Choosing the Right Underpainting Color: A Simple Guide for Painters

“What color should I use for underpainting?” It’s a simple question, but there isn’t a single answer. The right choice depends on what you want the painting to do.

Underpainting sets the tone, literally and visually. It influences your values, your color relationships, and even the mood of the final piece. So instead of looking for one “correct” color, it’s more useful to understand what each option gives you.

Start with the purpose

An underpainting does two main things. It establishes value structure and it creates a base tone that interacts with the layers above. That base can either support your painting quietly or actively shape it.

Neutral grounds

If you’re unsure, start with a neutral. Burnt umber, raw umber, or a mix of black and white to create a soft gray are all solid choices. These colors help you focus on value without getting distracted by strong color bias.

A mid-tone neutral ground is especially useful. It lets you push both light and dark, instead of starting from a blank white canvas and only working in one direction.

This approach is common in academic and atelier-based painting because it builds strong structure early on.

Warm underpainting

Warm tones like burnt sienna, red oxide, or even a thin wash of orange can bring life into a painting from the start. They’re especially effective in portraits and landscapes. Skin tones, earth, and light all tend to sit comfortably on a warm base.

Even if you paint over most of it, small gaps and thin layers will let that warmth show through. It creates a subtle cohesion across the surface. A lot of contemporary painters use warm grounds not just for tradition, but because they speed up the process. You’re not fighting the coldness of a white canvas.

Cool underpainting

Cool underpaintings, like blue-gray or greenish tones, shift the mood immediately. They’re useful when you want a sense of distance, calm, or tension. In landscapes, a cool base can enhance depth. In figurative work, it can create contrast against warmer flesh tones layered on top.

Used carefully, a cool underpainting can make your highlights feel brighter and your warm colors more pronounced.

Colored grounds

Some artists choose bold, saturated grounds. A bright red, deep violet, or even a strong yellow. This isn’t random. It’s about interaction.

Every color you place on top will be influenced by what’s underneath, especially if your paint layers are thin or semi-transparent. A colored ground can unify a painting quickly, but it also demands control. If you’re not careful, it can overpower your palette.

What recent practice suggests

Many painters today are moving toward flexibility rather than fixed rules. With the range of modern pigments and mediums available, underpainting is less about tradition and more about intent.

Some artists even skip a separate underpainting and tone the canvas lightly, then build directly into it. Others combine drawing and underpainting into one loose, fluid stage.

The trend is clear: use what helps you see and respond faster.

A simple way to decide

Ask yourself three things:

• Do I want warmth or coolness in the final painting?
• Do I need help organizing values?
• Will this layer show through, or stay hidden?

Your answers will point you to the right color.

There’s no universal best color for underpainting. There’s only the one that supports the painting you’re trying to make. If you’re starting out, try a neutral or a warm earth tone. Then experiment.