Monochrome painting, that is, grisaille, is a monochrome drawing, such as black and white or brown and white. This type of painting was very common in the Middle Ages in easel painting.
Grisaille is a special kind of painting. Its implementation is carried out in tonal monochromatic gradations. Thus, it is convenient to draw bas-reliefs, any architectural or sculptural elements. With the grisaille technique, only the tone of the depicted object is taken into account, while the color is indifferent.
Artistic grisaille is a work whose task is to affirm the aesthetic value of the monochrome color of the picture.
Painting for beginners
Monochrome painting is a transitional link between painting and drawing. For those who are just starting to study painting, grisaille usually becomes the first study assignment. The most difficult thing for beginners is precisely the transfer of tone with the help of color. Any person who does not have defects in visual perception can easily name the color of an object. But as far as tonality is concerned, it is rather difficult to determine how objects relate to each other - which of them is darker or lighter, and how much.
If you find it difficult to do this, you can use simple logic - objects located close, lighter and more contrast, those that are in the distance, in tone are more blurred and homogeneous. It is much easier to solve the problems of modeling light and shadow if you use one color.
How grisaille appeared
The word "grisaille" comes from the French word Gris - gray. Most often, this type of painting is found in black and white. The reason is that at first the grisaille was intended to imitate sculpture, that is, the reliefs on the walls. But over time, she found her place in the so-called "easel" painting - first as an auxiliary tool for sketches, then as an independent type of painting. Gradually, the palette expanded - a paint called "sepia" appeared - it was made from an ink sac of cuttlefish, a sea mollusk. It was used when drawing with both a brush and a pen. Then the red and blue variants appeared.
When choosing a color, the artist relies primarily on the concept of the work. In the black-and-white version, painters are able to take tonal relationships and play out nuances so accurately that one can feel both the color of the work and the color of objects - each individually. Grisaille makes it possible to fantasize, presenting a picture in any possible color interpretation.
Contemporary artists choose the color for the grisaille that matches the idea. The principle of one-color image is important. In grisaille, only the tone of the object is taken into account, and its color does not matter.
