Oils Shading Highlighting black

[Ron Tamburrini]

Any ideas on this would be most welcome

Ronnie T

 

[housecarl]

Don't start with black, use that as your shade.
Carl.

 

[dfmoss]

When I paint in black, I generally use either a warm gray (brown tinted) or a cool gray (blue tinted) as my base. Shade with black, or near black. Use flesh as your additive to make the highlight color, not straight white.

I did an Andrea mini of Yul Brenner several years ago - all black clothing (From "The Magnificent Seven") and used different additives to vary the shades of black. It was effective and gave variety to the single color scheme.

Works well for me.

Don

 

[megroot]

I make my black (oilpaint) with a mix of Sepia and Indigo. I believe that real black doesn't excist in nature. It is always a mix from dark earth colors.
Highlighting with white into the mix and shading with black (ivory).

Marc

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Thanx Marc will give that a try.

Like your stuff

 

[Einion]

For a bog-standard black I'd generally start with a dark grey (black, white, some umber) then work in both directions. Highlight with more white and umber, shade by adding more black.

Period blacks were sometimes achieved by over-dying one colour on another (e.g. blue over dark brown) so they would frequently fade and weather to reveal some colouring rather than a neutral grey. So for this going browner in the lighter areas would mimic how the fabric might have looked, and it looks attractive too.

For subjects where you have a free hand in terms of colour, you can tint blacks and greys easily with any earth colour as well as blue, green or whatever to give them any colouring that you like.

Einion

 

[Tecumsea]

Hi Ron,

I also like to use Indigo and Burnt Umber instead of Black, however don't be tempted to highlight with Flesh (often used to highlight Black)....as I once did, forgetting that Flesh contains a degree of Yellow. The resultant Green was not what I was looking for!!

Keith

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Hi Keith
Thank you for the reply, have taken note of your ideas on the shading, sounds right.
I have painted the bear skin with burnt umber as the base and shading black but a bit unhappy with the results, maybe because the ivory black is drying to a bit of a gloss,
hopefully it will tone down.

Cheers Ronnie

 

[megroot]

Hi Keith
maybe because the ivory black is drying to a bit of a gloss,
hopefully it will tone down.

Cheers Ronnie

That is surely possible. if it don't dry matt try this.
Take some black on a indexcard and let the oil soak out. Now you have the pigment.
Make a wash with this pigment and White Spirit and go all over it. Let it dry and in 90 % of the case you have a flat black.

marc

 

[Einion]

In terms of sheen, Bone Black (what's sold as Ivory Black), Lamp Black and other carbon-based blacks are relatively oily. Mars Black is leaner than these and will tend to dry more reliably matt.

But if you mix in a little umber to any of the carbon blacks that should help with shine problems, as well as making the paint dry more quickly.

Einion

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Cheers Guys

Looks like every day is a school day at the planet.

ronnie

 

[brian]

Naples yellow is a very good highlight for black giving a warm grey tone and will go matt.Also good for highlighting blue.
Brian

 

[Einion]

Just a quick note that Naples Yellow paints vary a lot; some pics of the variation in this thread. Obviously the ones that are more yellow wouldn't work as well as others for certain jobs.

Most Naples Yellow paints these days are hues (imitations or substitutes) and arguably the best are single-pigment paints made from PBr24, Chrome Titanate Yellow, which looks something like this:

(W&N Naples Yellow Deep)

Einion

 

[megroot]

Einion,
If i understand you correctly, instead of Napels Yellow Hue i better use Naples Yellow Deep? I re-read the thread and i'm lost into the wood that called Naples Yellow

Marc

 

[Tecumsea]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for the tip on using Naples Yellow to highlight black, I usually use flesh but the results can sometimes be a bit pink. For blue I usually use a lighter blue or white, so I'll give the NY a go.

Keith

 

[Gary D]

perfect! I've always used flesh as well. I'll have to give the WN Naples Yellow a try as well.

Thanks

gary

 

[Einion]

These are just marketing names Marc, the same colour in another brand could be called just Naples Yellow or Naples Yellow Hue, or anything else, like the Old Holland version which is Napels Yellow Deep Extra. Except for a few genuine versions commercial oil paints called something like Naples Yellow are hues or imitation colours; a lot of these substitute colours are simple mixtures that can easily be replicated on the palette.

The real thing is made from PY41, a lead and antimony pigment, so it's easy to see why it's not commonly available with current worries about pigment toxicity.

Einion

 

[megroot]

a lot of these substitute colours are simple mixtures that can easily be replicated on the palette.

What colors could be the best to mix it???

The real thing is made from PY41, a lead and antimony pigment, so it's easy to see why it's not commonly available with current worries about pigment toxicity.
Einion

If i understand it right, there will never be a real Naples Yellow.

Marc

 

[theBaron]

I start with a charcoal gray, too, then use blacks for shadows.