French Technique- Brush Strokes, Light, Color
French artists gave birth to a diverse explosion of art in Paris from the 1860s to the 1940s. Modernism in thought, art, architecture and literature was born during this time. French painting had been heavily influenced by Italian technique until this point. French artists like Eugene Delacroix and Edouard Manet actively changed the face of art. French painters began to portray life and subjects how they perceived them to be and introduced a spontaneity in their painting techniques. The freedom of expression of this technique can be easily learned.
Brush Strokes
This French painting technique is identified by its characteristic visible brush strokes. In order to mimic this technique, you need a canvas prepared with at least two coats of gesso. Let the gesso dry; sand until smooth. Cover the canvas with a color wash in a earth tone and let dry. When choosing your subject, emphasize the basic primary form of the subject rather than the realistic lines. Use short, thick, sketchy brush strokes to capture feeling rather than detail. Don't layer wet paint onto dry, instead paint wet on wet. Fill your brush with color and mesh the colors to achieve rich texture and feeling.
Use Natural Light
Painting outside in natural light was used by French painters to experiment with light on color and objects. This technique is called "en plien air." During the development of this French painting technique, color began to be available in tubes making it easy to paint anywhere. Take your paint box and canvas outside to capture the reflection of natural light on skin tones and landscapes. Using a portable easel and preparing a paint box only for your outdoor painting and sketching makes it easy to work using this painting technique.
Color
Use color in its purest form. Do not mix color on the palette, rather let the colors blend on the canvas. This French painting technique allows for much more luminosity in the painting. Avoid the use of black, discard the earth tones and concentrate solely on the use of primary colors. Experimenting with a color wheel is a great exercise for learning to paint with this technique. Use color to create atmosphere and illusion.