| Author | Message | ||
  dirtybird |
When I first began painting in watercolor I discovered on most occasions any of the black colors looked out of place when used alone. I now mix black almost always with the predominate color or an ajacent color of the painting. Black mixes very well with most of the warm hues. | ||
marie |
Patrice, thanks for the nice feedback. The flesh color in my example was Winsor & Newton Yellow Ochre with a touch of M. Graham Cadmium Red Light. I used W/N Ultramarine Violet for the few shadows. And Ben, I bought a tube of the w/n perylene black yesterday and took it for a quick test drive. I mixed it with perylene maroon to make a really dark dark. I also liked it with every yellow I tried - yellow ochre, quinacridone gold, and cadmium yellow. Thanks for the tip. By the way, I like the pure perylene black from w/n much better than the Holbein version, which I believe is mixed with lamp black. The Holbein perylene black (a.k.a. shadow green) was a little too inky for me. | ||
Patrice |
Perylene black does sound like it's worth trying. Thanks, Ben! In oil painting I used to use Ivory Black when the occasion called, since it was less likely to sully other colors than other blacks. In watercolor, I've been mixing ultramarine deep with alizarin crimson and getting a rich, deep color. Sometimes I might add a little sap green to that mix too. | ||
Patrice |
Marie, That is a lovely work. I find myself more curious about what colors you use to mix flesh tones that well! | ||
marie |
Zoe and Raleigh, thanks for the nice comments. Ben, I enjoyed reading about your experience with perylene black. I'll have to try the Winsor and Newton version the next time I order paint. | ||
ben |
usually, pencil lines are the only carbon black in my watercolor paintings thinking of black in my paintings: the only painting that is hanging at home, is a huge tropical forest with black ink shadows (with brush) and transparent watercolors (with sponge) but that is 'mixed technique' though ;-) and I painted my son's room with trees and clouds and animals. I started this 'mural' with a layer of black household acrylic paint and that is a good base for all the colors but that is 'off topic', since I used a lot of white household acrylic paint to mix the pigments in (as a 'filler' and 'brightener', in order to cut the cost) In watercolor, I sometimes use ivory black I like the tiny grains in a diluted Rowney Artists ivory black, diluted or mixed this does not dry as a grey and dull spot I do not use the other blackish paints that I have any more ( only one monochrome painting with W/N neutral tint is okay for me; it looks like and old photograph with deep black and duochrome tints ) for black, I tried perylene black this year (PB31) and that is black! (this pigment is used in printing ink) used concentrated it is really dark and neutral black, and not dull or opaque as carbon blacks are for dry brush technique, for added calligraphy, for a black patch in a painting, for small details like wires, branches, eyes etc in this way I can have maximum contrast to both the light and color in the rest of my sketch but more important, I can use this perylene black for neutralizing or darkening any other paint and for creating shadows, as a glaze over colorfull red or brown or green parts (for violet and middle blue parts too I suppose) and as an underpainting or sketch (it brings back memories and instincts from long ago, when I was young, learned myself painting) I used it a few times, and in the resulting sketches and small paintings you would not notice that tube black is used I think because the few realy dark parts are integrated, no dark thing stands out as dull and opaque the other main difference (with carbon black paints) is the change in color when perylene black is diluted (may be the hue is not changing, but) it apears green when used as a watercolor whith a lot of water added, it is not a tube black anymore, it is perylene green then it is a greyed green, not blueish or light green I think it is a good start for mixing greens and darks, for example: diluted it makes a range of umber- and olive- and sap green- tints when mixed with yellows concentrated it makes a range of realy dark colors when mixed with perylene maroon or it doesn't count for mixing greens and darks? since it is green/black already? perylene black will not work as a colorless neutral grey ( as diluted carbon black does ) next thing: I will try it for a monochrome painting, and hope for a colorfull duochrome result | ||
Zoe |
Thanks for your replys. Maria your work is beautiful and that touch of black is well used from my POV. I was really asking only about tube black not how we can all make darks, but I appreciate your recipes, Robert. I was very frustrated by the emphathic recommendation that black tube paint in watercolour was the answer to blue eyes, but I remained polite. :D | ||
marie |
Just to clarify ... I tend to go with ultramarine blue and burnt sienna for most of my darks. When I need to go really dark, I often like perylene maroon with either thalo green or thalo blue. Black is usually a last resort. It's not an everyday pigment for me. | ||
Robert |
If you are speaking of actual carbon (lamp or ivory black), no and I also avoid the pigments cojntaining black in their mixture: sepia, paynes gray, indigo, van dyck brown. I avoid them becasue they are extra dull when they dry. I do use blackish darks made from the following combinations: ----pthalo blue and cad. scarlet ----pthalo blue and venetian red ----pthalo green and rembrandt permanent red violet (ie perm magenta) ----Ultramarine blue and either burnt sienna or burnt umber --- pthalo blue and burnt umber or burnt sienna | ||
Raliegh |
Marie Your w/c has a great mood! Very simple, with just enough color. | ||
marie |
I use black when the occasion calls for it. I think black becomes dangerous when it's overused or when it's used without considering other alternatives for getting darks or neutrals. Usually, I try to mix it up with other pigments. I rarely if ever have large patches of unmixed black in my paintings. Also, you can mix black with yellow to make terrific, neutral greens. Here's an example of a recent study where I used black -- it's nothing more than raw sienna, ultramarine violet, and black (and a tiny touch of cadmium red). I wanted a lot of contrast between the black hair and the white dress, and I didn't want much color.  | ||
Zoe |
More than curious to hear and learn if any of the watercolourists here use black. On another group someone asked about colour mixing/theory, and it was suggested that the person use black in diluted form to get a grey/blue colour. It sounds so strange to me, but as I haven't been using watercolour that long, perhaps my reaction was biased. Any thoughts? Many thanks. |
