Fight with Winterhalter, Glazing, & Lead White

Today I really should go out painting but I woke up too early then woke up too late.
I had a dream the cat puked and I cleaned it up, and when I woke up the cat really had puked and I cleaned it up.

I cannot get a break from cat puke.

Anyhow.

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I am in Old Masters mode. Hardcore. Whoa.

Early-ish last month I decided to do an old master copy, 
I'm doing Carmen Aguado, Duchesse de Montmorency, 1860, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.
(Her painting lives in Versailles)

I started it first the wrong way and had a huge fight with Winterhalter, and ended up starting over because it really was very unfixably wrong because I was not putting the focus in.
When doing these copies, and painting in general, I think it is good practice to ask for help from the ghosts of artists past.

So Winterhalter and I had a chat fight.

He said glaze it.
I said No, I don't want to do that, I don't like working like that, I like direct painting.
He said glaze it.
The Duchess said Fuck you.
I said ok fine, but I'm doing the charcoal drawing right on the panel.
Winterhalter sighed, painfully.
The Duchess said Fuck you.

So I did the drawing and it didn't occur to me to use fixative on it until my Ken Goshen class last week, but by then it was a month too late. I had a little trouble with the vine charcoal and the paint but not too much.

I did.... not a grisaille exactly, because I used Rublev's amazing lovely Italian Green Umber, not black, so an...Umberaille?

Umberaille
Rublev Italian Green Umber and Titanium White
(No black, you want the grisaille to be slightly lighter in value, the glazes will darken it a bit.)

Glaze Layer 1
I thought I would be clever and change the blue to a viridian color.
Then I decided I should stick to the original colors. (Although she would probably look pretty good with viridian.)

In the first glaze layer I used Gamblin's solvent-free gel.

OMG I LOVE GEL MEDIUMS but that is nothing new. I use them a lot.
But this layer took a week to dry!! I was not expecting that.
I know glazing paintings involves a ton of waiting for it to dry, but we live in modern times and have good solutions to that so.......

Glaze Layer 2

I switched to Gamblin's Galkyd gel, which should dry in a day or 2.
Photographing her is harder than painting her!

I also pulled out my Cremnitz white.
This is a situation that calls for beautiful luminous lead.

I don't know how many glaze layers to do....... some areas will need more work than others.
But she is ready for layer 3. And she does not photograph well.
I'm happy with her though, she's getting nice and glowy.
Her forehead needs a very slight fix, her hair needs work, background needs more layers, her dress needs more work... but I'm pleased with her and as it turns out I am seriously LOVING the glazing process! Winterhalter was right. :)

I hope to have the Duchess finished this week or next, depending on drying time and however many layers she needs.

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I pulled out my old WN Crenmitz. (PW1)
WN doesn't make it anymore.
Several years ago lead got very hard to find, which is unfortunate for us oil painters.
It was mostly due to EU regulations and dangerous industrial use.
Art pigments are a tiny market relatively speaking.  Industrial and manufacturing is primary.
Whatever goes on there impacts paint.

I stocked up on flake white when they discontinued it. Flake white is lead + zinc.
Cremnitz is just pure lead. I don't use it for direct painting much but for portrait glazing and old master copies it is the best white out there. It has a beautiful consistency and is warm and translucent. It is chemically stable, acts as a drier, and gives a wonderful glow. 

I had trouble opening the tube so had to run it under hot water, which kind of messed up the label.... this tube is now a relic of the past but the paint is still good!

I also picked up a new tube of Michael Harding Cremnitz.
You can still get lead from Michael Harding, Rublev, Old Holland has it for an extraordinary price, I think so does Vasari (also for an extraordinary price). 

I think Rublev and Michael Harding are the way to go, now.

I LOVE LEAD

WHY PAINT WITH LEAD?

The first reaction everyone has when they find out I have zero issue painting with lead is OMG THAT IS SO DANGEROUS!! YOU WILL DIE AND KILL EVERYONE AROUND YOU AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING BECAUSE YOU AREN'T ACTUALLY A "PROFESSIONAL" ARTIST!!

Yeah, I have had several encounters where I knew more about materials than even long-time "professionals".
I can swim just fine in the professional materials-talk water.
And I have been dismissed by people asking me questions and not believing me because I'm not a "professional"- which only means that's how you pay your bills.

Just because painting doesn't pay my rent doesn't mean I should be dismissed, I do have the training and definitely have a "professional" level of study.

Guess what, lead isn't dangerous when bound in oil.
It does not absorb through the skin as oil paint, but use as makeup is a bad idea. (Ceruse was water, vinegar, and lead. That being said, I definitely would not spread lead oil paint on my face! )

Lead is highly toxic when ingested or inhaled.
It is especially and tragically dangerous to small children.

And its historic use in makeup was deadly. 

So, no you don't want your walls painted with it!! That IS dangerous!

And you also never want to sand a panel in which lead was used...well I suppose you could wet sand it but I wouldn't. And you do NOT want to mull your own lead paint. 

Lead white is not dangerous in a fine arts oil painting context.
Don't eat your lead paint, don't sand lead-painted panels, or spread it on your face. and you'll be fine.

And your paintings will glow.

Very popular cadmiums DO absorb through the skin barrier.
I like them too but am careful about it.