Using black paint can be tricky, so do your homework before you paint.
In all reality, an artist can go through his entire career and never own a tube of black paint. Most artists make shadows with dark colors like blue, brown, and even green or red---but not with black, because black tends to muddy the canvas and flatten the image. If you plan to use black pigment in your oil painting, it should be for a good reason: either you're painting a strictly black-and-white image, or you're painting something that is inherently black, like a steam engine, a bin of coal, or a black cat.
Instructions
1. Buy several different tubes of black paint. Place a small amount of each type of paint on your palette.
2. Dip your paintbrush into the first type of black, and then brush a bit of it onto a test palette. Mix the black with some white to see the results. Clean your brush with turpentine, and then repeat this step for every black. Compare the blacks and grays to each other. Note that some black paints lighten to a bluish gray, while others lighten to a warmer, brownish gray. Choose the appropriate black based on its tones and the theme of your painting. For example, if you're painting a night scene that will have a lot of blues mixed in, use a black oil paint that lightens to a cold gray-blue.
3. Create a sketch of your painting on the canvas you intend to use.
4. Fill in all the areas of color. Use a separate paintbrush to apply black paint to the canvas, and try not to mix the black with other colors. Clean any paintbrush that touches black paint before dipping that brush into another color. Allow this layer to dry before adding more layers to your painting.
