Painting in B/W...

['Nuff]

I've painted a few pieces in black and white...And have never been satisfied with the results...

To improve on my technique...I have been watching a lot of B/W films...Is there some formula to transcribing the real color to B/W...?...Different colors/shades of grey...I know I ain't making much sense here...But mebbe one of the Masters will know what I mean...

[Vince-Vell]

Sorta hard to convert colors into grayscale. Cause you can take a certain blue color, and a warm red and grayscale them. Which will lead to the same gray color.

What i suggest you do to help learn on how to mix gray scale colors is grab your self windsor newton titanium white and black acrylic tube colors. Any cheep paint brush and a white board.

From there mix a 5% gray and paint a little on the board in a block. Now next to that mix a 10% gray and so on all the way to a black. Once you have a strip of the gray scale from lets say white %5 to black 95%.

Take that strip and try to match the color you are trying to convert to GS. Say when you put the gray scale strip next to a bowen thor statue on his blue paint and the closest color is 45% gray, then you know you need to make a 45% color match. If the yellow matches a 5% white then so on.

Its sorta a basic way of learning grayscale and how color translates to them. I know it seems like a lot of work and im sure there is easier ways to do so. But this is how one of my professors in college taught me and glad i did so. For 4 years i had that swatch panel along side my desk and a color wheel he made us do and referenced it all the time.

If you have trouble seeing what color matches the GS swatch panel, try blurring you vision.

Hopefully this doesnt post 20 times since i am getting errors on the web page.

[Danno]

I would also, very much recommend picking up the ComArt Photo grey set (this is a pro class photo grey set of paints that are used to touch up B/W photos and such)

Anyhoo, the set is great and one important thing to remember is to "tint" your greys from warm to cool, to help add life and depth to your paint up. You may notice when watching B/W films how the skin tones (although in grey scale) have a slightly warm tint to them, while side walks, some clothing, etc... may have a neutral to cool tone (Warm and cool tints are included in the set)

['Nuff]

Thanks guys...Most helpful...I can remove color from photos and leave them in B/W to get the tints down...But the other information gives me some where to start...

[boondocksaint]

i have a george reeves bust of my dads he wants painted in b&w but havent gotten around to it

theres a tutorial in the clubhouse ill look for it for you nuff

['Nuff]

Originally Posted by boondocksaint

i have a george reeves bust of my dads he wants painted in b&w but havent gotten around to it

theres a tutorial in the clubhouse ill look for it for you nuff

Thanks Boony... I used to be linked to that place...I have one article about it from AFM on the Bride of Frankenstein...But there isn't enough info for me...

[boondocksaint]

looking now but cant find it,,,,but eventually i will

['Nuff]

Originally Posted by boondocksaint

looking now but cant find it,,,,but eventually i will

I ain't in no hurry...I'm experimenting on Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein...Am doing the clothes in B/W and the flesh...dead or alive...in color...Thanks again...

['Nuff]

I found it...Thanks for the tip Boony...

http://theclubhouse1.net/FAQ/paintbw.htm