It's Black and White

This week I am writing about the choices of white and black paint.


WHITE
There are many different white oil paints to choose from. Each one has their own unique qualities. Whites vary in opaqueness, tinting strength, color and drying time. The more opaque the white the more tinting strength it has and the more light that will be reflected off the painted surface.

Lead White (Flake White) is an opaque white containing lead, that was used by the old masters. Fastest drying. Is is the warmest of all the whites. The paint dries with a flexible film, which it allows it to be applied more heavily than the other whites. It is a transparent white, but not a transparent as Zinc White.


Flake White Replacement  is as the name states, a replacement for flake white, warm in color, an earthy color. This Paint claims to be good for underpainting.


Zinc White is the most transparent of the whites, but holds it's whiteness over time. It is best used for alla prima painting, scumbling and glazing. This paint dries more slowly. It should not be used for general painting due to its transparency, slow drying time and brittleness. Zinc White is a cool blue white and dries very hard. Due to its transparency you will need a lot of it to lighten a color.

Titanium White is one of the newest and most popular whites. It has a very high opaqueness and tinting strength. It takes a considerable amount of paint to tint Titanium White. This paint can yellow a bit over time and dries slowly. It drys hard, but not as hard as Zinc White.

Titanium Zinc White combines the opaqueness of Titanium and creaminess of transparency of zinc.

Cremintz White is the same as Flake White without the zinc, but made from lead. Some say its the most natural of the whites. It has slow drying properties, but not as slow drying as Titanium. Cremintz should be used for final touches of white paint, not for beginning layers of paint.

Gamblin's Radiant White is the most brilliant and opaque of the whites, but is generally used for abstract paintings.


BLACK
There are 3 basic blacks most often used by oil painters.

Lamp Black has a bluish/purplish hue. It is slow drying and has the highest tinting strength. Lamp Black has a high oil content, so shouldn't be used in initial layers.

Ivory Black is a warmer black and dries slow. This is the most popular of the blacks.

Mars Black dries fastest of the blacks and is also more opaque. It is on the blue side but not as blue as Lamp Black. Use this black in the lower layers of painting.

MIXED BLACKS
Many artist, including myself, avoid using the above blacks, and would rather mix their own.

I often use Ultramarine blue + Burnt Umber or Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Sienna or Ultramarine Blue + Transparent Oxide Red (for a more transparent color). You can control the coolness and warmness of your black by adjusting the ratios.

Other mixed blacks include:

Ultramarine blue + transparent brown oxide
(Permanent) Alizarin Crimson + Ultramarine Blue
(Permanent) Alizarin Crimson + Ultramarine Blue + Transparent Oxide Red