{"id":386,"date":"2026-07-17T02:19:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T02:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/?p=386"},"modified":"2026-08-22T02:29:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T02:29:34","slug":"a-landscape-painters-guide-to-why-you-need-black-in-your-paintings-easel-talk-51","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mfrancismccarthy.art\/?p=386","title":{"rendered":"A Landscape Painter\u2019s Guide to Why You Need Black in Your Paintings – Easel Talk #51"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/_PTwhB-JDPo\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A lot of modern painters do not use black pigment in their process. This is a legacy handed down from the impressionists who famously banished black from their palettes. However, tonalism definitely employs black, and once I started using it wholeheartedly, my work became more authentically tonal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I learned with two guys who had no black on their palette: Bob Rohm and Kevin McPherson. Both got me off into chromatic black territory. When you use black and brown in underpaintings, you get an effect very much like the old masters, without the problems of bitumen, which is basically tar and creates a brittle paint surface. You can get that same rich effect with everyday ivory black mixed with burnt sienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The History of Ivory Black<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ivory black is basically burnt bones. You also have vine black, which is burnt twigs, but ivory black is more common. Originally it was made by charring elephant tusks in closed containers without oxygen. The resulting charcoal was then ground into a fine pigment. The ancients prized that velvety black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As elephant ivory became scarce and expensive, painters began using bone black made from charred cattle bones. The black has remained, though. This pigment was essential to many 19th century American and European tonalists. Unlike some historic pigments that fell out of favor due to toxicity, ivory black has been a constant presence on painters\u2019 palettes up until modern times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Modern Painters Avoid Black<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your average student just grabs black to make things darker, but black also makes things muddier. It\u2019s another way of saying gray, very powerful for muting colors. That\u2019s why many teachers discourage it, especially early on. They\u2019re not wrong to be cautious, but black deserves a place in your toolkit if you understand how to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two Tools, Two Purposes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I use black for two specific purposes: to knock colors into a natural feel. Ivory black is my cool color killer. If I mix a color that needs to feel more natural and knocked in, I add a little black. For a similar effect in a warm way, I use raw umber. These are absolutely essential to my process, no question about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For my darkest shadow areas, I used to rely on chromatic black, which is a mixture of phthalo green and alizarin crimson. It gives you a good effect, but ultimately it\u2019s less tonal. About eight or nine years ago, I switched to ivory black. It\u2019s highly transparent and actually beautiful, though it gets a bad rap. For some applications now, I use Mars black, which is at least twice to three times as opaque and solves different problems entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Strategic Shift to Ivory Black<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This shift to ivory black helped me get a more tonal effect. You get a purplish cast with chromatic black because shadows become cooler. With ivory black, you get a richer, deeper, more authentic tonalist feeling. When you look at tonalist paintings that really move you, that\u2019s the feeling you\u2019re after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was struggling with greens for years until I started making what I call Mike\u2019s green, ivory black mixed with Hansa yellow (PY 73 or PY 74). It became vital to my process. The richest, best everyday green for landscape painting came from that discovery. Frankly, it would have been way easier if I\u2019d just used ivory black from the start instead of struggling with chromatic black for so long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mars Black: When You Need Opacity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

About three or four years ago, I was doing a sepia series and ran into a real challenge: raw umber is too transparent. I needed something that would cover and hold. I brought in Mars black, which is at least twice to three times as opaque as ivory black. In mixtures that are transparent, opaque Mars black supports you and gives you quicker, cleaner shadow areas. It totally solved my problem, and I\u2019ve been using it strategically ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Philosophy of Black<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tonalism is the dark part of the yin and yang of painting. Impressionism is the light; tonalism is the dark. I\u2019m not afraid of darkness. How are you going to have light without dark? It\u2019s not possible. The shadows bring the emotional depth to a painting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re going to try something very poetic and expressive with a lower timbre, you can\u2019t do it in a bright way. You just can\u2019t. That\u2019s where black becomes philosophically important to your work, not just technically important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay True to Your Vision<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every artist needs to contemplate their own philosophy of art. Black is philosophically part of my process and technically part of my process, it\u2019s got to be there. If I had to have only one black, it would be ivory black, not Mars black, because Mars black is kind of ugly. I can make it work, and a lot of times I\u2019ll make it really pretty by adding a little rose madder or alizarin crimson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collect art that moves you. Build little folders on your tablet or desktop where you\u2019ve gathered the paintings that resonate with you. After a while, you\u2019ll get a real feeling for what you want to do as an artist. Everything\u2019s been done that can be done, but you haven\u2019t expressed your vision completely yet. There\u2019s only ever going to be one you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding Your Own Approach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Black can be divisive between artists. There\u2019s a story of John Singer Sargent visiting Claude Monet. Claude said, \u201cWant to paint? I got this garden with some lily pads.\u201d Sargent looked at Monet\u2019s palette and said, \u201cI can\u2019t work without black. I\u2019m done.\u201d He needed his black, and Monet worked without it. Both were great painters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try different approaches and see what resonates with you. You might prefer phthalo green and alizarin crimson. Some people use burnt umber and ultramarine blue. But I\u2019d rather have ivory black, it\u2019s a lot prettier. Whatever works for you is what matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Practical Truth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Experiment with black. For tonalism, black pigment is essential and important. Always be mindful of how you use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t just add black to make things darker, that deadens colors. Do your best to mix the color without black first. Then if it\u2019s too strident or chromatic, bring in a little black to cool it down, or raw umber to warm it down. Black straight from the tube, I don\u2019t usually use it like that. I\u2019m always adulterating it with burnt umber, rose madder, burnt sienna, or mixing it into greens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the finishing stage, I might use thin Mars black to reestablish darks in the darkest areas. But I\u2019m strategic. I\u2019m not going to paint everything with flat black and then try to make it work. It\u2019s got to be done with intelligence and sensitivity. When appropriately mixed with other colors, black creates rich, complex tones that feel natural and contribute to your painting\u2019s overall success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Opaque Raw Umber Bonus Tip<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I struggled with raw umber\u2019s transparency for years. This was a real problem during my sepia series. When you need opaque raw umber, don\u2019t just use it straight from the tube, it won\u2019t cover anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the secret: grab a big heap of raw umber, then a far lesser amount of Mars yellow. Blockx makes a good Mars yellow. Mix those together. Of course that\u2019s not looking like raw umber anymore, it\u2019s something else. Then bring in a little ivory black. That goes right into a raw umber tone, except the huge difference is that it\u2019s opaque. That\u2019s way more effective when you\u2019ve got expanses or areas in your painting where you need a raw umber type tone. It\u2019s right in there between a red and green, and it gives you the coverage you need to make those areas sing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take good care of yourself. Stay out of trouble. And fight the power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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