Impasto is an application of thick paint where the brush strokes remain standing above the painting surface. Its textural qualities are favoured to add an expressive element to painting.

This effect can be achieved only by applying opaque colour.

Impasted  paint accentuates and heightens areas of canvas that need to be emphasised, usually adding depth or highlights to elements and images of a picture.

As an expressive means of applying paint for impasto effect, it is generally put on with a brush, albeit direct tube and palette knives are used sometimes.

Impasto technique has been extensively used by artists throughout Renaissance to our days.

Glazing is a method of applying transparent (or thin translucent) layers of colour over paint, which allows colours beneath to remain visible. It is usually applied in several successive thin coats to thoroughly dried areas of the painting. Pigments are thinned considerably with a mixed oil medium usually containing linseed oil, varnish and turpentine. Newer mineral mediums (like "Liquin" ®) and workable glossy varnishes (fixatives) can be also used as glazing compounds (however I tend to avoid the latter).

Glazed oil paint has a richness and depth that adds luminosity to the selected area. Achieving the right degree of tonal uniformity and saturation requires skilful manipulation after the glazing compound has been applied.

(all prima  technique [3])

This technique aims to achieve the final effect (or completion of main part) in one initial session. Careful forethought and preparation are required before the brushstrokes are applied to the painting, ensuring precision and accuracy.

However preliminary sketches and studies are usually omitted and elaboration of entire painting [composition and colour layout] is done mostly virtually - by means of imagination and envisioning.

Quick schematic drawing is made with turpentine-diluted paint to outline elements of composition. Then main paints are laid and and rapid brush strokes are used while the paint surface is still wet - paying careful attention to the separation of drawing, colouring and modelling.

This technique provides good and expressive blending of colours on canvas and, sometimes, interesting colour-rich and tonal (monochrome) gradients.

However, due to obvious limits of this method [impossibility of complex colour layouts, omission of small details, impossibility to apply non-mixable paints in layers, etc.] the entire composition and plot of painting are usually kept simple, and palette - restricted.

Standard canvas is used, no extra layers of gesso are applied. An average underpainting layer paint (enriched with cold-pressed refined linseed oil or Liquin ®) is laid on a canvas to ensure good adhesion with canvas threads and even binding for main and final layers of paints.

This technique [imprimatura] uses an opaque coloured ground or toned underpainting applied to the canvas before the actual painting begins to provide an overall foundation for building up of various tonal areas of picture.

In most cases, in accordance to academic practices, underpainting is either given a dominant colour tone of future painting or a colour that would help to create unique undertones in combination with next paint layers (glazing [5] or scumbling [6] technique), wherever it is necessary for composition. Sometimes underpainting receives more attention and the entire composition is laid in thin fluid paint for subsequent application of local tones and layers (grisaille technique [ 7 ]). But I rarely use this method.

Painting usually is made in few sittings and can go through different stages before it is complete. Generally, the main work with paints/colours/light/composition is executed along the best canons of academic school.

All colours are thoroughly mixed and elaborately blended on palette before being applied to canvas; blending colours on canvas surface is minimised to achieve even and smooth paint layers and clean tonal gradations.

Thick paint layers and deep textures are avoided in this technique in order to prevent appearance of unnecessary and undesirable shadows on canvas surface and to keep image & painted objects surfaces smooth. Whereas all effects of light, luminosity and depth are achieved through skilful colour use and hue/tonal gradients.

All paints are mixed with medium (linseed oil or mineral medium) or else slightly diluted (gum turpentine (and derivatives)) before being put on canvas; direct application of paint from tube is avoided (to eschew crude, straightforward colour palette of entire picture).

Mixed paint blends are laid on canvas with soft brushes [8]. Palette knives and other tools are altogether avoided in applying paints to canvas - to achieve very soft and tender gradients and smooth colour transition effects. Blending of colours and creation of subtle gradients are accomplished by use of soft filbert brushes only; no other tools, rugs, sponges, own fingers (etc.) are allowed or ever used.

The entire composition is prepared in careful sketches and studies before the very work on canvas begins. General palette, concrete tones, gamma, colour combinations & blending are analysed with sketches and predetermined beforehand as well.[9] However some colour corrections can be made during actual work on canvas, when relationship of colours on canvas and interaction of painting with the light require them.

Painting objects and images of picture is done in well-known steps of academic school: from colour mass blocking and general forms & basic outlines - through precise shapes and accurate shadows - to working out fine details and setting conclusive 'accents' (final strokes to add highlights or shadows, colour emphasis and hue enhancements).