Blog

Sfumato (or “da Vinci smoke”, the blurring of edges)

Leonardo da Vinci (close-up)

Jean-Jacques Henner

I use sfumato technique to play around the feelings and experiences of perception, where things of our focal point have a clearer definition and things that are out of our focal point will blur into obscurity.  Sfumato also enhances the visual phenomenon of seeing comparable to aerial perspective, where molecules in the air becloud the things at far distance in shades of blue; except sfumato exemplifies the human psychology rather than natural phenomenon.

Glazing (transparent layering of paint)

Jan van Eyck (close-ups)

Rogier van der Weyden (facial close-ups of the "Descent from the Cross")

Glazing in my painting

Colour glazing over grisaille underpainting

Interior No.12 from early stage to completion

Chiaroscuro (soft highlights with dark glazing over shadows to achieve the enigmatic drama of light and dark)

Rembrandt van Rijn 

Sgraffito (The scratching of the surface paint layer to create sharp highlights, lines or textures)

Sgraffito in my Interior No.14 to create trees in the background

Sgraffito in my Interior No.19 to create highlights on the wing

Tratteggio (a painting restoration technique with tiny needle strokes to imitate lost areas)

Further painting techniques: alla Prima, Cangiante, Unione, impasto technique, dry brushing, etc