How To Use Black Watercolor Paint & Make Dark Mixes

[@annsowers4591]

I love your Beatles as well as your use of black and white.

[@MDCampbell]

I really appreciate that, Ann Sowers! Thank you!

[@mindofwatercolor]

Nicely done Mark! And a subject I rarely see addressed. So right that the usual line is just avoid black in watercolor, but discussing how to use it is much more... useful! Love those Lunar Black mixes too. Neat idea!

[@MDCampbell]

To be honest, Steve, I was dreading doing a black paint video only because I use it so rarely. I lean toward the Payne's Gray, Neutral Tint, and my own mixes when I need to go _that_ dark. I also favor M. Graham's Sepia, though it makes me drool when I use it. lol! Thank you for the feedback, Steve, and your time checking this one out. Always grateful, my friend! :)

[@lucafelipe2347]

sorry to be offtopic but does anybody know a tool to log back into an Instagram account?? I was stupid forgot my password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.

[@aronnathan6767]

@Luca Felipe Instablaster ;)

[@lucafelipe2347]

@Aron Nathan I really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now. I see it takes a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@lucafelipe2347]

@Aron Nathan it did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy:D Thanks so much, you saved my ass!

[@KimberlyCrick]

I love how Lunar Black mixes with colors, the texture is just amazing. I get sad every time someone tells me not to use black in watercolor painting, so limiting, and it can be truly a great mixer. Thanks for letting people know it is OK if you want to try black!

[@mn8304]

Helpful, thank you! Interesting quote: “I've been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colors was black.” ― Pierre-Auguste Renoir

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you! I really like that quote! Thanks for sharing it! ~ mark

[@jojojo8835]

When I first watched Dave usher mix mars black and ochre or cad yellow i fell in love with that green

[@gordonsneddon5914]

Really interesting. I never use black normally, but lunar black looks really effective in mixtures…thanks for sharing 😊

[@windywednesday4166]

Oh my, I was watching a video by Diane Antone, she responded to somebody in the comments about mixing black and yellows to get really interesting greens... I played around with my little Doodle Hog set and it works amazingly well! (The purple and yellows not so much) 😂 fun stuff. I can't wait to try this out with my good watercolors!

[@lauradains2734]

I enjoyed the white water color paint video, however, this one captivated me more - perhaps I'm a "dark" individual. I love monochrome and shadows and struggle with them a lot. I never once considered mixing black with another color because I thought the black would basically cancel out the other color. I forgot that the granulation that comes with black paints and many other colors (particularly a lot of those made by Daniel Smith). Thank you for that section of the video. I was also really taken by the black over the bright sun colors. I don't know if you were born with the teaching gene or if you cultivated it, but, whichever is the case, I'm really glad I discovered your videos.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much for your generous comments, Laura Dains! I really appreciate your time watching, but most of all your feedback. Cheers!

[@LunaBianca1805]

I never thought about NOT using black, because here in Germany colour theory and art in general is taught by using "Deckfarben" aka opaque watercolours and those - by norm - always include black. And a tube of opaque white ^^'. BTW, I like the idea of creating new blacks, is probably similar to the boku - undo sumi paints I treated myself to and I love that palette :)

[@jefffawver888]

Thank you awesome video,very informative.

[@JorjaZanetta]

Amazing!!!!!

[@MDCampbell]

Wow, thank you, Jorja Zanetta!

[@vwood2]

Thank you so much! I found this, along your white watercolour video, very helpful and inspiring. 👍👏🏼

[@MDCampbell]

I'm really happy you enjoyed this, Vicki Wood! Thank you for sharing your feedback with me. I really appreciate that! ~ Mark

[@allanfink7816]

In the old days before digital vector drawing programs were invented, black watercolor and/or gouache was used for graphic art, like posters, logos, and typography based design (designs made by modifying letterforms). The design would be drawn on layout paper in pencil, then transferred to illustration board. The design would be meticulously outlined in India ink with a technical pen using drafting tools, then the solid black areas would be painted in with black gouache or watercolor. Using the tech pen for the outline ensured straight clean edges, and would allow for much faster brushwork. Similar methods were used for drawing comics and graphic novels when large black areas were needed.

