What does "underpainting" mean?

An initial layer of paint, often monochromatic, applied to a ground as a base for subsequent layers.

Underpainting

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
An initial layer of paint, often monochromatic, applied to a ground as a base for subsequent layers. countable, uncountable
"He would start with a stenciled acrylic underpainting and finish by making marks with the chalk and charcoal shells."
2
A painting that the artist later painted over to create the final work. countable, uncountable
"At first they wouldn't believe him, but he gave them proof. X-ray the Adulteress, he told them, and you will find an underpainting. They did and found the underpainting van Meegeren had described."

Verb

1
present participle and gerund of underpaint form-of, gerund, participle, present

"He would start with a stenciled acrylic underpainting and finish by making marks with the chalk and charcoal shells."

Etymology 1

From under- + painting.

Etymology 2

From underpaint + -ing.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.