what is the diffrence bewteen ivory and mars black or any other black oils?

Hi godfather,
Well, here's my take on the differences. Mars Black is a warm black aand the others are cool blacks. By warm I mean that when it dries it doesn't go flat and dull on me. And by cool I mean that when it dries it turns flat and dull. Kind of like the difference between patent leather (warm but not that shiny) and new tires or black plastic (cool). I don't know if my descriptions are correct but that's how I view them. I'll see if I can find out any better description for you.I hope this makes sense and helps you out.

Ivory and Lamp Black are very black because of the pigments used. Mars Black(and all the Mars colors) are natural pigments and are burned in ovens to prepare them. As a result Mars Black has a brown tint to it from the baking of the pigments. That's the cool vs warm effect that Craig was trying to explain for you.

HTH

PH

Hi guys,
I posted this question to "Cheap Joes Art Supplies" web site and here is their answer:
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Question Hi,
Can you tell me what the difference is between Mars Black, Ivory Black and Lamp Black oil paints?
Thanks!

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Answer Ivory black has a very low tinting strength and produces warm brownish undertones.
Lamp black has a higher tinting strength and produces cool blue undertones.
Mars black is the most opaque of all and is usually used when large areas of black are required.
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Interesting, Craig, I wonder why they suggest Mars Black over Lamp Black for large areas? Possibly to keep the area warm? I would think you would have to consider what you are trying portray before choosing one or the other. But that's canvas painters and they think differently in 2-D. Still, thanks for adding to the databank.
Paul