After the first painting, mix with the paint a little poppy oil

After the first painting, mix with the paint a little poppy oil and siccatif de Courtray in the proportion of one drop of siccative to five of oil: this is done to make the color dry, as madder lake and bone brown dry very slowly where large quantities are used.

A very useful background for many purposes is a tone of warn gray green, growing rich and dark in the shadows. This is made with Antwerp blue, burnt sienna, white, raw umber, ivory black and yellow ochre. In the lighter, cooler tones add madder lake. A tone of amber or old gold, largely qualified by grays, makes a very striking background for a rich, dark complexion and black hair. This is painted with  yellow ochre, white, raw umber, burnt sienna, and ivory black.

In the lighter parts, deep cadmium may be used, and in the deeper tones a little permanent blue is added. Such a background is painted loosely, that is to say, not in one flat, hard, even tone, but the colors are put on the canvas without too much previous mixing, especially in the darker parts and shadows, where touches of blue, red, yellow, etc., are put on and only softened enough to make a general harmonious effect of color.