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By Jim Hingst

What is Scumbling (Also Called Dry Brushing)

In the
scumbling painting technique, a small amount of an opaque or semi-opaque paint
is lightly brushed or scrubbed over another layer. In this process, only bits
of paint are applied to the exiting layer so that much of it shows through. Generally,
but not always, a lighter color is applied over a darker color.

 

How Scumbling Differs from Glazing

In both
scumbling and glazing, the existing base layer shows through. In glazing, however,
light passes through thin, uniformly-applied coats of transparent paint and
reflects off of the base layer.  In scumbling,
light reflects off of the bits of paint and the base layer. In both techniques,
reflected light is optically mixed in the mixed of the viewer.

 

The Advantages of Scumbling

Scumbling
can achieve a number of different visual effects:

●
Lighten a darker layer of paint.

●
Add texture to your painting.

●
Create an atmospheric effect, when painting skies.

●
Model a subject, giving it a three-dimensional appearance.

●
Soften the base color and create gradations of value between highlight and shadow.

●
Used on a solid
background color, scumbling can break up a monotonous surface, making it more
visually interesting.

● Painting
with a different color can allow you to alter the color temperature of your painting.

 

On close
inspection, the brush strokes in the scumbling process are usually visible. However,
viewed at a distance, the two colors of the base color and the one applied over
it are optically blended in the viewer’s experience.

 

Mixing Paint for Scumbling

In the
scumbling painting technique, you generally scrub a lighter color over a darker
area. That doesn’t mean that you cannot scumble a darker color over a lighter
one. Impressionist artists, such as Monet, used both light and dark colors.

 

You need
very little paint in this technique. In applying paint from a tube to your palette,
just a little dab will do you.  In mixing
a lighter shade, add some titanium white to the mixture to make it opaque.

 

To keep your paint from getting runny, make sure that the
brush hairs are dry. What’s more, in mixing your paint, do not add any medium,
which will lower its viscosity making it more fluid and more difficult to
control.

 

How to Scumble

The brushwork
used in the scumbling painting technique is different from other painting
techniques. It is not a difficult process to master, but it does take some
patience, because it can take some time. The results, however, are well worth
your efforts.

 

Whether
you are glazing or scumbling, make sure that the base coat is dry, before  starting to work. This prevents two wet layers
of paint from mixing together.  

 

Unlike
using a glaze, in which it is best applied to a painting with a soft hair brush,
scumbling mixtures are best painted on the surface with a stiff bristle brush. You
can also daub on paint with a sponge or dry cloth.

 

Choice
in types of brush used are usually a matter of personal preference.  The best practice is to test and evaluate a
variety of brushes and see which produces the visual effect that you attempt to
produce.

 

For scumbling, many artists will use old
brushes, because the process of scrubbing the surface of paint will distort the
bristles of the brush, ruining it for any other use.

In loading
your brush, simply dip the tip of your brush in the mixed paint. It is best to
load your brush perpendicular to the palette, as shown in the photo below.  Often, your brush will pick up more paint than
desired. Offload the excess paint either by brushing the tip against your
palette or tapping the tip of the brush on paper toweling.

 

 

One way
to control the amount of paint that you load onto your brush, smear a very thin
layer of mixed paint with your palette knife on the surface of the palette. Then
tap your brush into the paint.

With a
limited amount of paint on your brush, hold it perpendicular to the work
surface and scrub, daub or stipple the base layer, leaving little bits of paint
on it. (See the photo below.)

 

In your
brushing, you can either work back and forth or in a circular motion. The scumbled
paint will not completely obscure the lower level. Instead it allows much of it
to show through.

 

In case
you apply too much paint to the base layer, keep a rag handy to wipe off any
mishaps. A heavier application can also be blended on the surface with your
fingers.

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