[@MDCampbell]

Ah, the old days! I was a gouache and ink airbrush illustrator for many years, from the 80s up into the late 90s, until I finally broke down and went digital. I resisted, but in the end it just made sense. Most of my illustration work, especially with black, was done with ink. Gouache was great because even in mist form, it could still layer over ink to get some excellent results. For type, I admit that markers were the best for me. Rapidograph pens, Letroset markers, and Charpak were all great, long before Copic took over the market. I do miss those days and my Paasche Turbo, Iwatas, and even my cruddy Badgers. They are long gone, but not forgotten! lol! Cheers!

[@allanfink7816]

@@MDCampbell Our distant paths are similar. I didn't have a turbo airbrush, I did everything with a Pacshe double action, then Iwatas came out and it quickly stole my heart - I used to refer to it as my first wife. I didn't "go digital", at least not like you did. I got a software testing job at Aldus, and worked on the development of the first three versions of Aldus FreeHand, one of Illustrator's biggest competitors at the time, and PageMaker, a precursor to InDesign (Adobe eventually bought Aldus and "ash canned" all of the Aldus products) I found I had a knack for finding bugs in drawing programs and my graphics background was useful for evaluating software feature designs. I tested software for about 30 years, usually working on creative tools for artists. It was way more fun and lucrative (for me anyway) than graphics ever was. So now I draw and paint "for fun". After finding bugs in drawing programs, I promised myself I would not try to build a business that relied on the the software working reliably. So, going digital means something different to me. Now everything it seems relies on software, so, (that sound you hear is me, wincing). And most of printing "went away" when the internet took over, so i spose you can blame me at some level for changing graphics forever. Hah.

[@MDCampbell]

@@allanfink7816 Very cool! I was fluent with many Aldus and Macromedia products. Freehand and Fireworks, along with PageMaker and Persuasion were standards in my world for years, until QuarkXPress and Adobe took over and dominated the markets. I can see how you hold a different perspective of digital art. For me, it's all been a very smooth timeline to apps like ProCreate and the current Adobe CC suite. I'm happy to know you had a hand in making these products what they are nowadays. Pretty amazing! :)

[@xena91388]

This and the White video are awesome! I'm just starting to watercolor and when I was looking at reviews for a good pallet, I kept coming across videos where people would be upset a pallet includes "useless" white or black colors. This didn't make sense to me because there's literally no such thing as a useless color.

[@MDCampbell]

Thanks so much for checking these videos out, xena91388. I feel the same way and continue to come across folks who claim that there's no place in a palette for white or black. I just feel like maybe they're missing out a bit. :)

[@kathyn3978]

Guess I may have to go and play on the “dark side” now. Thanks for some fresh ideas using the tubes in the bottom of the drawer, Mark

[@sketchingjohn1852]

Mark, I enjoyed this video a lot, especially painting over the white watercolor to get those beautiful black and white mountains. Great work.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, John. Honestly, that bit was rushed and I wish I had taken more time with it. I appreciate your positive support, always. Thank you for that. Hoping all is well! :)

[@LanaGoesArt]

This is a great explanation why black isn't always bad. :) The tinted colors in the end are awesome.

[@Vgladstone1]

I took my Paynes grey and neutral tint out of my palette, I put Ivory Black in their place. Payes and neutral are multi pigment paints. I lI wanted a single pigment instead. So black and I alter it as needed.

[@yasao_art]

I also love to use black watercolor paint for colorsplash/colorkey paintings :) A monochromatic painting in black and white makes a specific colored element in it stand out even more.

[@MDCampbell]

That's a great use for black, Yasao Kenshi, which I'll have to try, myself! Thank you for sharing that. I love learning new ways of approaching things that seem limited or simple... just makes everything more fun! Cheers! :)

[@ArtBrain]

Wonderful tutorial. Also, I loved your Beatles art. I'm going to try mixing brighter colors with Lunar Black and possibly Lunar Blue as well.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, Teresa Atkinson! Good luck with the brighter colors! Have fun mixing! ;)

[@AmandaMG6]

I love fellow pigment nerds ❤❤❤

[@MDCampbell]

Pigment Nerds Unite and Take Over!

[@sigmanails]

Wonderful tutorial thank you

[@restlessmnl599]

Hi Mark. I've been watching a lot of your videos in quarantine. Thank you so much. I love your very open attitude towards art and materials. I learn so much from you.

