Why I paint in thin layers: the colors you don’t see right away

01 / THE BEGINNING

A color palette is a starting point, not a final result

A painting can begin with a relationship between colors. A muted green next to a warm red shade. Light ivory near black. A combination that holds my attention, even before there is paint on the panel.

For Utsuroi, A Dictionary of Color Combinations by Sanzo Wada gave me such starting points. But selecting colors is not the same as making a painting. On a book page, they are placed next to each other in clear areas. While painting, I give them a place, apply them, and combine them.

That is where my own interpretation begins. One color can become a large outer surface. Another gets space in the middle. And colors are added that later can no longer be identified as a separate shade.

In my story about Sanzo Wada and Utsuroi, I show the palettes next to the paintings. Here, it is about what happens in between: the work on the panel.

02 / MY MATERIALS

The materials I use to paint

My working method is closely connected to the materials I use. For the geometric works in this story, there are three things: a panel as a base, acrylic paint, and a lot of masking tape. Together, they determine how a painting can emerge layer by layer.

Panel as a base

I paint these works on panel. A sturdy, flat base suits my way of working: I can mask off tightly on it, and the edges between the color fields remain sharp. Later, the panel gets a wooden spacer on the back, but you will read more about that further down.

Acrylic paint for many thin layers

For my paintings on panel, I use acrylic paint. Acrylic paint dries relatively quickly, and that is essential for me. Every layer must be dry before I put a new color over it or remove the tape again. This way, I can keep building, layer upon layer, without the colors unintentionally bleeding into each other.

Acrylic paint can also be thinned with water. Because of this, it lends itself well to thin layers, in which what is underneath continues to play a part in the final result. That is exactly what my work is about: not one thick layer of color, but a build-up in which the underlying shades retain their role.

I do not work with one fixed brand. I use several brands of acrylic paint together, including Winsor & Newton, Amsterdam, and Rembrandt. This way, I can choose from a wide palette of shades and find the colors I am looking for for a work.

Masking tape for the geometry

The third material that you see in almost every work is masking tape. It is so defining for the shape of my paintings that I dedicate a chapter to it below.

03 / FORM AND SPACE

Geometric work on panel

I work geometrically on panel. The composition has a clear structure: areas, boundaries, and proportions. That structure gives my colors a place.

In the studio images below, you see the works during the creative process. The purple masking tape makes the boundaries of the color fields visible. Within those clear areas, soft nuances emerge.

In the completed Asayake, for example, you see a bright outer surface around a softer center. The shape is clear, but within that shape, the colors continue to move. For me, geometry and softness do not have to exclude each other.

View the completed Asayake →

Masking tape gives my colors a boundary

In my geometric working method, I use a lot of masking tape. With it, I define areas and work on the tight structure of the painting. It is a practical tool that plays an important role in how the composition takes shape.

The tape helps me to make clear where one area ends and another begins. Within that defined space, I can work with softer transitions. A clear edge and a subtle color gradient do not tell the same story, but they can enhance each other.

In the second studio image, I pull the purple tape off along a color field. The tape makes way for the edge that was masked off during painting. The manual work behind the geometry becomes very concrete here.

What ultimately looks calm and natural is therefore not created just by choosing a few colors. The delimiting and building up of the areas also belong to the work.

04 / UNDER THE SURFACE

The colors beneath the colors

If you were to name the colors of a completed painting, you would not automatically get a list of all the colors I used for it. That is an important difference to me.

My works are built up in many layers. Not only with the colors you eventually see, but also with other colors underneath. They may disappear as a recognizable area from view, but that does not make them unimportant.

Those underlying colors give the works depth for me and make them come alive. What you see on the surface is the result of a whole build-up. Not one separate layer that tells the story all by itself.

I do not need to see every underlying color separately to know that it belongs there. The work also emerged from those earlier layers. That is why a simple list of the visible colors can never fully describe what happened on the panel.

The studio images show the masking and the visible color fields. They are not an overview of all the separate underlying layers.

Many thin layers make a whole

It is not only about which colors I choose, but also how I apply and combine them. The paintings emerge from many thin layers. Every layer is part of what the whole eventually becomes.

