PAINTING ON BLACK GESSO, some thoughts
This is my second success on black gesso, and I thought I'd write down a few things I've learned so far. First of all, compared to painting on white, it is much easier to judge dark values, since I'm putting them all straight on the darkest dark, black. Also, it is much more fun to put on bright colors, because they really pop against the black, especially if I leave little bits of black showing through.
I do have to be careful to go light enough with my values! Because the colors look so bright against the black, it's easy to misjudge them. I had to alter this one after it was dry because I realized I didn't go light enough with the orange wall. Also I had to find a different color to draw my scene with first. Normally I use burnt umber, which doesn't really show up on black. It worked to mix a little bit of yellow and red in with the umber.
I HIGHLY recommend trying it! If nothing else, it gives one a different perspective on values. I will definitely do more. | |
