How to Make an Imprimatura

How to Make an Imprimatura An imprimatura is a transparent layer of paint that you apply to a blank canvas before starting your painting. Starting on a toned canvas is a very helpful way to begin as it allows us to apply paint to a mid-tone value opposed to white. We can use this mid-tone to more easily judge the values we apply to the painting and make better decisions about whether something is too dark or too light. It also allows us to see our light values more easily which can be lost when painting on a white canvas. Often, when we start painting on a white canvas, we key our lights too light and our dark and mid-tone values will look darker than they are in reality. We want to accurately key in our value range right from the beginning as the relationships between the values is one of the most important elements to making an accurate, three-dimensional painting. Your painting will have form and be believable if your value relationships make sense, more so than if you have the right colour