A veteran artist at a convention told me to stop using pure black in digital paintings

I was at a booth in San Diego back in 2022 showing my fantasy landscape stuff. This older guy who had prints next to me said my skies looked dead because I was using straight black for shadows. I argued with him for a bit but tried his tip of using dark blues and purples instead. Now my night scenes actually look alive and people comment on the depth. Has anyone else had a color habit that took years to unlearn?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_lee15d ago

Yeah I read some pro comic artist saying the same thing about avoiding pure black.

johnson.eva14d ago

Did you ever use pure black in your own work before hearing that? I used to think it was fine, especially for shadows or dark backgrounds. But once I tried mixing in dark blues or purples instead, everything just looked richer and more natural. It really makes the other colors pop without that flat, dead feel you get from straight black. That advice actually changed how I approach all my coloring now.