Although I am a mainly self-taught illustrator and artist, I did spend a year in Art College many years ago. Back in those days it was fashionable to make the students feel as bad as possible about their work. Which I did! As for painting, the one thing I remember was the abolition of black from the palette. 'Black is not a colour! Black is the absence of light!' This one thing has stayed with me. We discussed it earnestly over our small styrofoam coffee cups. I agreed. There was no such thing as black. Except for black holes. And night. And Dr. Black in Cluedo. And look what happened to him.
So when I came to paint Jenny, who to the casual observer is a 'black and white dog', I found she is actually a cerulean blue hue, burnt umber, deep violet and titanium white with a hint of cadmium yellow, naphthol crimson and burnt sienna dog. Not a smidgen of black anywhere.
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