes to achieve.  To achieve that end though no sharp edges can be seen in the portrait.  The edges every line of separation between colors must be softened so that they appear more realistic.  Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pgs. 93-94 (1982).

This can be accomplished by either:

1. By painting with a bristle brush and overlapping the values while painting so that the values are blended together.
2. Using a flat sable brush (which is wide enough to overlap the values being blended) lightly drag it down the line that separates the values from each other.
3. Using a flat sable brush as above except in this instance using a lightly applied zig zag motion to blend the values.
   

The information in 1. was given during a class with Frank Covino in Baudette, MN in 2008.  For the information in 2. and 3.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg. 93 (1982).

Corrections should be made to dark tones or where the value difference is dramatic (i.e. a painted value 3 should be a value 6).  Corrections are made to avoid pentimente which means the sins of the past catching up with you.  A good example of pentimente is a painting by Valesquez who did not scrape of two of the original four legs of a horse when he decided to change the position of those two legs, so over time as the paint has faded all six legs are now visible.   Make corrections by using an X-acto knife.  Care must be taken not to scratch too deeply because some of the gesso may be chipped off.  Should this happen it is imperative that the gesso be replaced because if it is not replaced the oil in the paint may cause harm to the board underneath.  Depending upon the size of the gesso that has been chipped away either a brush or the pointed end of the brush may be used to replace the gesso.  After waiting for the gesso to dry, usually 10 minutes, the gesso should be lightly sanded with sandpaper or a small area may be sanded with an emery board.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg. 88 (1982).

As a final note, no high oil medium should be used in the underpainting process.  So instead Frank Covino advises that Liquin be used as a medium for underpainting because it is quick drying and will help the paint dry from the bottom to the top.  Also, paint considered medium, high or very high oil absorption may be used in underpainting only when mixed at least 50-50 with a low oil absorption paint.  Both Chromium Oxide Green and Flake White** are low oil absorption paints; Mars black is a high oil absorption paint but because it is mixed with one or more of the other two paints at a more than 50-50 ration the mixed paint will still dry from the bottom to the top.  This rule is important to follow because if a less oily color is placed on top of a color into which a "fat" oil has been mixed, the paint on top may dry first.  When the paint beneath it dries it will contract, causing cracks and fissures in the leaner superimposed surface ruining the painting.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg. 86 (1982). 

Following the completion of the verdaccio and after it has had time to dry completely three to five coats (the application needs to be both vertical and horizontal)  of Damar Retouch Varnish should be applied.  This is very important because if a mistake is made at color stage which requires the use of turpenoid Damar Retouch Varnish will protect the verdaccio from harm.

*An important note about the use of Liquin--Liquin causes paint to dry at least one value lighter so if when painting is begun for the day the verdaccio is dry; it should be sprayed with Damar Retouch Varnish.  However, Damar Retouch Varnish is only used during the verdaccio stage because it will cause color painting to yellow over time. 
**Other low oil absorption paints are:  MG White, Venetian Red, Chremnitz White (substitute for Flake White), Zinc White and Zinc and/or Lemon Yellow.  Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg. 86 (1982).

  b.  Rub-out Technique

The Rub-out technique is begun in one of two ways:

1. By using a low oil absorption oil color as a ground to change the color of the gessoed board.  For example in the above photos of a landscape which I did, to mimic the sun, I used lemon yellow mixed with linseed oil to cover the gessoed board.  Once the lemon yellow had dried completely I rubbed the gessoed board with a rag that was dipped in linseed oil and then using a brush I added a mixture of Venetian Red and Mars Black.
2. By rubbing the gessoed board with a rag that has been dipped in either turpentine or linseed oil (new students should use linseed oil as it increases how long the paint will remain wet.  The gessoed board should be damp, not wet.  At this point the surface is covered with the value of paint as dark as one of the darker values of the subject.

If linseed oil is used anywhere from from three to four weeks of drying time will be necessary before color may be imposed to avoid cracking.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg. 96 (1982).

In the example above after the lemon yellow had dried and prior to putting on the Venetian Red and Mars Black I used charcoal to establish the graph and India Ink to establish my line drawing.  Frank Covino suggests that when using a graphed that the lines for the graph be determined by using a ruler with a pair of 3/4 inch brad nails tapped in every five inches and exposed by 1/4 of an inch on the other side of the ruler, this then can be used to help measure for the graph with much less smearing.  Then once the measurements have been made an eraser may be used to score the lines into the wet paint.  The sketch may then be established by using a small pointed sable brush and raw umber or by scratching it in with a palette knife.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg. 96 (1982).

