- Image via Wikipedia
.
Ok, I can’t help myself. I have to tell you a little about color black. I am sure that there are a few people that visit this post that might not know black color from my point of view.
Some artists like to use color black straight from the tub. That is ok, however, you can really spice it up if you add or mix in a few other colors such as for black hair, or shading you might try burnt umber or Vandyke brown.
These colors mixed with other dark colors results in Blacks that are truer to nature and much more luminous. For black hair (as in the mane of a horse I painted recently – see the image above) I put all these colors and also added oranges and yellow ocher, Teal and viridian along with the purples and browns.
.
Photo above – courtesy of Flávio Cruvinel Brandão
.
I know it sounds yuck, but it is smashing! I love French ultra marine blue mixed with Burnt umber. Sap green and burnt umber is another favorite, or sap green and alizarin crimson. I one time listed a long, and I mean long list of mixes that became black, and then I added more mixes to the list.
I did not take a color theory class, I have just learned by painting with my friends and trying new things. And Oh yes, Payne’s Grey mixed in there is awesome.
If you use a dark color like alizarin crimson with Payne’s grey you could be in heaven with your creation! I so love color.
.
Photo above – courtesy of Andrea Cucconi
.
And if you have your mix in front of you and you use a palette knife to scrape the paint thin along the canvas, you can see all those colors. Then, you can tell what was used to mix the colors.
Try testing it and lay out a few dots of dark colors and then make another line of dots with a few dark colors. Use the colors I listed above. Then try to mix just a drop of any two of them and see which ones make black. Which ones are shading colors? Then experiment and add a little lighter color for shading.
That is a lot of fun! I hope this was not to boring to the artists that read these posts. However, I hope if you have something to add, please do. I might learn a new trick.
We could really get into this color black. Nothing is “just black”.
.
Photo above – courtesy of Toni_V
.
Related articles
- Colors of the Zodiac (vicdicara.wordpress.com)
- History of Color Theory (brighthub.com)
- Painting Ideas to Compliment Black Furniture in the Living Room (brighthub.com)
Ruth Read (92)
Daria (85)
Marilyn (62)
Evoltage (58)
Doroteja (44)
Sri Rajes (24)
Julie Hill (23)
Iva (15)
Ed Klasa (12)
Benji (11)
Prakhar (11)
Karla Deacon (10)
Rose Sinatra (10)
Monique (8)
Nejka (8)
Richelle (8)
venkat (7)
bhooma (6)
Deb (6)
{ 1 trackback }
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you Ruth for this lesson on color black, you managed to expand my “color horizons” quite a bit. I feel a little bit ashamed to admit that until I read this explanation of yours, to me color black has always been “just black.”
I have learned that color is never what it seems. Just black or just orange, Oh orange! Now there is another color. If you look deep into a color you can figure out life! LOL!!!
Thank you Daria for posting this article. The photos you used to compliment this article are awesome and fit really well.
I have also been attracted to colors all of my life. Colorful displays affect me like a powerful magnet. Because I’ve never painted anything – probably since eight grade – I didn’t think of them your (artistic and creative) way, though. I do agree with you strongly that colors can actually reveal the secrets of life to us – if only we let them…
You’re more than welcome, Ruth! Your article is fun and revealing for artists and art lovers alike and I really hope that other artists will join in and contribute their own art secrets, tips and tricks.
Thank you Ruth! I will definitely be mixing my own black from now on. This was very informative. I hope it helps others too.
I certainly agree, Ruth. Black can be so much more interesting when made of other colors. I already do that with brown. One of my workshop leaders told us she uses purple as her black. Thanks for the tips for colors to mix. I plan to try your suggestions. Very interesting post!
Marilyn,
That is a great trick I also use, but I can’t help myself, I add color sometimes to the purple. A great trick is to use Purple for the black part of the eye. Or if you are glazing it can be the glazing after the color is on the eye. What I like to do is use purple or French Ult. for the shadows. If you are painting green something you can use blue or purple glazing and it is shadow. Or if you are using orange you can use purple glazing for shadow. I do an incredible amount of glazing.
On my Gorilla I glazed alizarin Crimson under the body so that it would feel alive, just like some artists do for portraits.
So what other tricks has your teacher got for us? We are listening.
Once again, I find myself speechless on this blog. This is happening way too often. But the pictures just leave me in awe. Keep it up.