Origin and technique of black & grey
Black & grey (B&G) was perfected in American prisons in the 1950s-70s, where inmates didn't have access to coloured ink and used burnt soot diluted in water. The technique spread to professional studios in Los Angeles in the 1970s, becoming the dominant style of Chicano culture.
The technique consists of diluting black ink in distilled water in controlled proportions (10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%) to obtain 5 grades of grey. These grades are used to build:
- Highlights (natural skin white, no ink)
- Light grey (10-25% dilution) — for lit areas
- Mid grey (50%) — for mid tones
- Dark grey (75%) — for shadows
- Solid black (100%) — for outline and absolute black
B&G is the style of choice for portraits, religious scenes, skulls, dramatic scenes. It holds up better in the sun than colour, heals more predictably, and is ideal for people with darker skin where pastel colours wouldn't have enough contrast.
