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McCracken Black is a versatile black; it can produce a range of neutral grays that is ideal for creating a realistic look to metal objects and a remarkable depth in a dark background that is inspired by the Dutch painters of the 16th and 17th century. Master Artist Laurin McCracken worked with DANIEL SMITH Chemists to develop a black that is neutral, not blue or brown. One to which he can add small amounts of color to make it warm or cool so that it can change and enhance the feel of a painting when desired. It has a degree of transparency as he often paints with a very dark background over an underpainting. McCracken Black is a complex black, with slight granularity so the that the smooth surfaces of metal, like polished silver, in a still life can appear as realistic as possible.
Starting with 10 parts water to 1 part paint (by weight) in the palette, our chemist paints the top half of the swatch uniformly with a round brush to show the paint’s color and characteristics. For the bottom half, he dips a ¾” flat brush into the paint well just once, then applies the color in stripes until the brush is dry, which shows the color’s tone and behavior through a wash. We use these swatches for color matching during the manufacturing process.
