Intermediate Alla Prima.

Intermediate Alla Prima: Building Volume & Clean Color in a Still Life Study

Painting everyday subjects from life is one of the most effective ways to strengthen your eye and refine your technique. In this lesson, we’ll look at how to paint a plaited bunch of French onions using a limited palette and an alla prima (wet-into-wet) approach. This project is especially valuable for intermediate painters who want to improve their handling of subtle color shifts, tonal structure, and edge control.

This demonstration is available as a full video tutorial on my YouTube channel. If you’d like to paint along, you’ll find the chapter breakdown and materials below. Watch the video on Youtube at this link.

Why This Subject Works So Well for Skill Building

Braided onions are full of gentle transitions:
• satin skin shifting from warm to cool
• papery highlights that hold their shape
• soft, looping greens that change direction in space

There’s no single shortcut here. Instead, the subject rewards patience and observation, making it ideal for painters who are ready to move beyond basic block-ins and into more nuanced handling.

Palette Used (Printmaking Process Palette)

This study uses a limited palette inspired by printmaking primaries:

• Titanium White

• Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue

• Permanent Rose

• Cobalt Blue

• Ivory Black

• Burnt Sienna

This palette encourages clean color mixing and structural tone control, while still allowing a full range of warms, cools, and neutrals.

Surface & Brushes

• Surface: 6mm MDF panel, gessoed

• Brushes: Short flat brights (approx. size 6) and a smaller round for refinement

• Medium: Turpentine

• Extras: A cloth for wiping and shaping brushwork

Short flats encourage confident, economical marks, helping avoid over-blending.

Step-by-Step Overview

1. Draw the Structure

Begin with a light map of the overall shape. Focus on:

• The rhythm of the plait

• The gesture of the stems

• Placement of the main masses

Avoid detail at this stage. Think architecture, not decoration.

2. Tonal Block-In (Notan)

Before introducing color, establish value relationships:

• Group the main shadows together

• Simplify the midtones

• Save highlights for later

This creates a stable scaffold the color can sit on.

3. Establish the Darks Early

The onions’ darker crimps and roots anchor the entire composition. Keeping them consistent prevents the painting from “floating.”

4. Introduce Color in Planes

Mix color families rather than individual spots:

• Warm ochres and siennas for the skins

• Cool violets and greys for shadow planes

• Emergent greens in the stalks (avoid default tube greens)

The goal is to build volume through planes of color, not outlines.

5. Refine Edges

Edges contain expression:

• Soften where colors share similar value

• Keep highlight edges firm only where necessary

• Let some parts dissolve into the background

This is where the painting gains breath.

What Intermediate Painters Can Focus On Here

• Holding value structure while shifting temperature

• Avoiding chalky lights by adjusting chroma, not just white

• Letting edges vary to support depth and focus

• Creating volume with restrained color, not detail

This study teaches control without tightening.

Watch the Full Demonstration

You can follow the full step-by-step process in the video here:

🎥 Intermediate Alla Prima Still Life: Braided French Onions
Watch the video on Youtube at this link.

If You Paint Along

I’d genuinely love to see what you create.
You can share your version in the YouTube comments or tag me on Instagram.

What would you like to see in the next still life study?
Leave a suggestion below — I’ll choose one for an upcoming session.