Once a sketch has been established, begin to create the values by rubbing out the illuminated areas with a dry lint-free cloth stretched over a finger.  The harder you press, the lighter the value, gentle taps produce medium values.  If you have any values darker than the original tone they may be painted in with a sable brush, very light areas may be produced using a rag soaked in turpentine.  Should the underpainting be dry before you see an area which needs to be lightened then use either sandpaper, or a palette knife to scratch in the correct value.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pgs. 96-100 (1982).

Step 4:  Color

The ten basic color hues are the color of light itself as seen through a prism, in essence the colors of the rainbow.  These ten colors are: yellow, green, blue-green, blue, purple-blue, purple, red-purple, red and yellow-red.  Every color falls into one of these categories, or it may fall between two colors.  An object may be more yellow than yellow-red, but not quite yellow, thus, it w would be classified as yellow/yellow-red.  The Fine Art of Portraiture the academic approach, Frank Covino pgs. 24-27 (1970).  If purple appears at one end of the rainbow and red-purple at the other, it is logical to place the two ends of the rainbow side by side to create a color wheel.  Albert Munsell's color wheel which was created more than half a century ago is both logical and scientific.  Hue refers only to the name of the color, but there is far more to color than that.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg. 107 (1982).

The second part of color is value which is its lightness or darkness.  By relating the color itself to the scale of gray values (as shown on the Controlled Palette) Munsell attributed a number to each hue to indicate exactly how light or dark it is.  Thus yellow (commercial name Cadmium Yellow Light) is as light as a ninth value gray, so it is 90% light.  Yellow-red (Burnt Umber) is as dark out of the tube as a value 1 gray, so it is 10% light.  Leonardo's system as described above was probably Munsell's inspiration for this system.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pgs. 96-100 (1982).

The third part of color is called chroma which refers to its intensity or brilliance.  Chroma then refers to a color's specific brightness or dullness.  Frank Covino explains the importance of chroma this way:
 

If I wore a bright yellow scarf that is as light in value as a ninth value gray, and I walked away from you, the brilliance of the yellow would appear less intense (duller) as the distance between us became greater.  The scarf would not appear less yellow; the hue would remain the same.  If the light in the distance was intense, the scarf might even retain its ninth value status on a scale between black (zero, the absence of light) and white (ten, or one hundred percent of light).  The only difference is that the yellow appears less bright as it recedes; it becomes duller.  Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg. 109 (1982).

Aerial perspective tells us that close objects appear brighter and distant objects appear duller.  Thus, an apple in your hand will appear brighter than the same apple in someone else's hand fifty-five feet away from you.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg.  110 (1982).

Renaissance painters discovered that the gray-green tones of verdaccio underpaintings weakened the intensity of high chroma colors superimposed, if those bright hues were applied either thinly by glazing or the opaque color was partially wiped off.  From this the practice of mixing neutral gray in with colors to dull its brilliance before application in those areas of the painting requiring duller tones was established.  Neutral gray is made by mixing Ivory Black and Titanium White which creates a blue-gray.  To eliminate the blueness caused by the Ivory Black yellow tones must be added.  So Raw Umber is added at value 1, Raw Umber plus Raw Sienna for values 2 and 3, Raw Sienna for value 4, Raw Sienna and Yellow Ochre for value 5, Yellow Ochre for value 6-9.  The neutral gray pigment added to the color was matched with the value of the color itself.  So for instance, cadmium yellow a value 9 color would require a value 9 neutral gray to weaken its intensity (to make it duller).  Whereas, Burnt Umber a value 1 color would require a value 1 gray to dull it.  See Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pgs. 110-112 (1982).  For a complete discussion of the ten hues and the use of neutral gray to create color palettes see Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pgs. 112-118 (1982).  For a complete discussion of the Color Wheel's Color Schemes and Harmonic Relationships see Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pgs. 122 (1982).

The color of the lighting should also be used in all the colors that will be used in a painting.  By use of a particular color to establish a time of day outdoors, or the type of lighting used indoors, all of the colors in the painting are unified.  Using the Controlled Color Palette, the light source color is added in the row of neutral grays.  Since all of the colors on the palette will be modified by the use of the neutral grays, each color will receive the color of the light as well.  Indoors there are only two types of lighting which should be used, incandescent and candlelight or firelight.  Outdoors there are many types of lighting that must be considered.  Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pgs. 132-134 (1982). 

