Dark Secrets about Black, the Color Artists Fear

(black background on this oil painting) "Sandhill Crane" 

A myriad of artists on LinkedIn argued over, under and around the use of the color black. Most were taught not to use black at all, but to mix their own shades from other colors.

Renoir called black “the queen of all colors.” Black is loved. It is feared. Most artists prefer mixing their own black rather than using it straight from the tube. Color combinations such as yellow and purple or other premixed combinations and Payne's gray are more subtle. 

According to one of my favorite artists, Robert Genn, “black works as a darkener because it’s near chromal neutrality does not sully the color it grays. While scorned on a few snooty palettes, black is the loyal friend that helps make other colors look more brilliant than they are. Wise artists do not say derogatory things about black.”

(black background) "Sunshine" oil on canvas

Here’s the real scoop (according to Genn):

1.       "Lamp black is a pure carbon pigment made by burning oils and collecting the soot from flues. It's one of the oldest manufactured pigments.

2.      Ivory black, originally made from burning real ivory, is now a bone byproduct of the slaughterhouse.

3.      Mars black is an iron-oxide product that in many ways is more stable than the other blacks. It does not effloresce, maintains total integrity in oil and water-based media and, to my knowledge, is the only paint that's magnetic."

(I used Payne's gray and a light purple in the highlights) "With These Hands--Love" 24 x 18 mixed media

Genn continues: “Give black a chance. A challenge is to work with only black and white for a day. After a week one begins to feel the brilliance of black. As seasoned artists have found out, if it works in black and white, it works.

“Try the method of grisaille--a monochrome painting executed in shades of gray. Used as an under-painting, grisaille was first popularized by the Northern Renaissance artists. These days, using bright white grounds and a range of grays, full value can be had by glazing with acrylics or other media. In painting, black is mother of learning.”

I did my own grisaille mini-paintings in a class on portraiture. I was amazed with the results at how life-like the models and forms appeared. It’s a great way to learn about value and shading.

(I had more difficulty with this one in the class. You can see it's not as fresh and loose as the first one)

“Timid souls use Payne’s Gray” Genn wrote. I gulped as I read this since Payne’s is my color of choice. 

Well, this timid artist is going to “break out.” I’m going to test the waters and use more black. If Genn is right, Mars black seems like the better choice.

"India Rising -- the Lost"  24 x 18 mixed media on canvas (I used Ivory black and Payne's gray)

Vindication – What Goes Around Comes around

When we moved into our villa, everything was white; the tiled floors, the walls, the cupboards. Over the last few years, we watched the trends go from white to color and from pastel to bright and bold. Through it all, we stoically held our own as we watched our friends slather on reds, golds, teals, and yellows.

Our dark bold furnishings complimented our world of white. I did admire the bright gleam of graceful white flowers and white woodwork against the latest trending colors, but we stood firm on grounds of economics and the fact that our walls were freshly painted when we moved in.

"Blending In" 11x14 acrylic on panel / in barnwood frame

Trends have a way of reaching their peak. People tire of intensity and they long for peace and non-distraction. Enter the new white; not only exhibited on walls and cupboard doors, but in furnishings. The scuffed up well-worn white of yesteryear has been replaced by shiny smooth. We’re back in style! Vindication -- oh, sweet reprieve!

The same holds true for clothes. If you leave them hanging in your closet long enough they will be back in style in a few short years. What goes around does come around. The same holds true for art. Styles and trends cycle; but if you go back far enough, you’ll find some of the same trends with a slight twist.

Today’s trendy art boasts a large following of buyers. It is hip, techie, and speaks to the young at heart. Ignore the trends if you must, or climb on board and take advantage of the upswing; in either case, as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Passion, though a bad regulator, is a powerful spring.”

But don’t let your heart or your eyes be fooled. Even though art is trending free and wild, the successful still follow the tried and true rules of color theory and composition. In fact, this is the very reason an artist is able to get away with so much. Knowing what colors to use, how, and when is the key to their popular draw. Rules of composition still apply, perhaps even more so as the subjects and images become more outlandish.

Andy Warhol once said that “rules are meant to be broken.” Knowing how to break them creatively and within the bounds of good art is another matter. Once you know all the rules that govern art, then choosing which one you will break for a given effect is not stupid, it’s creative license.

My own journey has been one of trial and error. I’ve always been a non-conformist of sorts, and my internal creativity screams at sameness, blandness, duplication, or compliance with other people’s rules of beauty or completeness.

We’re told as artists that we should be “loose,” and that we should “fly.” But at the same time, our journey is bound by strict compliance to certain codes of behavior and performance. I don’t know about you, but I get confused. I’m hoping something “clicks” sooner than later! 

