Alla prima (ala prima) is a painting technique watercolor over raw, implying work completed in one session. The term applies to both oil and watercolor painting. Basically, it's a job at a time.

Alla prima oil

When it comes to oil, the technique is good for many reasons. Usually this material is characterized by long-term work with the canvas. This is due to the different drying times of the different layers. Due to the imposition of fresh smears on an already dried one, cracks appear later. And working Alla prima (or a la prima), the master writes only one layer, thus avoiding the complexity of applying glazes. In addition, due to the lack of a huge number of layers, the work remains fresh. In some places, you can even notice areas that seem to be highlighted. This effect is produced by a primed canvas that shines through transparent layers of paint. In addition, such a lively manner allows for more dynamic and expressive work. This technique was especially popular with the Impressionists. Artists loved to paint in nature, creating in the field no longer sketches, but completed completed works.

Alla prima watercolor

If we turn to watercolors, we will see how this material is revealed in the hands of the master in a completely new guise. In fact, working à la prima, the artist writes in one sitting. Since this is almost impossible with watercolors, paintings in this technique are always painted raw. Hence the bright iridescent paint spills. The artist has little time before the paint layer dries, so he needs confidence and a set hand to paint with watercolors on wet... In addition, caution is necessary, since when mixing a large number of watercolor colors, there is a risk of getting not a juicy shade, but dirt. However, many craftsmen use this technique as a basis for work, later applying a few more clear strokes already on dry, to shade silhouettes and apply sharpness to the necessary areas of work.




In short, Alla Prima is a painting style for highly effective parasites who find it difficult to sit still, painting a photorealistic canvas layer by layer.

Today, watercolor is a very popular and relevant painting technique. Sometimes it seems that absolutely everyone works with watercolors and it is worth noting that everyone works differently! There are many well-known techniques for working with watercolors, and new effects and techniques are constantly emerging. Often, novice authors try to work with all possible techniques at once, apply various effects, experiment in the vastness of watercolor painting and, as a rule, sooner or later find their own combination, which later often develops into their unique author's style. I think the main advantage of watercolor is its versatility ... I like to work in new genres for myself and hone skills in old ones. I always want to be able to choose a painting technique for a specific task, because I find it boring and wrong to approach a portrait or landscape in the same way and paint them in the same watercolor technique. Today I will talk about five different ways to work with watercolors using the example of a botanical illustration of a mushroom mushroom. I will try to draw five identical motifs, in five different ways of watercolor painting: 1. Watercolor technique "Glaze" 2. Watercolor technique "A la prima" 3. Watercolor technique - using masking liquid 4. Combination of several watercolor techniques 5. Wet watercolor technique or "Raw Watercolor"

Watercolor technique "Glazing"

The first fly agaric I painted was made using the “Glaze” watercolor technique (from German Lasierung - glaze). This technique is very suitable for beginners. She is often employed in art schools. It consists in the layer-by-layer application of paint to the drawing. From the lightest shades to the darkest. Each layer must have time to dry. Working in this watercolor technique, we gradually pick up the tonality of the subject, and we always have the opportunity to correct the color at every stage.

Watercolor technique "A la prima"

The second mushroom is painted using the “A la prima” technique (or “Alla prima”, from Italian a la prima - “in one sitting”). This is a more expressive technique, and is very suitable for those who know how to mix beautiful colors the first time. Drawing in this technique is done quickly in one layer, in one session, without further additions and alterations. We immediately get the finished drawing. Here you need to be careful so that when mixing a large number of watercolor colors, you do not get dirt, and the colors are bright and clean. Watercolors made using this technique are usually very colorful and colorful! This watercolor technique is fast enough to execute and is loved by those who do not like to work for a long time.

Watercolor technique - using masking fluid

The third mushroom I painted with a masking fluid. In order not to bypass the white spots on the cap of the mushroom, I "hid them in reserve", that is, I applied a reserve liquid in advance of the spots (on a dry sheet, before starting to work with paints). Of course, this cannot be called a watercolor technique, but rather an effect. Today, all kinds of reserves (masking fluids) are very widespread. If you do not want to go around every speck of paint or are afraid that in an emotional outburst you will paint over some glare, then you can use a reserve.

The work with the reserve is much faster. But it is worth noting that this technique has its drawbacks. The main disadvantage is the very sharp edge. In your work, there will always be a sharp boundary at the place where the white sheet, on which the reserve fluid was, passes into the painted area. This will give you away. This does not bother many artists, and sometimes it even helps to create additional effects! Also, the reserve is sometimes problematically removed from the paper, and sometimes not removed at all. Therefore, before using the reserve in your work, try it on a small sheet of similar paper.

Combination of several watercolor techniques

The fourth mushroom is painted with a combination of effects (watercolor technique). Before starting to work in color, I "hid" the entire mushroom with a reserve liquid. This allowed me to create a dense layered background with paint. I applied the paint in 4 layers. Only by layer-by-layer glazing is it possible to achieve a sufficiently dense, dull, but at the same time not black background. After waiting for the background to dry, I removed the reserve and painted the mushroom with the same technique of watercolors "Glaze".

Technique "Wet watercolors" or "Raw watercolors"

With the fifth mushroom, I worked with the most "watercolor" technique of all. Looking at it, it is immediately clear that we are looking at a watercolor. This is the Wet Watercolor technique (often referred to as Wet Watercolor, Wet Watercolor) and is certainly impressive. In my opinion, this is the hardest part of watercolor painting. The skills of the artist are very important here, exclusively personal experience. Technique "Wet watercolor" is that before starting to paint, a sheet of paper is completely moistened with water, and then quickly write on the still wet surface. By spreading, watercolor paint can convey soft transitions from one color to another. If you want to draw small details, then you need to wait until it dries completely, and then make additions.

