This entry was originally posted on Thursday, March 8, 2012
Black
watercolor can be used at times.
It
is best to use black mixed with other colors to just push it over the edge if
you are having a hard time getting the darkness that you desire.
There
are even some watercolors that already have black in the mix.
Indigo
is a beautiful rich blue that has black as one of its components.
This entry was originally posted on Thursday, March 8, 2012
Another option for black is to mix your three primary colors.
One of my favorite blacks is just that.
It is Winsor Blue (green shade) mixed with Permanent Alizarin
Crimson or Permanent Rose with just a tiny bit of Aureolin or Winsor Yellow.
Too much yellow will make the mix brown and muddy looking. I use
just enough yellow to neutralize the purple of the Winsor Blue with the
Alizarin Crimson. Of course it is easiest to get this black with fresh paint.
Since it is made with staining colors it is difficult to work with. This black does not lift easily. But it is so rich and yummy.
I used this black (and grey) for the painting below and created
such wonderful drama.
This entry was originally posted on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Just
a little tip about lifting paint.
(More
information on scrub brushes can be found by clicking here and here)
When
you lift your paint, wet your brush and lightly scrub the surface of the paper.
But
make sure you have a tissue handy to dab at your paper as you lift the paint.
If
you don't dab your paper with the tissue often, you will just be pushing dirty
water around.
The
paper will also become too wet. Then the paint around the area you are
trying to lift will just bleed back into it.
I
prefer a nice soft tissue for my lifting. Paper towels and some brands of
tissue I feel are too rough for lifting. They don't seem to wick the water away
from the paper as easily.
It
is also a good idea to stay away from tissues that are antiviral or have lotion
in them.
They might leave some oils behind which become difficult to paint over if you need to.
This entry was originally posted on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
It can be difficult to commit to painting a black.
You might wonder, What if it is wrong?
What if I put it in the wrong place?
What if I can't undo it?!!!
But with French Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna (US), you can undo it!!
These two colors, since they are opaque and sit on the surface of the paper (another reason to know the properties of your paint) you can easily lift your black!
Just use your soft scrub and some water and the paint will lift right off.
Knowing this, I use this technique in several of my paintings.
For The Attic Room, I painted the background with the US combo and then lifted out the ceiling beams with a soft scrub brush.
This entry was originally posted on Friday March 2, 2012
When I was discussing paint colors in my previous posts, I
mentioned that the two must have colors are:
French Ultramarine Blue and
Burnt Sienna.
Now you get to know why I like them so much!
French Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna when mixed together
make the best black.
This is because you can make it a warm black by adding more of
the Burnt Sienna into the mix or a cool black by adding more of the French
Ultramarine into the mix.
I like to call this mix US for Ultramarine Sienna.
Now your black will have more variation and life to it.
This entry was originally posted on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Although there is black watercolor paint available and I do know a few watercolor artists that use black, I prefer to mix my blacks.
I find that the black that comes out of the tube is a flat, dead black. There is no life or light to it. The black makes your paper look like it has a hole in it.
Mixing your blacks or darkest darks gives you the flexibility to create depth. You can make a warm or cool dark, and allows for a richness that is not found in a tube black.