From Tentative to Bold – Going Pro

"Sandhill Cranes at Twilight" 24 x 30 acrylic on canvas, in gold frame with black liner

It happens gradually that transition between learning a skill and mastering it. One day you realize you’ve mastered a color mixture or a technique. You’re painting a face or a landscape with confidence and with fewer brush strokes. You’ve gone pro.

It happened to me while painting a leaf. In the beginning I’d try to mimic what I saw unsuccessfully. There was usually too much paint on my brush and only a gut feeling of what to do. My mind didn’t seem to be engaged. That may be a good thing once you’ve mastered a skill or technique, but in the beginning concentration and execution take thought. As the T.V. artist, Jenkins’ said to his students: “Don’t rush the brush.”

"Maestro" Work-in-Progress 9 x 12 pastel on Bristol

Now I find myself painting intuitively and skillfully. Instead of adding veins on the leaves as an afterthought, I leave lighter line areas untouched, forcing the creation of realistic veins without having to paint them. This was an eye opener. I could do this with other things: the smile lines on a child’s face, creases in an older man’s forehead. Instead of painting hard lines which often age a younger face, I could place shadow next to the highlight for a softer looking crease.

These simple revelations come to all of us as we practice our trade. The more you do something, more ways open up to do the same thing in a more efficient and realistic way. I found myself telling a few other artists how to paint portraits. I remember thinking: “wow, so now you’re the expert?”

"Maestro" 9 x 12 Pastel on Bristol

We all have self doubts. But once we cross that threshold of confidence and skill, there’s no going back. The next step is to start acting and thinking like a professional. In the beginning we worry about pricing. We see every mistake we ever made on a canvas, and wonder who would buy it? We price our efforts low and even feel somewhat guilty in trying to sell our wares.

Oh, go on – I know you've felt this way, too. After a few sales and some commissioned work, we begin to see our own work the way others see it. We value our skill and our talents. I use a simple rule of thumb. Width times length equals value; i.e. 16 x 20 = $320 add price of frame, etc. A good asking price is $350.

"Brown Thrasher" 16 x  20 acrylic on canvas

As your skills increase and your name becomes known, the prices go up. Always factor in the cost of the frame and the percentage a show or gallery charges for showing your work (30-40%) and price accordingly.

Once you cross over from beginner to Professional, don’t let anything hold you back.

How you work tells a lot about your personality

"Window on Pine Island" 16x20 on wrapped canvas

I took a portrait painting class in oils. The technique was classic. Using a live model, we first coated the canvas with a film of oil and burnt umber. Then we proceeded to wipe out form and light.

Before I knew it, I had “wiped out” a head, a body, arms, and the light areas on the model’s skirt. It was a marvelous experience except for one thing. The teacher used her own method for getting inspired and to ramp up her energy.

"Wipe Out" of model

I don’t know about the other students, but I found it difficult to focus on this new and difficult experience. The teacher’s loud, blaring music distracted me and made it hard to concentrate. What I learned that day is that one person’s method of working is another one’s madness.

On day two, another problem occurred. We came back to finish our portraits, but other people had used the same classroom, and our easel’s had been moved. Only one student had thoughtfully marked the place and the angle of her easel with blue painter’s tape. The rest of us fought to find and duplicate our same vantage point.

Model on first day                                      Model on second day

  

The live model was also in a new position and the lighting had changed. As a result, we had to start over wiping out afresh and delaying the process of our work. The only thing that hadn’t changed when we came back was the music. My irritation turned into anger as the music ragged on my already raw nerves. The only thing I had to show for the class was an unfinished painting that never got finished, and a complete distaste for trying the wipe out method again.

We all have our own unique ways of working. Some artists enjoy listening to classical music while they work; others like jazz or soft rock. I turn on talk radio which turns into “white noise” as I lose myself in the painting. For me, classical music which I love is to absorbing and interesting and forces me to listen to it instead of painting.

"Winston" 12x16 oil on canvas

One artist likes to paint in the nude. She finds it freeing, leaving her unencumbered; there are no spotted paint clothes; no need to sweat or have a sleeve mess up a fresh brushstroke. Creative work is tedious and personal. The more you recognize what “turns you on” or what unleashes your wild muse the better.

Choosing the right approach or piece of music that fits the painting adds to its authenticity. Does the painting require a soft touch and a delicate balance? Background music that influences these emotions and feelings could make a difference in the outcome. Does the painting demand looseness and bold energetic brushwork? Listening to a Russian composer may give you the push you need.

Find out what works for you, and once you’ve found it, stick to it; whether it’s listening to the blues, the news, or working in unadorned silence.

"Raccoons at Sunrise" 16x20 acrylic