Wet watercolors are especially sensitive to the quality of the materials used. Paper, paints, brushes - everything is important here. This watercolor technique has to work quickly and confidently. The artist must be as concentrated as possible and ready for anything. We must give watercolors some freedom, but at the same time create conditions in which it will flow exactly as we need it. And the watercolor should dry when we need it. In this watercolor technique, the most common mistakes are a poorly wetted sheet and a lack of understanding of the depicted form. And most importantly, wet watercolor is beautiful in its lightness and ease. But we are often afraid to “let go” of the paint, we try to control it too much, we try too hard, thereby losing that very lightness and ease. This technique takes constant practice, and if you want to work in the wet watercolor technique, I advise you to practice it more often.

Conclusion

In this article, I've covered the basic watercolor effects and techniques that I work with. Of course, this list can be continued for a long time, and I am sure that there will always be something that I have not tried yet, that will inspire me to new works and experiments. I wish you creative success and inspiration!

From a technical point of view, this painting method is the best, since with it the whole painting consists of one layer, the drying of which, with a moderate thickness, proceeds unhindered and is quite normal, why, with the appropriate soil, it is secured from cracks, as well as the paints themselves retain their original freshness. But this method can not always be implemented in practice and, moreover, it is not always included in the task of the painter.

The primer for painting "alla prima" should not be too pulling, as well as too impenetrable and slippery, which is why when using glue primer all the necessary measures are taken to prevent too noticeable changes in colors on it in tone from loss of oil. The oily soil, especially dry and therefore impermeable, is given some permeability, which is achieved by rubbing it with alcohol or pumice; in addition, choose a soil with a rough surface. As for the color of the soil, the most suitable in this case are light soils with different shades, in accordance with the pictorial task, as well as pure white soil. Pinkish, yellowish and other shades of the primer are obtained by painting the white primer with transparent paint.

The described painting method often does not require the execution of an ordinary drawing, and the artist can directly proceed to paint and writing, depending on the painting task and the experience of the master.
If the drawing is necessary, then it can be limited to a light carbohydrate sketch. Black carbon drawing with its fixing should be avoided, as any sharp black outlines will subsequently show through a thin layer of paint and thus spoil the painting. The composition of the fixative is also not indifferent to its strength.

The drawing can be performed separately on paper and then transferred to the canvas to better preserve the purity and color of the ground.

In order to be able to finish painting raw, that is, before the oil paints begin to dry, all kinds of measures are taken, but harmless for painting, starting with the selection of paints. Slow drying paints are preferred here. So, zinc white is more appropriate here than lead; in addition, the composition of the binder of paints is also of great importance here. That is why paints rubbed on slowly drying oils are most applicable here: poppy seed, nut and sunflower; linseed oil paints are suitable only for quick, short-term work.

In order to delay the drying of the paints as long as possible, the painting being performed is placed in the intervals between work in the cold, in the dark, and, if possible, the free access of air is blocked to it. The implementation of these last measures, unfortunately, cannot always be used, especially with large sizes of a painting, however, these measures are very effective.

Essential oils are used for the same purpose, slowing down the more or less strong drying of oil paints, which are mentioned above. The most energetic in this case would be clove oil. There are, however, authoritative indications of the harm from the use of these oils for painting in large quantities.

Painting by this method is carried out in different ways and depends largely on the personality of the artist; that is why, in presenting this method, one can restrict oneself to only the most essential and important indications.

By painting "alla prima", in the direct meaning of these words, one must mean one of the methods in which the artist sets himself the task of immediately reproducing in paints everything that he sees in nature, that is, color, shape, chiaroscuro, etc. without resorting to dividing this complex task into separate moments of work. The difficulty of solving this problem, of course, is great, and becomes all the more if the artist seeks to finish his work "raw", that is, before the colors dry.

Painting is carried out in different ways. It can be started with strokes of semi-thick paints, applied freely, tone to tone, without stirring them for a long time on the palette, until the entire canvas is revealed. In the beginning, it is beneficial to keep the shadows lighter and warmer than they should be in the finished form; light, on the contrary, is darker and colder. The strongest lights and shadows are applied at the last moment, when the painting comes to an end. Decisive and final blows with pasty colors are very appropriate here.

Painting should be done with tube paints as they are, without adding fatty oils to them. When using black paints (light in weight), do not apply them in a thick layer, since heavy paints applied on top of them sink in black, contaminating the painting.

When applying a layer of paints that is too thick, which complicates further work, remove their excess with a palette knife, a spatula and a knife, as well as applying clean paper to the layer of paints, which is pressed with the palm of the hand against it and then, upon removal, takes over the entire excess of paints ...

You can, while painting "Alla Prima", start it by rubbing, thinning the paints with turpentine and applying them liquid, like watercolors. This laying is carried out in a plane, without modeling the forms, having only a broad overall effect as a task. For her, it is better to use body paints, introducing whitewash into them. Then, in further work, pasty paints are introduced and real painting begins.

When working "alla prima", on too pulling ground, oil paints give a matte painting, which is inferior in color to tempera and, moreover, when the paints are too much de-oiled, they are devoid of strength.

The painting performed by "Alla Prima" has a peculiar beauty, it is pleasant for its freshness and spontaneity, revealing the author's "smear" and his temperament. Examples of this kind of painting can serve as sketches by I. Repin for his painting "State Council".