[@MDCampbell]

Wow, Restless MNL. Thank you so much for your kind words. It really means more than you know. I'm thrilled you are liking the work I do here and I really do try to keep an open mind about the creative journey. I appreciate your time watching and leaving your feedback. Cheers! ~ Mark

[@restlessmnl599]

@@MDCampbell you're welcome Mark. I hope you decide to write a book. I'll probably buy ten copies (I'll keep one) and give them to my friends both art professionals and those exploring art. You are awesome!

[@yelsyels]

I am now going to experiment with black and add different colours to it! Thank you!

[@clairesmith1964]

Thank God for you Mark..it's always confused me as to why people you shouldn't use black in water colour. And even white. I'm fairly new to water colour but getting more confident. I think black can make all the difference sometimes to a painting. I use it to highlight certain things and outline as well. Makes it really pop. Love your channel keep up the good work. You've given me so much more confidence. Thank you x

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much for the kind words of encouragement, Claire Smith! I appreciate that more than you know. And yes, to your point, there is so much to love about black and white paints, beyond the obvious. I just think sometimes people are afraid to give things a chance and judge them based on what they've been taught or what they've heard. I'm glad to know you're enjoying my work here, and that watercolors are becoming part of your creative journey! That's awesome! ~ Mark

[@aremedyproject9569]

Another wonderful video. Playing with pigments and the joy of discovery is what it’s all about. The gateway to that joy is putting aside our conditioned prejudices and allowing ourselves the time to explore. The results always teach us something. Watercolours, can be like a meditative practice. Cheers!

[@sarahconroy3634]

I have been following you for at least two years and have learned so much from you. I am a senior citizen who finally has time to learn to paint. Your videos are so well-planned and it is obvious you have been teaching for years. I felt, after watching your video on the use of black paint, that it was time I paid my respects to you for many happy hours learning to paint. A sincere "thank you" for your well-planned and interesting videos. I am, as a former teacher of nursing, impressed about the amount of information you can get into a VERY short video. Mary from Toronto, Canada.

[@MDCampbell]

@@sarahconroy3634 Thank you Sarah Conroy/Mary, both for watching these videos and your kind feedback. This video was originally 36-minutes long and I had a LOT more information to include. If you watch, there's a painting of clouds at about 7:26 which was much longer and talking about laying light washes of color over a black underpainting. But, I felt it was redundant and not necessary. There was also a bit on using blacks for portraits, where I did a portrait of Albert Einstein. But again, it dragged on too long and it seemed a little gratuitous for the overall video. Just my opinion. lol! Thank you for your time teaching nurses. After going through brain surgery a few years ago, I learned just how demanding the work of a nurse can be, and it all begins with their training. So yes, thank you for that! My father has been teaching Anatomy & Physiology course for 40+ years, specifically for nursing programs. I think it's amazing! Anyhow, sorry for the long reply. And truth be told, Toronto is my second home. Love love love it there! Cheers! :)

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, A Remedy Project, for not only taking the time to watch, but for your thoughtful comments, as well. I sound like a darned fool when I tell people I meet how they could benefit from the meditative value in creating art. I typically get the "yeah, that's cool" response, with a slight eye rolling. lol!! But I totally agree and live by the word of immersing into art purely for the sake of peaceful, creative meditation. Cheers right back to you!! :)

[@TheCrescentLune]

@@sarahconroy3634 That's so cool! I'm glad you decided to learn to paint! I agree Mark's a great teacher & has great content, I've learned a lot from his videos too.

[@aremedyproject9569]

M.D. Campbell My cancer diagnosis, strangely enough, re-awoke my creative side. Funny how that happened. And on the subject of nurses, yes, they are the the vessel through whom much healing flows. The chemo nurses, don’t know from where they sprung, but heaven itself surely. So many wonders amongst the fears. 🤗

[@C0raBr0wn]

Thanks for this video. Loved the ~black~ coffee break!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, C0raBr0wn! I love the coffee break, too! LOL!! :)

[@ArtsiRosi]

What a GREAT video! Very nice suggestions that can be applied to other medium as well.

[@ThingOfSome]

Depending on the brand, ivory black is still made from charred animal bones, PBk9. For example, the example you show, M. Graham, uses PBk9.