That is something different than making a color sample larger. A palette shows a possibility. In the paint, that possibility gets its own build-up. The colors come next to each other and over each other, within the geometry that I apply to the panel.

That sentence summarizes for me why the creative process matters. The final look cannot be seen apart from what preceded it. What you do not see right away also contributes to the character of the painting.

In Utsuroi, that connects to the transition I am looking for. Not only the transition between two visible colors, but also the build-up of a work that emerges layer by layer.

05 / THE BACK ALSO PLAYS A PART

My homemade hanging system: space behind the panel

For me, the creative process does not stop at the front. For these panel paintings, I have developed my own hanging system. On the back, there is a wooden spacer of 3 cm. That keeps the panel parallel to the wall, with space between the painting and the wall.

Because of this, the work seems to come slightly loose from the wall. The space behind it gives the presentation a floating, spatial character. Not only the painted areas, but also the distance to the wall play a part in how you experience the work.

Prussian blue and shadow

I paint that back too: Prussian blue. Together with the distance to the wall, the dark shadow effect belongs to the presentation of the work. For me, the composition does not completely end at the outer edge of the panel.

It fits with what I am looking for on the front. A clear shape, but not a flat image. The layers give depth to the color; the space behind the painting gives the work a different presence on the wall.

06 / LOOKING LONGER

From close up, you see a different painting

From a distance, you first see the whole. The relationship between light and dark. An outer surface around an elongated middle. The composition that holds the work together.

From closer up, you can shift your attention. Not only: what color is this? But also: where does it change? What nuance is between the light and the dark part?

In Yoru no Yuki, for example, you can follow the transition from light to dark with your gaze. The visible transition is an invitation to look longer, not a complete explanation of all the layers underneath.

Looking beyond the top layer

You do not need to know which color came first on the panel to experience a painting. And you do not need to be able to point out every layer. But the thought that there is more present than you see right away can open up a different way of looking.

For me, a completed work is not a collection of separate colors. It is what happens when the chosen shades, the geometry, and the many thin layers come together.

Maybe that is also how I hope you look at it: not only at a color, but at everything that comes together in it.

Frequently asked questions about my painting process

How do you build up your paintings on panel?

I work geometrically on panel and build up my paintings with many thin layers of paint. I select colors, apply them, and blend them together. I also use colors that will no longer be visible individually later on.

What paint do you use for your paintings on panel?

For my geometric works on panel, I use acrylic paint from various brands, including Winsor & Newton, Amsterdam, and Rembrandt. Acrylic paint dries relatively quickly and can be thinned with water, allowing me to build up many thin layers and re-tape in between. Are you thinking of starting with acrylic paint yourself? Amsterdam is a great choice: quality paint at a good price. For even higher quality, you can choose Rembrandt or Van Gogh. You can find all three at De Verfzaak, competitively priced and with very regular, great promotions. Check out De Verfzaak's acrylic paint selection (affiliate link).

What do you use masking tape for?

I use a lot of masking tape to define areas and create the geometric structure. Within those clear boundaries, I work with softer color transitions.

Why do you use colors that will no longer be visible later?

Those underlying colors are part of the build-up. They give the works depth and make them come alive. The final result emerges from all the layers together, not just from the colors on the surface.

How many layers does a painting have?

I describe my working method as a build-up in many thin layers. In this context, it is not about a fixed number, but about what those layers together contribute to the painting.

How is the floating effect on the wall created?

My custom-made hanging system has a 3 cm wooden spacer on the back. This keeps the panel parallel to the wall, with space behind it. The Prussian blue back and the shadow effect are also part of the presentation.

Are the images in this article process photos?

The two studio images show the taped panels and the removal of the tape. The images of the hanging system have been edited with AI based on my own photos. I also show the completed Yoru no Yuki. The images do not show every individual layer of paint.

Related articles

Would you like to read more about the inspiration behind these works? In From Sanzo Wada to Utsuroi, I place the color palettes next to my paintings. You can read the story behind the collection in Utsuroi: abstract paintings with Japanese inspiration. You can find more about my color research in From book to canvas.