Warm Underpainting

I LOVE this technique. Basically pre-toning the surface of the canvas, underpainting gives you a good base and allows some highlights to show through. I read this in Gurney's book, but another artist, Heather Theurer, talked about this practice in a lecture she gave at our school.
Gurney says a Venetian red or burnt sienna make great bases, and make blues & greens stand out.

                                         (http://painting-course.com/lesson/still-life-layers/)

 (James Gurney, Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara, 2006)

                                                     (Heather Theurer, Yellow Ribbon, 2016)