[@TheCrescentLune]

Oh, wow. So it's not cruelty-free?

[@TheCrescentLune]

That's the issue I have with non-synthetic brushes, too. (Not hating on the ppl that use them though 🙂)

[@talimediaart]

Thanks! I can feel assured to use white and black watercolor paint in my future illustrations.

[@MDCampbell]

That's awesome, Nephtalie Albert! Thank you for checking this one out! :)

[@talimediaart]

@@MDCampbell You're Welcome!

[@MDCampbell]

Also, I hope you don't mind that I shared your comment in the video. It was one of the reasons I made this one! lol! I appreciate your feedback so much! Cheers and have a great week! :)

[@talimediaart]

@@MDCampbell I don't mind. Thanks!

[@andrealaud5813]

Great video. Really interesting and I will definitely try some of these ideas. Thank you.

[@MeowMeowKapow]

Welcome back! I don't use black or white super often, but I actually really like the way that black looks mixed with other colors. The sort of smokey quality that you can get from adding it to certain colors looks suuuuuuper appealing to me in my backgrounds and whatnot. This is something I explored a lot after inktober two years ago when I started mixing black ink in with some of my color washes, and it's really just super neat!

[@LunarVers]

Thank You so much for this helpful tips!

[@MDCampbell]

You're very welcome! Thank you, for the kind words! ~ Mark

[@LunarVers]

M.D. Campbell Sometimes I like to add black in blue and purple. I think it gives beautiful indigo colour 😌

[@MDCampbell]

@@LunarVers I agree and really enjoy that deep, rich color, as well! :)

[@dianeo]

Interesting. Thanks for the demo! Bonus points for Beatles drawing :D

[@MDCampbell]

I'm really happy you liked this one, Diane O! Thank you for watching and your kind words!

[@TheCrescentLune]

Yes that Beatles drawing was great!

[@essietangle9931]

Best part...glad you all took a vacation. Now I understand the Beatles painting. Thanks for the hints on how to use them.. Experience is always a good teacher..or should we say makes a teacher good? Happy Spring and all too soon summer. 👍🏻🐰✅🌸🙃🌺

[@MDCampbell]

Ha!! Yes, the vacation to Aruba was overdue and something a long time in the planning! Thank you for making note of that, Essie Tangle! Hope you're getting ready for Spring in your neck of the woods - I know we all are, for sure! Take care and thank you so much!!!

[@essietangle9931]

M.D. Campbell Friday night we had a hail/flood. The flood rushing down our street came up over the sidewalk. We prayed the hail would not break the skylights. Guess we will have to have the roof and the vent pipes covers checked. So I guess spring is officially here. I need a vacation. We were happy the cars were in the garage, I had just gotten mine back from a two day air bag replacement install. My husband really thinks I am crazy, I think it would be fun to have a gasoline powered travel van. Hotels are not my favorite. He is safe, they cost tooooo much. You and your family are safe too, no surprise at the front door. LOL on me. 😁 Take care

[@KateTheSleepyTeacher]

A black coffee break , hahaha. I am always amazed at your line work. You are so steady. I also really love your style. I never thought to keep little papers around for making quick paintings. So simple yet so smart. Hope that vacay was amazing. Where did you go ? Nuetral tint is a wonderful color but I am very partial to Daniel Smith.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much for the kind words, Kate! I actually get anxious when I run low on those little paper squares. I use them _all_ the time! As for vacation, we went to Aruba. omg. Could live there! Thank you for checking this one out! Hope you had a lovely Easter and a restful break! :)

[@jodihigginsjh]

Wow! I mostly haven't given black much thought, due to the never use black watercolor mantra... I do use neutral tint and add DS hematite sometimes to darken and add granulation to a color. Thank you for the information about the different blacks.

[@MDCampbell]

Anytime, Jodi Higgins! Thank you so much for watching! In hindsight, I wish I'd thought to cover the Primatek paints. Both the Hematite and the Tourmaline are totally worth exploring, too! Glad you enjoyed this one! Cheers! :)

[@jodihigginsjh]

@@MDCampbell Primatek colors are a great subject for a video all on their own. Both for the granulation, and also for the sparkly ones...

[@lyricalize2344]

The God bless at the end won me over. Subscribed

[@MDCampbell]

@@lyricalize2344 thank you so much! I have so much to be thankful for and your comment sincerely makes me remember that!! God bless to you and those you love!!

