This is a four-panel study copy that I am painting for the Grohmann Museum in Milwaukee, WI.  The four panels will be used as a learning tool to understand how and why old master paintings look different from modern paintings and why old masters were able to create an incredible amount of depth on a two-dimesional painting surface.

This first panel is two layers - the imprimatura and the burnt umber painting of the subject.

This next photograph shows the addition of the grey half-tones.  Here the grey half-tones are used by the artist for many purposes.  In parts to build solidity, in part to describe areas that are falling into shadow, and to create textures.

With the addition of the white highlight stage, you can see how the artist develops a truly sculptural effect.  When you look at just the burnt umber painting, it appears to be a three-dimensional painting.  But adding the white highlights makes the objects themselves appear sculptural.

With the initial colored glaze added, you begin to see how the artist took his sculptural underpainting and developed it into a cohesive three-dimensional painting.  Also, there have been several additional layers of painting added to the lower right corner of the study copy.  This area looks even more three dimensional than the rest.

After the initial glazing of colors, the purpose of the subsequent layers is to develop color and the texture of the forms and objects.  This is done by repeating the layers with a twist in purpose.  For example, the first burnt umber layer is repeated but this time with the purpose of developing the transparent darks.  In addition, colors other than burnt umber are used to develop the shadows and dark areas.