Color paint is applied in the same manner as was discussed above in the verdaccio section.  Please refer to the information given above. 

Paint should be partially removed from the following areas to allow the verdaccio to show through.

1. Areas that should recede (i.e. between the eyebrows)..
   
2. Half-tone areas, areas that separate the illuminated portion of the form from the shadowed portion.
3. At shadows edge (cast shadows).
4. To show reflected light in cast shadows.
5. On the area between the eyelid and the eyebrow.

The above information applies particularly to flesh because flesh painted without the gray-green undertone showing through looks wooden.  It is important for me to point out that Frank Covino has developed three flesh palettes for use on his color palette.  These three palettes can be altered to suit anyone's flesh color.  I am not including this information as it comes in the form of hand-outs from his classes which should be obtained by either Frank Covino himself or one of the students who now teach his method.  A discussion of an older version of his flesh palettes is found in The Fine Art of Portraiture the academic approach, Frank Covino pgs. 162-165 (1970).

Glazing is the use of medium with a small amount of paint crushed carefully on the side of the jar so that all the paint is mixed evenly through the paint.  Frank Covino has his own medium formula which is:  5 parts Damar Varnish, 5 parts Rectified Turpentine, 3 parts Stand Oil and 1 part Venice Turpentine.  Controlled Painting, Frank Covino pg. 137 (1982).  Glazes may be applied directly over the verdaccio or over opaque color paint applications.  It is possible to do as many as three glazes in one area on a painting at a time.  How many glazes does it take to complete a painting?  The Renaissance Masters stated that 40 to 100 glazes may be applied to a painting.  Below are two photos.  The first shows the picture prior to the application of glaze and the second was taken after glazes had been applied. 

 
To me this is the most magical portion of this process.  The flesh comes to life and the colors of everything else are just made more beautiful.  It is with glaze that anything may be changed as you will see in some of my other art work below.

Once the painting and glazing have been completed to the artist's satisfaction it must be allowed to dry for 8 to 12 months.  At this point three coats of Damar Varnish are applied.  However, Damar Varnish may only be applied on days that are dry and clear to prevent a phenomenon known as clouding.

Frank Tebay

To the left you see a picture of Frank Tebay.  Earlier I explained that the first class I took in Fargo, ND was with Frank Tebay.  I would really like to thank Frank for everything.  I know that I can't begin to thank him enough for all the classes I attended and the patience he showed me during the time that he lived in the Fargo-Moorhead area.  He is both a talented artist and teacher.  Always willing to take the time needed with his students.  Without him I'm certain that my art would not have begun, let alone evolved into what it's become over the last four years.  Further, I'd like to thank Tina Tebay, as well as, Asher and Ruthie for allowing Frank's students to come to your home and disrupt your life.

; If you are interested in taking a class with Frank and live near the Denver, Colorado area please contact me at kmrandall64@hotmail.com and I will contact him for you. 

Frank Covino

Frank Covino pictured left with Anita B. (left) and me (right) from the Covino Class in Baudette, MN 2008. 

Frank Covino taught Frank Tebay how to draw and paint in the manner of the Renaissance Masters using Covino's Academic Approach which I have discussed above at length.  From the very first class with Frank Tebay I heard that Frank Covino is both a Master Painter and a Master Educator.  In 2000 The Artist Magazine named Frank Covino's Workshops one of the top five workshops in the country.  I had the privilege of being able to attend his Baudette, MN workshop in 2008 and I would gladly recommend his class to anyone who wishes to learn to draw and paint or wishes to learn more about drawing and painting.  He is an amazingly gifted artist and teacher.  I brought my charcoal of "The Prayer" by Bouguereau and Asher's portrait in color.  Frank Covino helped to correct both pieces and also helped to glaze Asher's painting.  Also, if you are interested in taking a class with Frank Covino, please visit his web site for more information at www.portrait-art.com.


I would also like to offer a special "Thank you" to Becky T.  I appreciate all you've done for me.


For further information: I have posted photos at http://renaissanceart2.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!D1855AFD17AFB4F3!243/, There you'll find my art in a file with the same title. Frank Tebay's art work, as well as, that of his student's can be found in a file titled Frank. Frank Covino's student's work can be found in a file titled Frank Covino.