How to paint the feathers of a black bird
At first glance the feathers of a black bird are simply black. It is easy to assume that your main tube of acrylic paint is going to be Lamp Black, however closer inspection shows that this is not true.
Any black subject matter has varying degrees of other colors to give it depth, shadow, light diffusion and definition.
What to put on your palette for a black bird?
To paint the red-tailed cockatoos which I have just completed, I had several acrylic colors on my palette for the black feathers. Note that one particular color is missing, that being Lamp Black! These included:
- Matisse Mars Black
- Matisse Mars Grey
- Matisse Paynes Grey (beak)
- Matisse Australian Ghost Gum
- Matisse Graphite Grey
- Matisse Skin tone mid
- Golden Burnt Umber
- Golden Titanium White
Burnt Umber is indispensable when painting anything black
Burnt Umber is such a useful paint color to have in your studio repertoire. It gives warmth to black and provides much greater realism to a black bird or animal. By adding just a touch of Australian Ghost Gum to it, you arrive at a warm, lighter shade of brown. This is useful to show sunlight shining through a black feather. The more sunlight there is, the more Ghost Gum you add. Matisse Skin tone mid provides just that extra hint of warmth when you want to show the reflection of sunlight on a black feather.
Is Titanium White all you need to give a black feather lightness?
The use of Titanium white has it’s place, but it should not be solely relied upon to provide lightness and contrast in black feathers. As the Australian Ghost Gum provides warmth with lightness, Titanium white is more useful in providing the brilliance of a white light. ( For example: to keep the light shining through a red or orange feather clean and bright). It is also useful for creating a pure grey when added to Lamp Black. I preferred to use Mars Black in this painting because it has more warmth to it.
I hope this helps you to bring your own black creature to life on canvas, be it birdlife, animal, insect or reptile!
