I confess I kind of buck the trend and actually collect handmade blacks. I have several wonderful palettes of blacks that I've gotten from Etsy and Case for Making. I don't find black watercolor paint to be dead-looking--quite the opposite. Some granulate, some flow in whacky ways, some are mysteriously velvety in texture. I love to paint monochrome watercolor pictures using a variety of blacks--dramatic!
I usually have Lunar Black and Perylene Green on most of my palettes as my darks. Lunar Black's granulation is just fun, especially when you want texture in things like bricks and rocks... And Perylene Green is such a useful mixing colour. I want to use it in all the things. lol
I actually built my palette around the paints used in McCracken black because it’s my favorite black, (I’m an illustrator, so monochromatic work is my bread and butter.) All the pigments McCracken black uses are useful as individual colors, and using them gives my work more harmony. The three main paints Daniel Smith uses to mix this black are 3 parts prussian blue (PB27), 1 part permanent alizarin crimson (a 3 pigment mix) and 1 part carbazole violet (PV23). After mixing these, you add small amounts of nickel azo yellow (PY150) and PR101 until it’s completely neutralized. I chose venetian red for my PR101 because it’s the perfect neutralizing complement to prussian blue. I also decided against using Daniel Smith’s permanent alizarin crimson, opting to use DaVinci’s single pigment version (PV19) instead. To this, I added 3 more colors: viridian (PG18), ultramarine blue (PB29) and benzimida orange deep (PO36). Each of the 8 paints on my color palette have their perfect or near-perfect complement, mixing to black. Something interesting about my palette I didn’t realize when I created it is that the 3 extra colors I added (the ones that are not ingredients in McCracken black) actually combine to create something almost identical to Daniel Smith’s shadow violet! 😅 So, my palette is: 1.) Alizarin Crimson Quin. (DaVinci) 2.) Venetian Red (W&N) 3.) Benzimida Orange Deep (DV) 4.) Nickel Azo Yellow (DV) 5.) Viridian (DV) 6.) Prussian Blue (Daniel Smith) 7.) Ultramarine Blue (DS) 8.) Carbazole Violet (DS) 9.) McCracken Black (DS) 10.) Permanent White Gouache (W&N)
I have a Schmincke Lamp Black in palette, it's nice when I want to paint something pure black but also because it's neutral it's quite easy to tint if I wanted the color to be a bit warmer or cooler. And it's pretty great if I want to just make some color darker in general- I definitely wouldn't need a second black on my palette (especially since I do also have the Payne's Grey Blueish from Schmincke), but not gonna lie, the Red/Green Jane Black was really pretty 👀🖤
i like PBk11 from Roman Szmal or Schmincke for black and neutral tint from M Graham or Da Vinci. Thanks for sharing these. I got the new blue and yellow from Daniel Smith but opted not to get the new "Jane's" Black tubes. Maybe will try in the future.
Yep, I use blacks if I want the effect from the specific pigment, like the fuzzy way lamp black flows, or the granulation of mars black, and I occasionally use ivory black for mixing. Apart from rather small details, I do not tend to paint in black when I use watercolor, I think it looks kind of weird. If I want to paint something black I usually mix a black, or better said a very dark grey out of the other colors that I am already using in the piece. A black pigment that I will use like a color is Perylene Green, but I guess this doesn't count, I mean it's a black but then again it's really not.
It was interesting to see all the colors swatched out that comprise each black color. I like the Red/Green one, because, ironically, it feels the bluest of them all. I was not aware that neutral tint was made by mixing complementaries...thanks for this video!
I've been using PBk7 and PBk11 sometimes but I prefer to mix my own darks on my palette. Maybe I would give Neutral Tint from QOR a try. It's a neutral that is made from an earth yellow, phthalo blue and magenta. I'd love to experiment with it for a while.
I actually use phthalo blue and trans pyrrol orange to mix my rich blacks most the time, or phthalo green and deep scarlet depending on which palette I might bebusing. I must try the phthalo green and quin violet verdion too.
I’m experimenting with PBk11 at the moment. It’s the only black I am interested in. Other than that, I just mix a black from the paints that I have on my palette.
