Old Master Painting Techniques: Timeless Methods that Still Work

There is always a great deal of curiosity around old master painting techniques and how to replicate them. The work they created was so incredibly high level and beautiful−that it is difficult to imagine how it was created. And they managed to do it all with far fewer materials and tools than we have today… So, how did they pull it off?

While we don’t have videos of Caravaggio or Velázquez painting, we do have the next best thing—Sir Charles Lock Eastlake’s Methods and Materials of Painting of the Great Schools and Masters. After decades of research, Eastlake documented many of the techniques and materials used by the old masters, giving us a rare window into how they worked. Let’s take a closer look at what went into the creation of these master artist’s work!

Materials are key to understanding old master painting techniques

Let’s begin with the raw ingredients, because as Eastlake keeps reminding us, “the materials” matter as much as the techniques.

Key pigments in use:

• Lead white (flake white): the backbone of highlights, tints, and modeling
• Earths (ochres, umbers, siennas): for stable middle & shadow tones
• Vermilion, red lakes: for reds; lakes (organic reds) often reserved for transparent glazes
• Azurite / Ultramarine: for blues (ultramarine being costly)
• Verdigris / copper greens, orpiment, etc.: more exotic greens / yellows, used carefully
• Carbon black / lamp black: deep darks, underdrawing, mixing with other colours

The sheer number of pigments available and used at the time is paltry in comparison to what we have available to us today. Clearly this did not hinder their work at all. The beauty of this limited palette lies in its simplicity.

The masters achieved endless variation by how they layered these colors — not how many tubes they owned. Their knowledge of color was strong, so they were able to really mix whatever color they needed. This only highlights the powerful and really understanding how color works in a practical way on the color mixing palette.

The Foundation: Ground, Underdrawing & Underpainting

At this time, artist’s either worked on wood panels or oil primed canvas. As acrylic primer didn’t exist back then!

Before beginning, 16th and 17th-century artists would start their painting, they would make a toned ground on the surface of their painting. This would involve making an imprimatura. Many of these old master painting techniques—like starting with an imprimatura—are still used by painters today. And are fundamentals that I always teach my students as well!

They often started with a loose underdrawing in charcoal or thin paint, followed by a dead-coloring stage — a monochrome or earth-toned underpainting that established the composition and values.

This early work wasn’t detailed — it was about capturing light and shadow, not perfection. The form came gradually. They would make sure they kept the strong light and dark values in their painting throughout the entire process from start to finish.

Painting in Layers: Building Depth

Artists of the 16th and 17th centuries worked in carefully planned layers, each serving a purpose. We already outlined the initial layer of underpainting. Now we enter into the early opaque stages to build solid form and light.

Layering was central to old master painting techniques, helping create that inner glow we still admire today. Eastlake noted, the masters were “systematic in their succession of processes,” understanding that beauty and permanence depended on this order. By layering, they avoided muddiness and used oil’s natural translucency to their advantage — letting light pass through the upper layers and reflect back from the opaque ones beneath, creating that unmistakable inner glow of old master painting.

Opaque modeling (building the form)

Once the underpainting was complete (and dry) artists would start to build their form with opaque modeling. They would use denser paint (often lead white and earth pigments). During this stage they would be able to establish solid light and dark masses which would give strong form to the painting.

Glazing can ONLY give depth and richness if they sit over something that is already structurally firm. So, therefore this step of creating an opaque paint layer is crucial for what comes later on.

The Real Magic Tools – Glazing & Scumbling

If there’s one secret weapon of this era, it’s glazing.

Glazes are thin, transparent veils of color laid over dry paint. Light passes through the glaze, reflects off the opaque layers beneath, and bounces back — creating that luminous, almost inner light quality. It is an indirect painting method that uses layers as opposed to the direct painting methods that came later with artists such as Van Gogh and Cezanne.

Use glazing to:

• Deepen shadows
• Warm flesh tones
• Adjust color harmony without repainting

By contrast, scumbling is like the opposite technique. It’s a semi-opaque lighter color brushed over darker paint to soften edges or add atmosphere. It’s how painters created hazy light, distant air, or soft transitions.

Eastlake admired these systems but cautioned balance:

“Sharp touching, scumbling, and glazing… the chief requisite is to restrict the number of pigments.”

In short — don’t overdo it. A few well-placed glazes or scumbles can transform a painting. Too many can flatten it.

Applying these methods today

The techniques of the old masters can often feel distant and out of touch. However, it is very accessible to implement some of their practices in your own work. Especially the beginning underpainting stages of the painting process. Such as making an imprimatura and an underpainting.

Next, I encourage you to experiment with glazing and scumbling – especially if you have a strong handle on value and color. Even if you love direct painting and expressive brushwork, it will only be to your benefit to have more techniques to draw from. You never know the situations and moments you find yourself in where indirect painting (such as glazing and scumbling) methods might be useful.

A Final Thought from Eastlake

Eastlake spent decades studying how painters of the Renaissance and Baroque eras prepared their materials and built their images. What’s striking is his reverence for craft — and restraint.

“The beauty of old painting does not depend on complexity of materials, but on the perfect use of simple ones.”

That’s a timeless reminder. You don’t need dozens of pigments or fancy mediums — just a few well-understood colors, a solid sense of value, and a willingness to let light build slowly through layers.

That’s the lasting legacy of the old master painting techniques: patience, simplicity, and light built layer by layer.

What of the old master techniques stand out to you personally? Would love to hear from you in the comments below!

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