Black Pigments

[Logan]

In the past year or so I've started to value black as "the queen of all colors" on my palette. I'd like to get some insight into what the differences between the various black pigments are and which one you'd recommend when using it with a full palette.

[markg]

In the past year or so I've started to value black as "the queen of all colors" on my palette. I'd like to get some insight into what the differences between the various black pigments are and which one you'd recommend when using it with a full palette.

Hmmm, Logan. Where'd you get that phrase about black being the "Queen?" In the card game Hearts, there are two black queens (spades and clubs); the queen of spades is either a killer or a winner, depending on how she's played. She has more nicknames, which I won't go into here ...
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All of these comments apply to oil paints and acrylic dispersion paints:

There are many black pigments: PBk6 (lamp black), PBk7, (carbon black), PBk 8, (charcoal, or vine black), PBk 9 (ivory, or bone black), and PBk 11 (Mars black, or black iron oxide). 6 and 7 are "nearly pure amorphous carbon"; 8 is "nearly pure amorphous carbon of vegetable origin"; 9 is "nearly pure amorphous carbon made by charring animal bones"; and, 11 is a synthetic black iron oxide made in a laboratory -- the exact origin of the name "Mars" is unknown, but there are speculations about it.

You basically have two choices: a warm black (brownish), and a cool black (bluish). The only way to tell which is which is to mix a little white with the black.

"Warm" and "cool" are sometimes a matter of interpretation: "This 'feels' cool"; sometimes a matter of juxtaposition: "This black 'looks' cool because it's surrounded by yellows, reds, oranges, and orther variations on warm colors"; and sometimes a matter of observation and opinion: "This is a cool black because I know the difference between warm and cool."

Since all the blacks are inorganic carbon -- a seeming oxymoron because carbon is the basic organic molecule; but these carbons are roasted to drive off most of the organic matter (hence the phrase "nearly pure"), so which variety is used by which manufacturer is the determining factor in your choice.
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This comment applies to acrylic dispersion paints: PBk10, graphite gray, is crystallized carbon. But it's hardly black.

There are other variations on black and gray in oils, acrylic dispersions, and other paints, too. There are also mixed pigment grays ("Davy's gray"). If a manufacturer was so inclined, the variations would be nearly endless.
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Since so few artists know how to put their color theory into practice, your job as an artist is to buy all the blacks made by all the manufacturers you favor and mix a little bit of white with each. Make a chart. Try a few juxtapositions with various other hues. You will thereby learn which black, by which manufacturer, you want to use in which of your paintings.

I'll bet you thought you were asking a simple question ...

[ghammers]

Dear Logan without going into too much technical detail I understand your perception of black, and think you would probably like this recipie.
Chromatic blacks are general purpose darkeners unlike the commercially availalbe blacks. You can control the chromatics far more predictabley.
So one chromatic black and there are many is
equal portions of Prussian Blue, Burnt Sienna, and Alizarin Crimsom. Ballance this base to suit your requirements IE warm cool blue yello a bit more red etc.
This is a general purpose tonal gem you can mix the most compelling greys with it and you can use it with a touch of the compliment to darken colours predictably.

Take care Ghammers

[AMIEN]

Dear Logan without going into too much technical detail I understand your perception of black, and think you would probably like this recipie.
Chromatic blacks are general purpose darkeners unlike the commercially availalbe blacks. You can control the chromatics far more predictabley.
So one chromatic black and there are many is
equal portions of Prussian Blue, Burnt Sienna, and Alizarin Crimsom. Ballance this base to suit your requirements IE warm cool blue yello a bit more red etc.
This is a general purpose tonal gem you can mix the most compelling greys with it and you can use it with a touch of the compliment to darken colours predictably.

Take care Ghammers

ghammers,

OK, you are not going to like this.

We are through with trying to point out your grammatical errors (spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, paragraphing, and so on).

We are also through with telling you that AMIEN is not the place to tell artists "how to" do things or what "the best" thing is to do, since we have already pointed that out.

Please stop. We happen to know for certain that "Logan" knows what he is doing.

[starving artist]

I have started experimenting with Mars black as an alternative to Ivory black in creating grey colors for an underpainting. In theory Mars black is opaque and has a strong tinting capability. Very little of this rather oil rich polymer is needed to make a lean underpainting when mixed with a lean white paint like Flake white. My problem is that the tube of Mars black that I purchased seems to have more oil in it then a quart of Quaker State 10W 40. Is this the state of the art in the industry or did I just purchase the wrong manufacturer's version of Mars black?

If I use this tube of paint should I dispense the paint directly on a rag or paper towel to soak up the oil slick? (Does BP know about this?)

[AMIEN]

I have started experimenting with Mars black as an alternative to Ivory black in creating grey colors for an underpainting. In theory Mars black is opaque and has a strong tinting capability. Very little of this rather oil rich polymer is needed to make a lean underpainting when mixed with a lean white paint like Flake white. My problem is that the tube of Mars black that I purchased seems to have more oil in it then a quart of Quaker State 10W 40. Is this the state of the art in the industry or did I just purchase the wrong manufacturer's version of Mars black?

If I use this tube of paint should I dispense the paint directly on a rag or paper towel to soak up the oil slick? (Does BP know about this?)

starving artist,

This sounds to us like a badly made tube of paint. A well-made paint will rarely do this -- or will only allow a little oil to dribble out from under the cap on initial opening.

Some writers will recommend as you suggest and suck up the extra oil on a paper towel or rag, or squeeze out the whole tube and re-grind it with a palette knife.

We, on the other hand, think you should return the paint to the store. Get another tube for free, and open it at the counter to make sure it's not a BP gusher.

[llawrence]

Hmmm, Logan. Where'd you get that phrase about black being the "Queen?"

I happened on the answer to this and remembered reading this thread. He's apparently referencing a quote by Renoir:

I've been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colors was black.

http://www.quotes.net/authors/Auguste%20Renoir

[AMIEN]

I happened on the answer to this and remembered reading this thread. He's apparently referencing a quote by Renoir:

http://www.quotes.net/authors/Auguste%20Renoir

llawrence,

See also: Manet's paintings. He sure knew how to use black!