MC Cracken is a beautiful really black Paint. Really neutral too. It granulates nicely and you can use it really black But alsof as a soft grey. I like it a lot. Transparent and a good mixer
I don’t use black by itself much, but I do like mixing Lunar Black or Bloodstone (both Daniel Smith) with other colors to add dark granulation textures to them. I guess I do also enjoy using Perylene Green, which is a black pigment even though it appears green, but I don’t think of it as a black when I’m choosing colors.
You should check out Laurin McCracken's work--he makes a unique, rich, matte, velvety black background by using a mix with many pigments he applies over an underpainting to get an oil paint type of background. Here's a video of him making it himself, but he states that he hopes DS makes a version so he doesn't have to spend so much time mixing it himself: ruclips.net/video/Ztc6Xjmsccc/видео.html --so I guess he got his wish. It's a lot like the rich blacks they mix in the printing world to get a more intense black. Wonder what happened for the first printing of the new Jane's black colors tubes, maybe the licensing contracts hit a snag? And FYI, M Graham has raised their prices so are comparable to DS (in the US at least) I've seen sharp increases for Sennelier, too, which was always an affordable watercolor in the US. The increase in shipping has really hit art supplies internationally.
Great comparison. What do you think of Schminke’s Random Gray 2022? I’m in love with it, it separates into an amazing number of colors. I don’t know if it’s still available. It is so moody. Thanks for this.
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I confess I kind of buck the trend and actually collect handmade blacks. I have several wonderful palettes of blacks that I've gotten from Etsy and Case for Making. I don't find black watercolor paint to be dead-looking--quite the opposite. Some granulate, some flow in whacky ways, some are mysteriously velvety in texture. I love to paint monochrome watercolor pictures using a variety of blacks--dramatic!
I mixed Quinacridone Violet PV19 with Phthalo Green PG7 a while back for a painting. It is a glorious black. I think it almost glows.
I need to try this.
I usually have Lunar Black and Perylene Green on most of my palettes as my darks. Lunar Black's granulation is just fun, especially when you want texture in things like bricks and rocks... And Perylene Green is such a useful mixing colour. I want to use it in all the things. lol
I actually built my palette around the paints used in McCracken black because it’s my favorite black, (I’m an illustrator, so monochromatic work is my bread and butter.) All the pigments McCracken black uses are useful as individual colors, and using them gives my work more harmony. The three main paints Daniel Smith uses to mix this black are 3 parts prussian blue (PB27), 1 part permanent alizarin crimson (a 3 pigment mix) and 1 part carbazole violet (PV23). After mixing these, you add small amounts of nickel azo yellow (PY150) and PR101 until it’s completely neutralized. I chose venetian red for my PR101 because it’s the perfect neutralizing complement to prussian blue.
I also decided against using Daniel Smith’s permanent alizarin crimson, opting to use DaVinci’s single pigment version (PV19) instead.
To this, I added 3 more colors: viridian (PG18), ultramarine blue (PB29) and benzimida orange deep (PO36). Each of the 8 paints on my color palette have their perfect or near-perfect complement, mixing to black.
Something interesting about my palette I didn’t realize when I created it is that the 3 extra colors I added (the ones that are not ingredients in McCracken black) actually combine to create something almost identical to Daniel Smith’s shadow violet! 😅
So, my palette is:
1.) Alizarin Crimson Quin. (DaVinci)
2.) Venetian Red (W&N)
3.) Benzimida Orange Deep (DV)
4.) Nickel Azo Yellow (DV)
5.) Viridian (DV)
6.) Prussian Blue (Daniel Smith)
7.) Ultramarine Blue (DS)
8.) Carbazole Violet (DS)
9.) McCracken Black (DS)
10.) Permanent White Gouache (W&N)
I love M Graham's Neutral Tint and Mars Black. Thanks for sharing this video. Super interesting.
