My art teacher told me to stop using pure black in shadows

Back in 2019, my instructor Mrs. Chen said pure black kills digital paintings. I ignored her for 2 years thinking dark was dramatic. Finally tried mixing deep blues and purples for shadows on a portrait last week and it popped like crazy. Anyone else fight against advice like that before seeing it work?

2 comments

2 Comments

cole_davis4722d ago

Ever notice how the same thing happens with music? People think louder always equals better until they learn to use quiet parts to make the loud parts hit harder. Shadows work the same way. Pure black is like having everything at max volume with no contrast. Once you add those deep purples or even dark greens, the light areas actually feel brighter because your brain has something to compare them to. Same reason beginner cooks dump in too much salt then realize a little acid like lemon juice does way more for bringing flavors out.

andrewt4122d ago

Three years ago I switched to mixing dark blues and magentas for shadows in my landscapes and the sky actually felt hazy and real for the first time. The pure black was just making everything look flat and fake, like a coloring book. And @cole_davis47 your salt comparison is spot on - I used to dump way too much contrast into my work until I backed way off and let the lights do the heavy lifting. Now my shadows are mostly ultramarine with a tiny bit of burnt sienna and it gives me that depth without killing the glow.