Home › Forums › Explore Media › Oil Painting › Do you use black paint?
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September 20, 2016 at 10:48 am #994429
Being new to oil painting I am interested to know whether you use black paint in your work?
September 20, 2016 at 11:22 am #1258031Yes, absolutely yes.. Black paint is the mother of all colours.. Just the greens alone that can be mixed with it make it indispensable.. There was a time when it was fashionable to say that blacks can be mixed using other colours and should be avoided at all costs, but I’ve never agreed with that point of view. I’ve always used black on palette..
Cheers,
F.
September 20, 2016 at 11:32 am #1257987Friendly Mod Note:
This thread will not turn into a “to use black or not to use black” debate.
If you use black great.
If you prefer to mix your own, great.Either way can result in good paintings.
Lady Mars Orange Marmalade Stapleford
Moderator: OIls, Pastels, Plein Air
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde
September 20, 2016 at 11:39 am #1258055Yes, absolutely yes.. Black paint is the mother of all colours.. Just the greens alone that can be mixed with it make it indispensable.. There was a time when it was fashionable to say that blacks can be mixed using other colours and should be avoided at all costs, but I’ve never agreed with that point of view. I’ve always used black on palette..
Cheers,
F.
Thanks Fausto.
So would you use black to darken a colour or de-saturate it? Or would you usually use a complimentary colour to achieve this?
September 20, 2016 at 12:59 pm #1257998AnonymousMan I just saw some of the most awesome beautiful paintings and the artist did every one of them on totally black canvases, they stood out with a presence that trumped all of the normal white canvas paintings!
September 20, 2016 at 1:12 pm #1258032Thanks Fausto.
So would you use black to darken a colour or de-saturate it? Or would you usually use a complimentary colour to achieve this?
It depends on the look you’re after and the overall key your painting is set to.. I’ve used black with a touch of cobalt blue, cad red light, orange or even yellow to create shadows or background elements and in some cases I’ve used the direct complement (red to green for instance) or a not direct complement (orange to green) to change the colour’s intensity or value. It really depends on the look you’re after and what suits your painting.. My point is, to arbitrarily remove a colour that can be very useful doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.
I rarely if ever use black directly or exclusively.. I find it too inky used that way, but as a dark with some other colour added, it’s very tough to beat..
If Velásquez thought black was a good colour to have on his palette, i’m with him.. I’m also not a proponent of using a limited palette of colours either but that’s another discussion..
Cheers,
F.
September 20, 2016 at 4:31 pm #1257975Do you use black paint?
Yes, I surely do. I use it to effectively darken secondary colors (Reds, Greens, Blues), without a noticeable hue shift. Black paint is also useful to create neutrals, or near-neutral colors. And, since most of the colors in the natural world are primarily neutral, with just enough presence of hue to indicate, or suggest the nature of the object, the use of neutral grays (Black, mixed with White) is quite helpful.
There are those who often elaborate upon the various hue biases of black paints, indicating that some tend to be cooler, and some warmer, but personally, I will use any of them that may be available.
The only obvious difference I’ve experienced with any black is that Lamp Black seems to have about twice the tinting strength of any other black. I can easily accommodate for whatever the slight hue differences may be apparent among the Blacks.
I also realize that there probably a bazillion ways to create Black by mixing combinations of other colors, but I find it much easier to use a tubed Black. However, when you wish to shift your “neutral” tastefully, from “cool” to “warm”, as you paint along…. the combination of Burnt Umber, and Ultramarine Blue can’t be beat!:thumbsup:
wfmartin. My Blog "Creative Realism"...
https://williamfmartin.blogspot.comSeptember 20, 2016 at 4:54 pm #1258021I love starting with a black background so much that once I actually bought a black-toned canvas. It was so frustrating to get the lighter colors over it that I thought never again.
