Toptone and Undertone: Part Two

We return to our toptone and undertone series with three colors known for their expansive range and transparent qualities. Stil de Grain, being a synthetic iron oxide, has a clean top tone, and its undertone is golden yellow. Payne's Grey is a very deep eggplant violet and a good replacement for black, since it will not sully other colors. If you work the color (such as a scumble technique) you can bring out the more neutral grey undertones. Brown Pink has a dark reddish-brown top tone and a fiery pinkish-brown undertone. It's like an intense Burnt Sienna and makes an excellent glaze.

On the left side, you'll find examples showing toptone and undertone together to get a feel for the range you can find in each color. On the right you'll find an example of the undertone of each color separated by itself.

Stil de Grain

Payne's Grey

Brown Pink