The importance of grey in painting with acrylics - Royal Talens
The importance of grey in painting with acrylics - Royal Talens

The importance of grey in acrylic painting

In this blog you'll discover the importance of grey in acrylic painting and you learn how to create your own tonal value scale. When painting, our goal is to recreate a three-dimensional world on a flat surface using light and dark tones. Accurate judgement of these tonal values is crucial for achieving realism in painting.

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Explainer: the importance of grey

In this video, we’ll show you the importance of greys and tonal values in painting with acrylics. We’ll also demonstrate how to create a value scale, which will help you practise working with tonal values and provide a useful tool for checking the tones in your work.

What you need

  • Acrylic paint in lamp black (702) and titanium white (105)
  • Flat brush
  • Acrylic paper
  • Marker
  • Pencil
  • Palette
  • Palette knife
  • Water bucket
  • Paper towel

The power of painting in grey

Grey is a key colour for artists. Even the Old Masters had their students master painting in greyscale before introducing colour. This foundational skill was essential for understanding light, shadow, and depth. By focusing on tonal values—the range from dark to light—you can create more realistic and compelling works.

We'll give you three reasons why we paint with grey.

Reason 1

Foundation for tonal values

Tonal values are crucial in painting, which is why many artists begin with a greyscale underpainting, known as a grisaille. This initial layer helps them concentrate on capturing light, shadow, and depth without the distraction of colour. By establishing a strong tonal foundation first, artists can then apply layers of colour more effectively, ensuring the final piece has depth and dimension.

Reason 2

Balanced base for colours

Grey is an excellent base colour for your canvas. On a white surface, even light colours can appear darker, making it difficult to achieve the right contrast. A grey canvas maintains the integrity of both light and dark colours. Additionally, on a white canvas, any uncovered areas can seem incomplete, but a grey base layer avoids this issue. It provides a more cohesive look, helping the painting appear more polished and finished, even in areas that aren’t fully painted.

Reason 3

Key to colour harmony

Grey plays a crucial role in achieving colour harmony. Many colours contain grey, and using a grey base can help soften and adjust colours to create the desired mood. Some colours are so close to grey that starting with a grey base and gradually introducing colour can yield better results. Grey comes in different variations—neutral, warm, and cool—offering artists the flexibility to create diverse effects and establish a balanced, harmonious palette.

About the author

Toon Nagtegaal

Toon Nagtegaal, a Dutch visual artist and fine art instructor, channels his passion for motorsport into his paintings. While motorsport is his main artistic focus, he also enjoys creating portraits, landscapes, and still lifes.

“Drawing was a constant throughout my childhood, with weekly lessons shaping my early years. After finishing secondary school, I attended an art academy, which paved the way for my career as an art educator.”

More tutorials by Toon

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