[Chris Saper]

Dear Pam,

I use black on my palette but I would never use it to actually paint something that is black. Instead I mix black from Alizarin and Thalo Green. Other mixtures will work well, too, for instance the ultramarine blue + transparent oxide red used by Bob Johnson.

I do occasionally use black in skin tones but only in the most microscopic amounts, in order to cool a color I have already mixed. I use this cooling tool only in skin tones that are light in value. Where skin tones are dark in value, either because of local color or shadow, I mix rich darks based on my perception of the local color, the color of the light, and whether I perceive the local color to be neutralized with relatively warmer or cooler hues.

Best wishes, Chris