UA758 - Blackened Umber

Blackened Umber, the shadow under a rope and in the fold of a tarpaulin

Umber darkened almost to brown-black has a different task in modeling work from an ordinary opaque shade. It is not aimed at an area but at the places light does not reach: between the strands of a coiled rope, into the fold of canvas, under a strap, into the joint between the planks of a deck. Blackened Umber from the Lifecolor acrylic range is just such a dark tone, brown enough to stay warm and organic and dark enough to make real depth.

Why not reach for black

A pure black makes a hole in a shadow. On an organic material such as hemp, canvas or leather the eye expects even the darkest place to carry the color of the material. A darkened umber meets this condition and the shadow stays readable. With a coiled rope the difference is particularly visible: a black shadow between the turns acts like a gap, whereas a dark umber keeps the impression of substance and the eye goes on reading the rope as a rope.

Where it pays off most

• Accentuating the weave on coarse sacking, where the grid of the fiber is to stand out.
• A base under lighter hemp shades on ropes and nets; the light is then drawn only over the crests of the lay.
• The depths of the folds on tarpaulins, canvas sheets and tent canvas.
• Shadows under straps, buckles and strapping.
• The joints between planks and the dark corners of wooden structures in a diorama.

Who it is for

For modelers who work with the layering of tone and want the shadow under control instead of dealing with it by means of one dark coat over a whole part. A water-based acrylic paint, brush and airbrush alike.

Keep out of the reach of children. Stir the contents before use and ventilate when spraying.