Why Do Artists Paint on Colored Canvases?

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A colored canvas – also called a colored ground or toned canvas – is one of the most powerful things you can do to improve your paintings, and in this video I’m showing you exactly why it works and how to do it.

We’ll be comparing four different canvas colors side by side: yellow ochre, neutral grey, quinacridone red, and plain white. You’ll see how each colored ground changes the way paint looks on the surface, how it affects color harmony, and how it helps you read your values, which is the key to realism. I’ll also walk you through exactly how I prepare my canvases using gesso and liquid acrylic, including the difference between mixing the color into your gesso versus applying it straight to the surface.

Whether you’re new to painting on a colored ground or already toning your canvases and want to understand the why behind it, this video covers everything: what a colored ground is, how to choose the right color (yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, grey, red and more), and how to prep your canvas for both acrylic and oil painting.

If you already tone your canvas, I’d love to know what color you use…drop it in the comments!

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🎨 https://youtu.be/DZVoZkbQPuc

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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:30 What is a colored ground?
01:21 Demonstration: yellow ochre, N5 grey, and quinacridone red colored grounds
02:33 Demonstration: the same painting on 4 different colored grounds
03:27 3 major benefits to using a colored ground
04:30 How color opacity and transparency are affected by colored grounds
05:11 The final results: how the same painting looks on 4 different colored grounds
05:24 My favourite colors: yellow ochre and quinacridone red
06:28 How to prepare your canvases with a coloured ground
07:20 Applying the paint straight on the surface for your colored ground instead of mixing with gesso