Should we mix our own black and dark paints?
Should we use the black colour out of a tube or should we mix our own black colour? I think there is no right and no wrong.
When I am working on my paintings I usually mix my beautiful black colours and darks using pure pigments instead of using the pre-mixed black out of a tube. Especially in flower paintings I think that a colourful dark background works best. This helps me to create atmosphere. When we mix dark colours by ourselves we are then able to use complementary colours to support our focal point in our paintings.
Especially if you are a beginner then it will be more helpful when you learn to know the colours on your palette and what the colors can do for you. Start to mix them and see which colour mixes you like the most – make notes for future reference.
It is very easy to mix a rich and deep and colourful black using two or three colours from your palette.
Of course there is nothing wrong with using black out of the tube. I only suggest, that you should know about your possibilities and that you should know the difference between your own mixed black or the black out of the tube.
I usually mix my own black colour with Alizarin Crimson, Phthalo Green and/or Phthalo blue. Mixing your own black also allows you to mix a warm or a cool black by adding more of the Alizarin or more of the Phthalo Green or Phthalo Blue.
If the black of a tube is overused your darks will become dull and muddy. If you mix it by your own you will see the colors dancing before your eyes
Use complementary colours when you mix black and dark paints:
Imagine you paint a red rose. You know the complementary colours of red is green. To support the red rose and to make it stand out I would need to work with some green and this combination red and green works best. But I want to have a dark background so what to do, how to mix dark colours using the complementary colours?
For the background I would create a mix of Phthalo Green and Anthraquinoid Red and maybe a touch of my blue to create a non-glowing black colour mix. Phthalo Green and Anthraquinoid Red creates a black together. If you then favor the colour green in this mix you would create a green dark mix which supports your main subject, which is red.
If your main subject would maybe an orange rose then I would use the same colours mentioned above (Red, Green and Blue) and favor then the Blue. Doing it this way I would create a blue dark mix which supports my orange main subject. Just have in mind that blue is the complementary colour of orange.
It is in your