Neutrals: Selecting the Right Neutral Pigment for Your Palette

Just about any palette, even a limited palette, will include at least one version of each of the three primaries — a red, a blue, and a yellow. Theoretically, by mixing these primaries together, in various proportions, you can create a wide variety of neutral colors. These neutral colors can also be used to neutralize other mixtures. But that’s a lot of extra mixing. Many painters like to include at least one neutral color on their palette — a single “go-to” pigment that can quickly be added to other mixtures to make them more neutral.

A neutral color is any color that is less than fully saturated. Neutrals will appear muted, dull, or “brown.” Whether mixed or squeezed from a tube, most neutral colors have a color bias; meaning, we can still see hints of the hue family to which it belongs. Even black has a hue bias. (When lightened with white, it’s subtle blue tones are revealed.) The color bias is important. For example, if I am painting a cool blue-gray landscape like End of Summer (above), I will pick a neutral pigment that is cooler (like Gamblin’s Portland Gray Deep), as opposed to a neutral pigment that is warmer, such as burnt umber. In other words, the choice of a neutral pigment is not arbitrary; I choose it based on the temperature direction of my painting.

Another reason I like having neutral pigments on my palette is because, by making it easier to mix neutral colors, I am more likely to do so. With so many primary colors on my palette (ultramarine blue, cadmiums, alizarin, etc.), it’s easy to forget just how important neutral colors are in creating shadows and colors that look natural and convincing.

Let’s take a closer look at the individual characteristics of these “go-to” neutrals.

Burnt Umber – This earth color has been my neutral of choice for many years. Straight from the tube burnt umber is dark and chocolate-colored. As you lighten it with white, however, a subtle orange-red tint is revealed. Whenever I introduce this pigment to painters, I always remind them that it’s not meant to serve as a generic “brown” color for things like tree trunks or soil. Rather, it is used to modify other mixtures and make them less saturated.

When burnt umber it is added with equal parts of ultramarine (right), it yields a deep, dark  mixture which is as dark as black. This “rich black” can be pushed toward the cool side with a little extra blue or pushed toward the warm side with a little more burnt umber. Thus, with just burnt umber as your single neutral pigment you can create both cool or warm neutrals.

Payne’s Gray (right) – As compared to black, Payne’s Gray is cooler and bluer. Straight from the tube, it looks just like black. As white is added, it’s bluish tint becomes obvious. This might be the pigment of choice if you want a black-like pigment with a stronger color bias than regular black.

Gamblin’s Portland Grays – Gamblin Artist’s Colors offers a wide range of neutral pigments called Portland Grays. (Gamblin is based in Portland, Oregon.) The light, medium, or deep varieties are formulated to be unbiased neutrals; that is, without any temperature shift in either direction. To my eye, however, they appear slightly cool. The swatch at right is Portland Gray Deep. Portland Grays are comprised of mars black and iron oxide (umber) pigments.

 

Titanium Buff – There is a common misperception that Titanium White is made by “bleaching” the more muted Titanium Buff. In fact, Titanium Buff is made from titanium dioxide, which is a very bright white and the same white that is on most painters’ palettes. What makes Titanium Buff appear muted is that it is compounded with iron oxide. Like Titanium White, Titanium Buff is opaque and has strong covering power.

Black – Some painters use black as their de facto neutral and use it as a universal darkening agent — which I believe is a bad habit. When used sparingly it does effectively neutralize a mixture, but when used in larger amounts, it has a tendency to overly darken and deaden color mixtures, bringing a lifeless gray to everything it touches. Black has a blue color bias, which is more apparent when it’s lightened with white. In fact, some limited palettes use black as a substitute for a traditional blue pigment like Ultramarine.

Van Dyke Brown – As compared to Ivory Black, Van Dyck Brown has a warmer color bias. Depending on the brand, it can look quite warm. To my eye, Gamblin’s Van Dyke Brown appears to have the least color bias of all the neutral pigments shown here. 

Conclusion – As luscious as these neutral pigments are, don’t go overboard with them. Your cool and warm primary and secondary colors will always be the mainstay of your palette. Your neutral pigments, perhaps one or two at most, augment the palette by helping you mix neutrals that fit the color scheme of your painting.

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Additional Resources

The “Expanded Primaries” Palette — Thinking About Cool and Warm
Landscape Color Strategies: Part 3 – The Harmony of Neutrals

In The Landscape Painter’s Workbook: Essential Studies in Shape, Composition, and Color, Two Roads to Neutrals, page 162.