Many Ways to Gray: Introduction

I love grays and muted tones.  Grays emphasize the colors nearby. Jeanne Dobie refers to this as ‘mouse power’.  The ‘mouse’ colors are the supporting cast for the jewel-like colors.

Whenever selecting a simple palette for a painting, the first test is to make a neutral. One characteristic of a good palette is the simplicity of making a neutral. A gray made from the paint in your palette is guaranteed to be compatible with your colors, and can be used to neutralize any of them easily.  Once the ideal gray is found, mix a batch and keep it handy for toning down the brighter paints in the palette.

This blog is a series of articles focused on the many types of gray, the multitude of choices of grays and neutral tints available on the market, and tips for mixing a gray easily. I will also introduce some unique gray mixes that are not on the market (yet).

In the first part of this blog on grays, we will learn about Neutral Tints