I am currently working on two pieces that are heavily rendered in black. Black is a color I like to use often in certain paintings. Some, thought bright with color and movement, are still existent within a black space or plane, or thee even. But when it comes to pieces that are not black dominant, I scarcely use the color at all.
I recall my old high school Art teacher being adamant that we do not mix black with colors to darken them, or to create depth and shadow. He insisted we learn that black, organic black seen in shadows and nature, is derived from a mix of complimentary colors, and other combinations. I stand by this, and teach it myself.
A person can learn so much about color mixing from experimenting with complimentary grays. But, black is a beautiful color in and of it, and is a useful mix color in same ways. For example, it makes a fantastic series of greens when mixed with yellows, and earthy browns when blended with orange. But as the answer to white, not so much. Colors are special when turned to Art, and have meaning beyond common contrasts and associations…