Painting A Bagel
First Layer of Color: Wash
First, to set the tone of the painting, mix red with a fairly large amount of water. Starting from the top, brush the watery red over 1/3 of the area. Next, add a little burnt umber to the tip of the brush, and continue to cover most of the remaining area of the bagel. Add even more burnt umber and paint another layer on the darker areas to define the shadow. This establishes the basic values of the colors in the bagel. Let dry.
Building up the Value
Mix a little yellow with red and burnt umber and proceed to wash this over the first layer to enrich the color. While the paint is still wet, go on to Steps Four and Five.
Two things to keep in mind: when you add a new layer, this is not to repaint, but is to add a little pigment where the first layer did not have enough, much like adding 4+1=5. Sometimes a very light color coat will make a large difference. The second thing to remember is to only use 2/3 of the brush. Do not press your brush down all the way, it will destroy the first layer of paint.
