Long time ago I loved using black as dominant color in my work and at one point I realized that I should try to avoid using it and see where the absent of black would lead me. I however lately have missed the use of black and did two paintings for it. What do you think of using black in Children's Book Illustration?
2013
2015 (avoided using black as dominant)
2016 (avoided using black)
Recently (went back to using black but try to balance it out )
I think there is a place for it depending on the mood of the painting. There is a huge shift in the mood of the paintings from the two brighter images to the darker ones. Going from the pig on the bike to the rabbit it goes from bright and happy to a sense of gloom. Really nice work.
I agree with @evilrobot there is a place for it depending on mood. I try to stay away from solid black and pure white. I will use it very very loose for a highlight or a deep shadow.
I third those sentiments :). I think they both look great, but the darker ones definitely have a more gloomy sense to them. I could see using that technique for some beautifully bittersweet pieces that have your lovely characters in a more melancholy scene, also.
Thank you everyone for the input. I think I should not avoid using black totally, and I agree you are right about the right time to use black 
as I got pretty good feedback from my other social media.
I think there is a place for it depending on the mood of the painting. There is a huge shift in the mood of the paintings from the two brighter images to the darker ones. Going from the pig on the bike to the rabbit it goes from bright and happy to a sense of gloom. Really nice work.