I use black paint in all my paintings, and some blacks are ones I mix for greater depth. This is one my husband calls “The Hole in the Wall.” The black I had on it didn’t resemble what I remember of the scene on my walk, so I mixed green umber and dioxazine purple to get the depth I had seen: A brilliant sky and the massive darks the trees made in the creek bed.
That was many years ago, but I now have a very large selection of black oils!
Nancy http://nancyparkfineart.com
All human beings are dream beings. Dreaming ties all mankind together. - Jack KerouacSeptember 20, 2016 at 5:04 pm #1258005Wow Nancy: that really pops. Love it.
Yes, I use black and I find it important in portraits and figures for flesh tone.
I had a terrible Art teacher in High school. She would not let us use black in any form because she said the Impressionists never used it. OY VEY!.
Website: www.artderek.com
DEMONSTRATIONS:https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1363787
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1343600
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1431363September 20, 2016 at 6:01 pm #1258026Use it everyday.
It great to desaturate/dechroma a color without turning it blue/brown etcSeptember 20, 2016 at 6:43 pm #1257976I think the use of Black is like many other things…..One must use it appropriately, and if done that way, it is quite effective.
I believe that many art teachers feel that since beginners often tend to over-use black, in an inappropriate manner, it may just be “easier” for them to dismiss the use of Black paint with some sort of rationalization, such as insisting that the beginner not use it, “because the impressionists didn’t use it”. I’ve always preferred to teach students how to use it appropriately, instead of demanding that they don’t use it, as some other teachers do.
I have taught classes in oil painting, and I teach the appropriate use of Black, I think. However, once in awhile I’ve had a student over-use Black, and when that occurs, it is painfully obvious, I’ll have to say!
There is no specific appearance to a painting in which Black has been used inappropriately, except to say that it appears lifeless, and dull–hence, the concept that “Black will kill your colors.”
Of course, the actual fact seems to be that Black is likely to create a disappointing painting, but only if used improperly.
Another, very positive concept for the use of tubed Black is that one should not be hesitant to use Black mixed with White. Black is not only used to “darken colors”, but also to neutralize colors–even lighter ones.
And, I’ve used the characteristic that causes the addition of Black to a primary color, such as Magenta, to shift its hue, in creating some of the most subtle, and tasteful, light lavender colors one could imagine. Some artists can hardly believe that I actually employed a tubed Black to create the beautiful lavenders in my flower paintings, when they view my paintings.
When used in such an application (making use of the hue shift when Black is mixed with a primary color), the operation of obtaining the color seems much more controllable, than when using a more high chroma color to create the effect, as well.
wfmartin. My Blog "Creative Realism"...
https://williamfmartin.blogspot.comSeptember 20, 2016 at 10:33 pm #1257996I use black to darken and neutralize colors. But I never use black by itself as there is always some light shining on things.
Don
September 21, 2016 at 12:02 am #1257994Beautiful painting, NancyMP!!
I also use black paint, like many others. A painting instructor once told me the areas we see that are so dark they are appear black, are much darker than anything you’ll get in a tube, so it’s fine to use them.September 21, 2016 at 3:07 am #1258039I use very little “tubed” black paint. My preference is to mix French Ultramarine Blue and Brown Burnt Umber (with no black in it). This makes a beautiful black which can then be made cool or warm.
I also use the RCW method of using opposites on the color wheel to make shadows and/or neutralize a color. This is a personal preference that has worked for my painting style.
If you haven’t viewed these videos by Mark Carder I recommend them. There is a great deal of helpful information that you can find on these links.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYGi18U4D4M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a0yoMZRGV0Angel
Website Makeover Coming! This is available now.
http://www.artist-bythesea.com/September 21, 2016 at 7:37 am #1257999AnonymousI am interested to know whether you use black paint in your work?
Everybody uses black, they just don’t realize it. All mixtures of other colors that make black are still black. Black doesn’t care if it is already black, or if you mix it from a blue and a orange/brown, a red and a green, or whatever else makes black. These colors are on most all palettes, and they can make lots of black mud. The result is that there is some black in most all paintings.
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