Deep black

[Alexandra Tyng]

To get the depth you are looking for in blacks (or in any color), try looking beyond the formulas and ask yourself what is going on in terms of light and shadow. The light and shadow should be consistent throughout the painting. As forms "turn" into the shadow they pick up refracted light in the atmosphere that is slightly redder than the direct light.

What's all this have to do with black? First, identify the color of the light, because all other colors are generated from the light. Then, choose a cadmium color sightly redder than the light, and mix it with its compliment. For instance, you could mix cadmium orange with ultramarine blue or thalo blue. You could mix cadmium yellow deep with dioxazine purple or French ultramarine blue. If the light is very orangey you could mix cad red or ever alizarin with thalo green.The complementary colors should be strong, saturated colors. You may have to adjust the balance of the complementary colors to achieve a neutral. Then mix this mixture in with your black. I use ivory black, by the way. Your black will be shadowy and "deep." If you are consistent about treating all the shadows in the painting the same way, your painting will hold together. The actual darkness of the black will not matter because it will appear deep in that context.

I know this might seem a bit complicated. Hope it makes some sense.