[@dianethoroughman9541]

Another informative video. Thank you for sharing. I am still a beginner so I haven't anything to share, but I do love your ideas of mixing black with other colors to create new colors.

[@MDCampbell]

Hi Diane Thoroughman! I'm grateful for your feedback and time spent watching. Being a beginner only means you have lots to explore and play with until it starts to make sense. I'm excited for your journey!

[@dianethoroughman9541]

@@MDCampbell Thank you so much for responding. You are very kind. I do hope to learn and grow. I know I need to practice a lot.

[@everartokelli]

Thanks for showing us some new ways to use black watercolors! Mars Black is made of the same pigment as Lunar Black PBk11, at least the Winsor & Newton version is, although probably not as granulating. I love mixing DS Lunar Black, especially with warm colors like nickel azo yellow, and green gold, I also like using it on it's own for value studies, it's like a watercolor version of charcoal, but not as messy.

[@MDCampbell]

Thanks for checking this out, everart okelli. I bet that Nickel Azo looks amazing!

[@lori88ish]

Very informative and helpful especially to a beginner like me Thanks for Sharing Hugs and Smiles

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Lori Thielen! I'm happy you found this helpful. Thank you for letting me know! :)

[@moonlightgator541]

Oh that Lunar Black has gorgeous granulation! I will not use it in portraits though.

[@MDCampbell]

It's definitely unpredictable and would be chancy to use for anything delicate, like a portrait. Who knows though, it might go well with Keith Richards. :)

[@glorioskiola]

I use lunar black in the way you showed here: mixed with other colors. Love the granulation! Otherwise, I don’t use black generally.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Glori from NJ, for watching and leaving your comment. I'm like you and don't generally use black, but when I am going through a set or just want something new to paint with, it's a great alternative and provides a fresh sense of play and exploration, different from ink or colored paints. Cheers!

[@rebeckyc1401]

Thanks Mark! You really share your knowledge and experiences in a straight forward way. Always wondered about neutral tint purpose and don’t use often. Best.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much, Rebecky C! I really appreciate your time watching and the kind feedback! Stay well! ~ Mark

[@liezelhaupt7172]

A very unique video. Never seen anyone else address this topic before. I learned so much, thanks!

[@MDCampbell]

To be honest, Liezel Haupt, neither have I. I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching and leaving your comment! :)

[@FayeWulf]

Loveeeee these tips for black !!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Faye Wulf!

[@gerryannbrown9645]

That was very informative for . Thanks for sharing!

[@MDCampbell]

Awesome! So glad you liked this one! Thank you, Gerry Brown! :)

[@Keyboardje]

What an eye opener! I'm just starting out, after about a year of learning about watercolor painting and supplies, but all that time I only came across people saying using pan/tube black was a no-no. I never immagined what you CAN do with blacks until now, so yes, I'm going to experiment with it. Those combined colours you showed are really gorgeous! Thank you so much!

[@stacymatejovic2164]

That was great! I never knew you could mix colors with black! Love those mix color pallets 😊

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much Stacy Matejovic! Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@ismailabdelhamid7114]

Mark, very happy to see this wonderful video as all of your videos. You are great.

[@MDCampbell]

Aw, right back to you ismail abdelhamid! I am always grateful for your time and generous feedback. Thank you! I hope all is well with you! :)

[@paulage1art]

Wow! This is my favorite video of yours for far! I haven't seen anyone anyone else address this rarely used color! Not having gone to art school, I love how you bring some art school education into your videos! Keep 'em comin! Paula in Florida

[@ifoundthisthing7954]

Your videos are always so interesting and useful. Thanks for taking the time Mark 👍

[@MDCampbell]

Well, I'm grateful for your time and consideration in leaving feedback. That means the world and helps more than I can say. Thank you so much, iFOUND thisTHING! Cheers!