I have a Schmincke Lamp Black in palette, it's nice when I want to paint something pure black but also because it's neutral it's quite easy to tint if I wanted the color to be a bit warmer or cooler. And it's pretty great if I want to just make some color darker in general- I definitely wouldn't need a second black on my palette (especially since I do also have the Payne's Grey Blueish from Schmincke), but not gonna lie, the Red/Green Jane Black was really pretty 👀🖤
i like PBk11 from Roman Szmal or Schmincke for black and neutral tint from M Graham or Da Vinci. Thanks for sharing these. I got the new blue and yellow from Daniel Smith but opted not to get the new "Jane's" Black tubes. Maybe will try in the future.
I was gifted Daniel Smith Lunar Black and loooove how it granulates and use it for that property but otherwise rarely use black.
Yep, I use blacks if I want the effect from the specific pigment, like the fuzzy way lamp black flows, or the granulation of mars black, and I occasionally use ivory black for mixing. Apart from rather small details, I do not tend to paint in black when I use watercolor, I think it looks kind of weird. If I want to paint something black I usually mix a black, or better said a very dark grey out of the other colors that I am already using in the piece. A black pigment that I will use like a color is Perylene Green, but I guess this doesn't count, I mean it's a black but then again it's really not.
It was interesting to see all the colors swatched out that comprise each black color. I like the Red/Green one, because, ironically, it feels the bluest of them all. I was not aware that neutral tint was made by mixing complementaries...thanks for this video!
Thank you! :)
Some color mixes will give surprising results, like phthalo green (blue shade) and dioxazine purple, which can mix into a dark blue! :)
I've been using PBk7 and PBk11 sometimes but I prefer to mix my own darks on my palette. Maybe I would give Neutral Tint from QOR a try. It's a neutral that is made from an earth yellow, phthalo blue and magenta. I'd love to experiment with it for a while.
I actually use phthalo blue and trans pyrrol orange to mix my rich blacks most the time, or phthalo green and deep scarlet depending on which palette I might bebusing. I must try the phthalo green and quin violet verdion too.
I like the Jane black best.
I’m experimenting with PBk11 at the moment. It’s the only black I am interested in. Other than that, I just mix a black from the paints that I have on my palette.
Some of my favorite blacks are from handmade sellers, buuuut I do have a few from name brands and out of them I like Daniel Smith lunar black
MC Cracken is a beautiful really black Paint. Really neutral too. It granulates nicely and you can use it really black But alsof as a soft grey. I like it a lot. Transparent and a good mixer
Ultmarine blue and brunt umber is my go to black. I want to try M Graham neutral tint, I'm an sucker for dark purples
Thanks for showing these!
I don’t use black by itself much, but I do like mixing Lunar Black or Bloodstone (both Daniel Smith) with other colors to add dark granulation textures to them. I guess I do also enjoy using Perylene Green, which is a black pigment even though it appears green, but I don’t think of it as a black when I’m choosing colors.
That Bloodstone is quite something, isn't it? I love its smokiness.
I try to use payne's grey as much as i can before i will use black with watercolors, maybe a really really dark blue would work too
Personally I love the darkest black that I can get whether from a black pigment or a mix.
You should check out Laurin McCracken's work--he makes a unique, rich, matte, velvety black background by using a mix with many pigments he applies over an underpainting to get an oil paint type of background. Here's a video of him making it himself, but he states that he hopes DS makes a version so he doesn't have to spend so much time mixing it himself: ruclips.net/video/Ztc6Xjmsccc/видео.html --so I guess he got his wish. It's a lot like the rich blacks they mix in the printing world to get a more intense black.
Wonder what happened for the first printing of the new Jane's black colors tubes, maybe the licensing contracts hit a snag? And FYI, M Graham has raised their prices so are comparable to DS (in the US at least) I've seen sharp increases for Sennelier, too, which was always an affordable watercolor in the US. The increase in shipping has really hit art supplies internationally.
Great comparison. What do you think of Schminke’s Random Gray 2022? I’m in love with it, it separates into an amazing number of colors. I don’t know if it’s still available. It is so moody. Thanks for this.
🫤 I thought Jane’s Grey was made of ultramarine blue and burnt umber.
It is! These are "Jane Black" :)
@@EveBolt 😅 my reading comprehension is rapidly declining. I will now delete my RUclips account.
@@hippopotamusbosch 🤣😂
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