The Codex
Technique Codex
Master-level technique breakdowns. Every stroke, every layer, every secret β explained with macro detail and zero theory-padding.
π¨ 9 Categories
π’ 3 Free Β· π΅ Apprentice+ Β· π Studio+ Β· π Elite
By Category
Explore the Codex
Brushwork Mastery
Loaded brush, broken colour, calligraphic strokes. How masters like Sargent captured life in a single confident pass.
Glazing & Scumbling
The Old Master secret. How to build depth, luminosity and skin tones through successive transparent layers.
Impasto & Texture
Thick paint, palette knife, texture building. Turn flat surfaces into tactile masterworks with physical presence.
Blending & Sfumato
Seamless transitions. The Leonardo sfumato method. How to blend wet-into-wet without mudding the paint film.
Underpainting Systems
Grisaille, verdaccio, imprimatura. How to build a painting from the ground up with complete tonal confidence.
Colour & Light
Munsell, Zorn palette, limited colour. Real-world colour temperature and value systems used in commission work.
Compositional Systems
The Golden Ratio, Baroque diagonals, figure placement. How the Old Masters structured visual flow subconsciously.
Portrait Specifics
Likeness-catching. Eye depth. Lip form. The exact process for capturing a specific face in oil paint.
Grounds & Supports
Linen vs canvas vs panel. Oil vs alkyd vs egg tempera underpainting. How your support changes everything.
Free Access
Start Here β 3 Free Techniques
The Zorn Palette
Yellow Ochre, Ivory Black, Cadmium Red, Titanium White. How Anders Zorn painted luminous skin with just 4 pigments β and why it still works better than a 20-colour palette.
Dark Ground Preparation
The Rembrandt method. Start dark, paint light. How a warm toned ground changes every value relationship in your painting and speeds up the process dramatically.
Ground recipe: Raw Umber + Linseed Oil thin wash over white gesso. Allow to cure 48h before painting.
Sargent’s Loaded Brush
One stroke, full paint, correct value β placed and left alone. The technique that defined Sargent’s bravura style and how to train your hand to commit.
Key rule: Mix the colour fully before touching canvas. Never correct a stroke β paint a new one beside it.
47 More Techniques Await
Glazing secrets, impasto systems, Old Master underpainting, sfumato β all unlocked with Apprentice membership or above.