[@sherrimakesstuff3112]

Another great video! I studied oil painting as an undergrad, and we were also taught not to use black - except ivory black. We would use that as our blue if building an "old master's" palette. I believe it was Caravaggio or Gentileschi I was studying at the time, knowing me, so my palette was ivory black, indian red, yellow ochre, and flake white. (With burnt and raw siennas and umbers thrown in for good measure). I remember my mind being blown at the range of tones that could be mixed from that palette. Good memories!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Sherri Makes Stuff. I love those old master's palettes. My personal favorite is Prussian Blue, Yellow Ochre, and Burnt Sienna - all muted primaries, which I adore! Stay well! :)

[@windywednesday4166]

I seem to be getting the best ideas from the comment sections. I'm going to go play with my paintbox now. Thanks to both of you for the tips. 💡

[@SharonNolfi]

I've never used black watercolor, other than my own mixes. I really like how you added black to basic colors for interesting mixes. The Beatles painting is very cool!

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Sharon! I'm happy you enjoyed this one! :)

[@julieo8017]

I have seen a black used that migrated to look like fur Do you know what shade of black And manufacturer? Great demo!!

[@quinnfitzpatrick7507]

Thanks for the inspiration! What size and model brush is that travel Da Vinci?

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Quinn Fitzpatrick! That travel brush is a Da Vinci Ussuri Sable 1523 #10 pocket brush. It goes for about $25-40 USD, but they can be difficult to find. They are wonderful brushes and I have a few different sizes. Cheers!

[@nancygauthier1190]

Very useful technics, I have to try it, especially the mixing palette and the deep effect. Thank you for sharing

[@MDCampbell]

You're welcome, Nancy Gauthier! Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts! :)

[@nancyloomis3046]

Wow. This is so helpful. I’ve saved this to refer to in my techniques folder. Thanks!

[@MDCampbell]

You're very welcome, Nancy Loomis! Thank you for watching and leaving your feedback! Stay well! :)

[@snowxprincess]

I recently got a tube of ivory black to have a play with as I do a bit of work with that carbon black Liquitex acrylic ink, but wanted to try with a watercolour that could be reactivated, so you've given me plenty of ideas to try :3 I immediately opened up a new tab to see if my national art supplier has lunar black and they have! *cough* adds to cart *cough*

[@MDCampbell]

Hi Gemma Clough! I love the carbon black paints. When I first got the Lunar Black, it was completely unexpected. I loved it right away and creating the colored pans in the video gives me a renewed reason to use it more, again. Thank you for watching and your feedback! :)

[@michaelmcewan432]

Excellent help

[@battygirlrachel]

I use it to make galaxies... Put your vibrant colored paints down first, the more random the better and vary intensities. Then let it dry and come back with black. Don't color all the areas just most and darken the black in sime areas and not others. Lunar black looks like it would be awesome for this. Then after it's dried and looks like a hot mess, take a little watered down gesso and flick it onto the paper. You want various sizes of splatter for best effect. There are plenty if videos on painting a Galaxy background if anyone is interested.

[@MDCampbell]

I can totally see making galaxies and such with this. Great tip and something I look forward to trying! Cheers! :)

[@CactusThorn]

Well done! Great info, great design and production. You put a lot of work into this and it shows. Thanks!!!! Loved the Beatles.

[@lindyk7132]

Researching about blacks in watercolor, I came across a rare one called Spinel Grey (PBk26). It is said that it is the darkest, void like black. As the only blacks or grays I've got are Van Gogh's Oxide Black, Neutral Tint and Payne's Gray (which are good but not quite as potent as I expect them to be), I've tried to mix my own, following well known recipes, but I can't seem to get a consistent black color, or at least one that is better than the ones I've mentioned. Thats why I'm curious about and willing to get a Spinel (which is also vegan, as far as I know) to fill the gap in my palette. However, there's not much info out there. Have you ever try it?

[@puffyjo]

that was awesome, I've always been curious about premixing tube paint to make a whole new color . i really loved those shades you came up with.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, Puffy Jo! It blows my mind that so many teachers, artists, and KZbinrs are telling people NOT to use black and that you should always mix your own blacks. Yet, when we buy black paints, wonderful experiments can be done with other colors, including white. lol!

[@Helenkawhitedesign]

Thanks for this informative video. It's nice to know that it's ok to use black watercolour. The courses I have been following have always recommended mixing a black from blues, reds and browns. I love the effects with the black wash over colours , that's pretty cool and the black over white paints. I will definitely try this. I am now off to watch your video about white watercolours :) Love your channel by the way.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you so much for taking the time to watch, Helenka White Design! I'm really happy you enjoyed this and I definitely would agree that mixing blacks from colors is the best way to go, with practical reasons behind it; however, it still bothers me that teachers, artists, and even some KZbinrs insist that people should not play around with white or black in their palette. It's like taking the sugar out of the lemonade. lol! Cheers!

