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Paynes grey...finding it's voice
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Message
Posted
Not having used paynes grey much, I'm exploring it and some other colours and hopefully growing my ability in being more aware of the results and subtleties of what produces what.
Does anyone find paynes grey sucks life out of colours?
My relatively recent use of it is leaving me feeling discouraged about using it, and feeling I will probably use other colours for neutrals and mixes. Or am I just not yet using it to the best of it's ability? It's been around a while and is used, I know, so am I judging it too quickly, or have I just not found it's voice yet?
Any thoughts would be great, folks, thank you.
Posted
I use Payne Grey as one of my main colours, I use it so much it’s difficult to explain what I use it for . I don’t use it to darken colours though it blend well with quite a few , I use it quite a lot with yellow as it gives a decent green for deep woodlands etc. Its a colour you need to use a lot to get used to its many different shades mixed with water , really thin watery river to a almost black ships funnel that has the weathered look. Don’t give in experiment with it and I’m sure it will become a useful colour, having said that I’m often told by several people on this site to get ride of it , it’s definitely a Marmite thing .
Posted
I am a bit of a Paynes Grey addict. I use it in watercolour and acrylic instead of black, which I believe was its original purpose. As Paul has said, mixed with yellow you can make some nice muted greens, and mixed with Phthalo Green it makes a terrific colour for deep shade in foliage. Watered down in both mediums it’s great for translucent shadows. Members of my art group are evenly split on its use, so best to play with it and see what works for you.
Posted
For what it's worth - and that's not an awful lot! - I'm not a bit fond of Payne's Grey in watercolour or acrylic; but every now and then, and that rarely, it comes into its own with oil - eg, it's good for painting blackthorn - of which there's a huge showing this year, the blossom is everywhere, and against the flowers, the twigs do look very dark, if not black. I also use a form of the Zorn palette for my few portraits, so black still lurks in my paintbox. But really, I agree with Sylvia - even though Rowland Hilder used Payne's, and also Neutral Tint (which he said he couldn't do without).
I have to take issue with Ian though! I can well do without Burnt Umber - it tends to "sink" in oil, though that's partly dependent on the brand (Michael Harding's is the best I've found), and in watercolour it needs careful handling; in acrylic - it's really pretty vile. Burnt Sienna, though - it's one of my essential colours: it works so well with Ultramarine that you can paint a whole picture with just the two colours - plus white if it's oil - and is a lovely transparent earth orange - when it's well made. It's great for glazing, makes wonderful blacks and greys, with Viridian it makes good coniferous greens, and the colour of yew and holm oak. It's not a colour I'd use on its own in watercolour, other than for red roofs, rust, plant pots.
There are alternative red/browns - Mars Orange, Venetian Red, Indian Red, Light Red, Red Iron Oxide: but they don't have the transparency of Burnt Sienna. Paul Dean is a rust fiend - I bet he uses it sometimes. Give it another chance, Ian! And to see how to use Burnt Umber in watercolour, have a look at Alan Owen's videos on YouTube: he doesn't use it all the time, or even often, but he can make it work in ways that I find fascinating - and freely admit I can't get the effects he achieves. He doesn't use it full strength, be it said, but with plenty of water.
Posted
Definitely a Marmite thing. Personally I do like it. In watercolour you can get some really nice greens when mixed with lemon yellow. I prefer Sennelier's Payne's Grey which is bluer than W&N's. I also like the Cotman watercolour as the pigments tend to separate in the pallette and you can use this to your advantage.
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