In Alla Prima painting, rhythm and momentum are everything. ‘Alla Prima’, an Italian phrase meaning “in one attempt”, is defined by applying wet paint to wet paint, usually in one sitting. In my constant pursuit of creating bold, expressive paintings, I’ve found working in this style to be equal parts exciting and challenging. In this post I’m going to give you a brief look at how I use this method to create a bright, backlit horse portrait; for a more in-depth look at each step, you can join me for my MasterDemo.

By mixing all of my colours ahead of time, I can maintain a steady flow, focusing fully on the painting itself rather than on repeated setup. When I finish mixing a colour, I assign it a place on the canvas—like planning out a roadmap. Pay attention to each colour you’ve mixed and where you were matching it to on the reference; this way you have a clear plan in mind when you go to apply paint to the large shapes on your canvas. Our eyes naturally fill in minor details, so my goal is to build a simple palette with key colours and blend them as necessary as I go. 

While I’m mixing up the colours for the coat, I like to try and err on the side of keeping them just barely darker than the reference; that way, I can layer the highlights on top in a way that makes the finished piece look a lot more complex than it actually is. John Singer Sargent, the master of this technique, believed that establishing your middle values first was the best way to accurately judge the proper light and dark accents in the finished piece. There is no better way to learn than to take the advice of the greats!

Trying to parse detailed areas like the mane is where the technique of treating your reference like a paint-by-number will particularly come in handy – you need to be able to simplify all the individual hairs down into large shapes. Squinting can help you filter out the noise and find the right mid-tone for the area you’re looking at. For a painting like this, I don’t want to spend a long time detailing the background, so for that I need to pull out one mid-tone that will compliment my underpainting, and one shadow shade.

Rather than focusing on painting exact features, I begin by simply blocking out shapes. This method reduces the pressure to capture every detail early on, giving more flexibility as we build the painting. For the eye, for instance, I’m not aiming for a perfectly detailed eye yet—just a dark oval shape that serves as a placeholder. By thinking in shapes, you can approach complex areas in a more relaxed way.

I recommend using the largest brush you possibly can for the area you’re painting. Opting for a bigger brush forces you to be strategic about each brushstroke, as over time you will become more and more confident leaving the tiny brushes behind.

Starting with a thin layer allows me to add thick, luscious brushstrokes later. I’m adding just a touch of odourless thinner (Turpenoid/Sansodor) to thin my initial paint layer to make the application smooth and malleable. This approach is crucial when working Alla Prima; beginning with a thin application means there’s room to layer more paint on top without pushing around so much paint that it becomes unmanageable.

Painting, at its core, is a form of drawing. While working on the initial sketch, I keep the focus on simplified shapes, and I trust myself to be able to add the details in with a brush at the end. This mindset creates a solid foundation and allows freedom to refine as I go along, rather than trying to get every line perfect from the start. This approach can also be a huge confidence boost, helping you create bolder, more expressive works.

Your brushwork is a powerful tool that can help you suggest form. For the mane, long strokes that follow the flow of hair create a sense of movement. As I work on areas like the face or body, I think of the bone structure and contours beneath, almost as if I’m sculpting with paint. As we begin finding our highlights, it’s crucial to remember that we’re only sketching the placement of highlights rather than adding the final, brightest tones. We’ll use a medium-value layer to identify areas where the light will eventually be strongest. This allows us to establish a complete colour map without overwhelming the painting with bright highlights too early. 

As I finish laying down those initial highlights, I can now start adding a subtle bit of detailing to key areas like the eye to give the painting a bit of life and character. Even though we’re still in the early stages, these small highlights hint at the vitality that will come through in the final work. Adding this detail helps us see the portrait’s potential and reassures us that the foundation is strong.

When working with backlit pieces like this, you may notice background colours reflecting onto the face. In this reference photo, orange tones from grasses below are bouncing light onto the lips. I pick up some orange on my brush and add a single stroke to capture the reflected light, applying light pressure to avoid blending too deeply with the base layer below.

As we move forward, we can start adding even more character to our subject. Today’s subject is a scrappy Mustang, a wild horse with a thick, untamed mane, and I’d like to have some personality shining through. I want to suggest the texture of his coat, keeping in mind what kind of environment this horse might live in. Take your time as you take stock of your reference, deciding what information needs to be added and what can be left out. Oftentimes, less is more!

As I wrap up the mane, I selectively add details, thinking about where I want the viewer’s attention to go. Not every part of the mane needs intense detail; by concentrating the most contrast and intricate brushwork around the face, I naturally guide the viewer’s eyes right where I want them. 

Before adding my brightest white highlights, I want to get the background laid down. The background will provide context and contrast for these highlights, and I want to make sure the horse is firmly in the foreground. As always, painting Alla Prima is all about knowing what order to complete your steps in for the most effective finished work.

As I finish, I leave the background intentionally loose, relaxed, and impressionistic. It’s enough to set the scene without distracting from the focal point.

Now we get to the most exciting part of a backlit portrait – the final highlights! We’ve carefully and thoughtfully laid the groundwork, and all that’s left to do is decide where those final pops of white will be the most compelling. 

For the final highlights, I utilize pure Titanium White paint straight out of the tube. I recommend squeezing out some fresh paint on a completely clean section of your palette; any additional colour contaminating these highlights will diminish that brilliant glow that we’re after. I don’t use any medium here, since the stiff texture of Titanium White will add to the dimensionality of the piece. To further exaggerate the texture here, I really love using a boar bristle (Hog) brush. The extra stiff bristles will carve little lines in our paint, which is especially useful in areas like the mane. 

The moment you think your piece might be done, put the brushes down and step away. I find that if I push past this stage and continue to fiddle with the piece, I will almost certainly overwork it in places. It’s not about rushing through the process, but it is about learning to identify where you’ve perfectly captured the essence of your subject and not taking any unnecessary steps beyond that point.

And with those final touches, our Mustang portrait is finished! I’ve had such a wonderful time walking you through my creative thought process, and I hope you’ll join me in my MasterDemo to get a closer look at the techniques I described here. If you would like to see more of my art and the process behind it, I post daily over on Instagram.