[@melenaschneider7652]

So glad to see another of your videos come up. I haven't really gotten into watercolor much yet, but I do have a set of Faber Castell Gold Faber Aqua Watercolor pencils I've been playing with. There is a black pencil in here and I'm going to try out your ideas with this. I'm wondering if the results will be similar. I'm also wondering if you can do similar things with a black colored pencil (Prisma Color of course. :-) ). Thanks for your videos.

[@MDCampbell]

Hi Melena! I made a video on *watercolor pencils* if you're interested to see some techniques I share, there. I love watercolor pencils for traveling because I can just draw with them like normal colored pencils and then later apply water - it's like double the fun! lol! As for black Prismacolors, I always recommended to students to apply it lightly as a base and use colors on top. Then, when done, go back over the area except with a much heavier hand. The black colored pencil will act as a _blender_ pencil and move those colors around, while moving the light black underneath, as well.

[@windywednesday4166]

I saw that you were going to do this video in one of the comments on your video on how to use white in watercolor. I can't believe this didn't come up when I was trying to figure out what black to get! Sigh, well I'm here now.

[@ubimelibiapes333]

Not quite sure - but if you should look for the «blackest» black watercolour out there - Old Holland’s A75 Scheveningen Intense Black might win the competition 🎩

[@MDCampbell]

I've read about their Intense Black, but I haven't seen any Old Holland watercolors available here in the US. I'll have to look into it more, as I've heard many good things about their paints. :)

[@Yzabell0M]

Very interesting video. Quick question: what tool do you use to mix your colors in the pan?

[@lisaswank-artfulinspiratio1865]

Mark this is so cool! I have always thought it pretty silly to get rid of or toss out good paint just because it’s black... I’m very fond of Moonglo from DS and paynes gray because of the slight color shift- it’s not really black. I was thanking about putting a more muted color palette together. I think I’ll do this as I have never thrown out my black paints... thanks for the Great tip tip... I’ll have to go and find your video on white because somehow I must’ve missed it 🙂👍

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you for your time watching, Lisa, and leaving your thoughts. I love Moonglow! It's one of those colors I could use all by itself. Funny, whenever I use it, I crave Grape Fanta soda! lol! I hope all is well on your end! :)

[@elleelle2473]

The colours mixed w black remind me of my sumi paint set!

[@popuchick]

im OBSESSED with mine! how gorgeous is that blue black???

[@elleelle2473]

Catbutt Collective mine is the Boku-undo esumi paint set. Love the mood they give paintings, and being sumi they are on the opaque side.

[@MDCampbell]

I've been familiar with Sumi-e paint sets for a long time, but never indulged into picking one up. What's the benefit of them and why would you recommend getting one, elle elle?

[@elleelle2473]

M.D. Campbell honestly, I’ve only used them for a swatch and one piece of work. It suited the character well as it was mostly blacks and greys. It’s like a bunch of greys with 6 different base colours. I bought it mainly because it was quite different from existing water color sets. It seems good for monochromatic works (not sure about the range of values you can get though). If you mainly do colourful works then it might not get used much.

[@alexshi9320]

I use black almost exclusively for value studies

[@sugarcandy654]

I don't even drink coffee but I always gotta take that coffee break🙌

[@MDCampbell]

In all seriousness, I always have coffee when I put that part in! lol! Thank you for watching, SkyCity! :)

[@sugarcandy654]

@@MDCampbell I hadn't even realized I made a spelling mistake, woopsie, but no Thank You for your classes!

[@DenisGunaGallery]

Yooo this is very informative, thank you sir

[@MDCampbell]

So glad you found this helpful! Enjoy and stay well! Thanks for checking this out and letting me know your thoughts! :)

[@Paputsza]

One thing you didn't do is use black for black hair. basically, I do a colorful gradient in a bright color, like quinaquadone rose with the most satured color in the middle, and then I add black to paint the hair. I saw a digital artist using this method, and it's actually pretty good. Imo, black should basically only be used to paint things that are black basically because of the granulation.

