"Odd Nerdrum Technique (the research pages)"
by Derek Van Derven



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Free Odd Nerdrum Technique information page.

" I scrape down and layer up, you never finish"- Odd Nerdrum

Odd Nerdrum "pixellation"

"Pixellation": is a term I use to describe the nature of Odd Nerdrum's painted tones. It means, the art of breaking up the flat looking strokes into many broken up pieces, and the underlayers show through, breaking them up into pieces of tone and color, which makes for a less "flatly painted" look , and a more natural "photographic" or "real" surface texture look. This is done by Nerdrum by using sandpaper and the razorblade.

Here is the best proof I have of Odd Nerdrum's technique of "pixellating" or breaking the flat brush stroke tones into tiny "wisps" or "patches" of tone and color (in addition to Nerdrum students' observations).. The broken up strokes by scraping with the razorblade and /or sanding are more like broken up pixel dots of photograph than a painted layer. This kind of broken color and tone is similar to Lucian Freud's impasto technique which achieves a similar effect in impasto of broken up tone and color patches. Check out these 25 images of Odd Nerdrum's flesh tones close up of foreheads, cheeks, legs, and chests, all sanded or scraped with the razorblade to break up the tones of the brushstrokes that were often tiled next to each other or dragged with the fan brush, and sometimes glazed over with black/brown, then wiped out. Notice how many little colors and broken up tiny patches of tone there are in even just one square inch of Odd Nerdrum's flesh tones. This is due to layers of sanding and/or scraping, and tiling small strokes next to each other, or dragging lightly over each other. The pictures are small, click on them to enlarge. I explain in detail how to use the razorblade and sandpaper properly with the right paints and surface techniques in the "research pages" in many step by step examples.
Notice the Pixellation in the 25 Nerdrum sanded/scraped close-up flesh tones pictures HERE. (you have to scroll down past the ads, and click the images to enlarge them)

Scraping and Sanding

You will see 2 videos pictured below on how to scrape and sand properly with the razorblade and sandpaper.

COMPARING REGULAR PAINTING TECHNIQUES WITH ODD NERDRUM'S TECHNIQUE BELOW.

For a comparison of a "regular" painting technique compared to the Odd Nerdrum technique for a portrait head, go HERE..

For more comparison, here are two artists that don't know how to use the "Odd Nerdrum Technique". Check out these FLAT Odd Nerdrum painted copies here, and here. Not to insult them, but that is the best way I know how of showing you the difference between "flat/dull texture" and "pixelled vibrant Odd Nerdrum" texture. They are flat not only because they are poorly drawn, but they are mainly flat because of the flat, "normally painted " texture, and muddy tone to a lesser degree.

Compare those two paintings with my "Odd Nerdrum Technique" paintings I did on the below. (click them to enlarge). Notice mine are much more vibrant, real looking, and interesting to look at. It's all Nerdrum Technique. Pay close attention to the "glow", the "color patches or pixels" and the color and texture variations, that are extremely different than "normal" painting applications..this is characteristic of all of Odd Nerdrum's paintings, the "scrape down" technique which is explained in many demonstrations in the "research pages".

To the right are my last 7 paintings I did in my Odd Nerdrum Technique experiments series over a few months, you'll see how I did them when you read the pages. Click them to enlarge, click next to go next.. The drawing isn't as good as Nerdrum, but the texture, color patches, and special "Nerdrum Glow" are almost identical to the originals of Nerdrum's. The main focus of my experiments was not to draw as well as Nerdrum..(although I do offer some tips about Nerdrum's drawing and drawing method in general, a Nerdrum student mentions the "sight-size drawing" method.). The "scrape down" method is not just used on the heads in Odd Nerdrum's paintings, but used on clouds, clothing, flesh, backgrounds, hair, and other areas to give a "misty" or "glowing soft" effect unobtainable in any other way. You can see evidence of Odd Nerdrum's scraping in almost every painting he does.

Other than learning to model tone and ignore or make up tones, I wanted to capture the same surface textures and color patches as him,( the only real thing that made him way different than other painters, and way different than the "Old Masters", even Rembrandt). . Those areas of the flesh and cloth and rock and air that seem to "glow and grow" off of the canvas in tiny organic-looking (seemingly-impossible-to-paint ) tiny warm and cool patches and sometimes "wisps" that cannot be obtained by simply "tiling" the brush strokes or dry brushing or impasto or even glazing. See the next page to read Testimonials about the "Research Pages" and the offer.