> I was unable to find a good Green Earth for
>underpainting; both sources of pigments, that I
>know of, could no longer get "Terra Verde"; if
>that's what you mean by Verdaccio. But, I'm a

Verdaccio is a mixed color (in the old books it is refered to as a mixture of "white, ochre, black and the touch of red" - however it nowdays it is premade and sold by suppliers (i get my from Florence) it could be also composed of green earth, raw umber, and some ochre (do it in a dry form this way you will have this color consistant throuhout your frescoes).

>bit confused about the initial painting; I've
>read that the strongest dark lines should be
>painted first, as the blacks or umbers need more
>time to 'sink in'...not so? For example, the
>outlines around the eyes of a portrait etc.

I do not see much difference in 'sinking in' all colors set a little slower at the beginning of the day and darks also the painting should be done in the "semi-transparent manner" - no flat color look! This makes it close to impossible to use dark lines at any time but in underpainting. Check http://truefresco.org for the latest article and http:truefresco.net for the pictures (you can go to http://frescoschool.com and click photos).

>Also, I left some intonaco surface unpainted to
>see what it would look like dry, and it was very
>beautiful; hard and crystal-like,...but where
>the colors were painted, the surface did not
>have that bright egg-shell quality. Does that
>sheen come later, or does that show that the
>pigments did not carbonize? Your insights are
>deeply appreciated.

Your colors were too thick, and it is too soon to talk or advise you on how to have that sheen all over the surface. As an encouragement - most of the frescoes do not have this sheen all over the surface anyway.