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Black window trim on buildings. Should i use black? Help please!
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Message
Posted
Hi
I am about to start painting a white building with black window trim in watercolour. However, I am not sure if I should actually use black paint for the window trims or use another colour that gives the impression of black. Daft question or not, I am stuck. The building is a close up and so more detailed than if it was in the distance. Can anyone kindly help me? Thank you. I am using cotman watercolour paints, just in case that helps.
Posted
To start with Annlou, I hope that you don't paint your white building white, I'm sure you won't fall into that trap, it will be many shades and if you can get some shadows on it then all the easier it is to establish. So, your question of black windows, many of us have differing views on this, to be safe I wouldn't use black, at least not directly from the tube, black by itself is a rather 'dead' and 'lifeless' colour, so experiment with this, other's will probably give you some good colour combinations so I will leave that to them to advise you.
I do quite often use black India ink to start off my many small sketches which are followed by a watercolour wash, the great Rowland Hilder used this method to great effect so it can and does work, however stick to a mix of black and another colour and all will be fine.
Posted
As usual, I agree with Alan: if it were me, I'd use a mix of Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna for the black: you could use Payne's Grey, or Neutral Tint if you wanted to - again, Hilder did that; and he also used Lamp Black, which is warmer than Ivory Black (which I should avoid religiously). Better to mix your own, though.
Ink - well, Indian ink is a strong, rich, glossy black which has a life of its own; but if you use it at all heavily, you'll also have to use it elsewhere in your painting; it will change its ... theme, for want of a better word. Hilder was a genius at this sort of thing.
Generally, you can make a black with any mix of the three primaries - with the ultra and Sienna, you have a purple blue, the sienna has yellow and red in it - so you're covered all ways: the primaries don't have to be exact at all. You could also try Burnt Umber or Ultramarine - Ultramarine because most of the other blues will tend to give you a green if mixed with a red brown: which you may want, of course, but probably don't. A crimson red, plus a green like viridian, will give a range of strong blacks - but any blue, red and yellow will give you a whole range of greys and blacks which it's well worth getting to know - adding white (not in watercolour) or more water will provide a vast array of strong greys, gentle greys, subtle greys: and undiluted, you'll get lively blacks instead of the dead, funereal absence of colour that a tube black produces.
(Tube blacks have their place too, but not in this context.)
Whatever you do - try it out first on a spare piece of paper: make a note of what you mixed to achieve it - before you know where you are you have an invaluable resource you can use for any painting you'll ever want to make.
http://www.isleofwightlandscapes.net
http://www.wightpaint.blogspot.co.uk
Posted
Never use black paint and all I will say is that I have seen the work of artists who do and can't see what all the fuss is about. True black (if that is what you are seeking) has an intensity to it which in my humble opinion isn't replicated in mixed darks. A made up black often to my eye looks just like that - a slightly off-black muddy apology. If you want the real intensity of a true back then why not use it. The furore against black is another of those rules best observed in the breaking rather than in the observing. Emporers new clothes? Must add I wouldn't use it for mixing though. I love black ink (especially in my ink and stick work and also in pen and watercolours) which is also used by those who rail against the use of black paint.
Just written this after returning from travels and perhaps I should have written this AFTER reading the comments above - probably now about to wish I'd bitten my tongue.
Posted
A big welcome back Michael, I had missed your scathing comments on my recent work, ha ha....
Black is black then, you make some interesting points and I have to say that in general they make sense, the only time that I don't like to see black is in large areas particularly in oils, seen one recently hanging in a house, decent enough painting but the large swathe of black didn't look right. You use black ink, I use black ink and to good effect as comments have shown, not to mention a fair few sales over the years as I'm sure that you have.
Posted
Scathing comments - me? - never - well not on your work Alan. Must say I am commenting less and less on work in the gallery these days. It becomes more and more difficult to make worthwhile comments against artists whose work you admire (like yours) without keep repeating yourself. Tongue still without injury !!