[@AlexYorim]

Black Paint Matters

[@MDCampbell]

Indeed, it does!

[@elsagrace3893]

Black black Blacketty black 😂 but this was super good! Things I’ve never heard and I think I’ve watched everything arty on KZbin.

[@MDCampbell]

Thank you, elsa Grace! Glad you like this one and you found something new. I'm grateful for your time watching, but more so for your feedback! :)

[@Grubsndoodles]

Is there any way i can make black even darker? I painted a scene with a reference where the shadow is really dark.. like pitch black..

[@MDCampbell]

What I would normally recommend is before layering black watercolor down, maybe paint a couple of layers of dark violet or blue down first, creating a barrier tone. Then, when painting with black, use a matte black on top with very little water - some, but very little. It should tighten up and make a very rich black, nicely.

[@Grubsndoodles]

@@MDCampbell thank you so much! I will try this now. I'll let you know. 💕💕💕💕💕

[@ArtsiRosi]

What tiny little gadget are you mixing paint with in the palette pans?

[@MDCampbell]

It's just a cheapo mechanical pencil with the lead extended out. lol! I am the MacGyver of art nerds! ;)

[@ArtsiRosi]

@@MDCampbell HA!! Veryyy clever!

[@piafou63]

I've got some 25 years old Winsor and Newton watercolor tubes (artist grade), and one of them is "Noir de Vigne". I don't even know if this shade still exists...

[@MDCampbell]

In diluted washes, Noir de Vigne, which is Blue Black, is great for creating shadows and for cooling down shades of other colors. My guess is that they changed the name to Payne's Gray, since it's pretty much the same color and serves the same purpose. Also, if you look at other shades of W&N black, you may notice they print both English and French names, like Noir de Mars (Mars Black) or Noir d'Ivoire (Ivory Black). If you've got the original Blue Black/Noir de Vigne and it's still good, then you should be able to use it much the way one would use Payne's Gray. Wonderful color! :)

[@piafou63]

@@MDCampbell Thanks to you, I learnt something ! :-) And yes, W&N colors seem to keep their property decades after : I bought these tubes when I was in highschool (1988, something like that) and only the "lemon yellow" is spoiled. It turned into a kind of yellowish/grey powder. Only 2 colors (cyan and cobalt blues) had dried and had to be "cut" out of the tube and put in pans. The other ones (bright red, crimson, crimson alizarine, yellow ocre, burnt sienna and noir de vigne) were still fluid and able to be used straight out the tubes. I find this durability quite awesome !

[@MDCampbell]

@@piafou63 it really is awesome. I've lost too many art supplies to old age! lol! Cheers and enjoy those paints... er, artifacts... er, paints! hehe!! ~ Mark

[@robl9767]

Favorite color: Gamborge (need to get a New Gamboge one of these days.) I would like a video on how to use Payne's Grey properly being that is a move common color in a pan pallet. Edit: Subbed and get yourself a four shot Breve someday just not at Starbucks ICK!

[@MDCampbell]

lol! Thank you Rob L! I love the Gamboge colors and it seems different brands are slightly different, especially between Gamboge and New Gamboge. As for Payne's Gray, I make my own based on the need. If I'm doing a piece with an overall green hue, I try to make a Payne's-like gray using Perelyne Green or Hooker's Green as a base, to help accentuate the tone of the piece. But, yeah, that may be something worth exploring in the future! Thank you!

[@jerryreynolds4948]

@@MDCampbell -ßh

[@ullazitabinder2091]

this makes me want to mix all my colors with black to see what happens :D

[@KwameCrawford]

I just wanted to clarify that mars black and lunar black use the same pigment.

[@MDCampbell]

Thanks for clarifying, Tom Ford, but it should also be further clarified that the Daniel Smith exclusive Lunar Black (PBk11) is a transparent neutral while Mars Black (also PBk11) is a opaque synthetic warm. Both are high tinting, so mixing they can overwhelm the other color(s). Cheers and thank you again! ~ Mark

[@KwameCrawford]

@@MDCampbell Thanks! I didn't know this about the pigment.

[@InvokeArtSense]

The next time I paint with black, I won’t be scared to use black.

[@Gyuujin]

Long time no see :)

[@rosamcrook7491]

Whaaat no blacks ?? Why????