If you’ve been following TPK on Facebook or Instagram, you know that I’ve been drawing on black paper for the past two weeks working on my chalk-style illustration booklet/kit for Quarto Publishing. The kit will be available on Amazon and in various brick-and-mortar stores late summer of this year, but I couldn’t wait that long to write a blog post over this — actually, very fun — activity.
Challenge Yourself by Drawing in “Reverse” on Black Paper
Whether you’re a seasoned hobbyist or professional artist, it’s always fun to test your skills with a creative challenge. If you’re looking for a way to shake up your art routine, why not try drawing on a different color paper? Black paper encourages you to approach your subjects differently while adding a distinctive visual quality to any artwork.
Drawing on black paper is essentially working in reverse. With a sketch that’s on white (or light-colored) paper, you’re typically starting with light shading and working towards deep shadows. The opposite is true when working on black paper; a dark ground is already there, so you’ve got to transition from pitch black to medium grey to bright white marks.
Here’s a quick look at this approach in action:
Supplies for Drawing on Black Paper
You can buy entire sketchbooks and pads that only comprise black paper. This makes it easier than ever to try out the inverted technique.
- Derwent, a top art supplies brand, makes a Black Book that features heavyweight paper that’s suitable for sketching or water-based media (like gouache paints). It’s lauded for its deep black color.
- Canson, a company known for its paper, also sells a sketchbook featuring 40 sheets of fade-resistant dyed paper.
- If you’re looking for a pad of paper with easy-to-remove sheets, check out Faber-Castell’s highly-rated black paper pad.
Once you’ve got your black paper, you need to procure the right utensils for the job.
- For drawing with dry media, you’ve got many great choices. Colored pencils or white charcoal—like this set of General Pencils—is popular because you can build volume through conventional shading techniques. Simply sharpen the pencil to create fine, bright whites on the page.
- Pens will also work, but you’ll need to look for an opaque ink to ensure that they stand up to the darkness of the page. For this reason, white gel pens are best.
- Translucent colors (like watercolor) will fade into the black paper—you’ll hardly be able to see them. If you’d like to paint, try gouache. The hues have a slightly chalky appearance to them and are striking against a dark background.
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Sara Barnes
Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled ‘Embroidered Life’ that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Drawing on Black Paper
It’s surprisingly easy to create artwork and calligraphy on black paper. You just need a few easy-to-find tools to get started! Next thing you know, people will be lining up at your door begging for your secret to such beautiful art pieces … to which you can simply respond: “Black
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If you’ve been following TPK on Facebook or Instagram, you know that I’ve been drawing on black paper for the past two weeks working on my chalk-style illustration booklet/kit for Quarto Publishing. The kit will be available on Amazon and in various brick-and-mortar stores late summer of this year, but I couldn’t wait that long to write a blog post over this — actually, very fun — activity.
Drawing on black paper is a novelty. I think it’s appealing for a couple of reasons, the first of which being it’s hard to do if you don’t have the tools . Creating artwork on black paper is impressive because it says: “Look at this cool pen/thing I have, and the stuff I can do with it!” The second reason is the fact that it’s difficult for a printer to mass-produce. By and large, printers can only print colored inks, which means printing white on black paper hardly ever happens . So: when you send someone artwork on black paper, it immediately says: “I took the time to make this especially for you by hand.” Mainly, though, artwork on black paper just looks cool, which is why I’m writing this blog post.
I am going to show you a few tools and techniques for writing and drawing on black paper; for all of them, I’d recommend getting one of these little guys:
The tool pictured in the image above has been my savior the past couple of weeks. It’s a soapstone pencil, and it’s my new this-is-amazing find . Usually, soapstone is used by quilters who want to mark on fabric. However, you can use it to mark guidelines or make a design draft on dark paper. The best part? You don’t even have to erase it. It actually will just rub away with a soft cloth, which reduces the chances of your ink smudging.
First, let’s go over the technique that I was using for the Quarto booklet. It requires basic tools and no knowledge of dip pen calligraphy. First, you’ll want to procure a Sakura Gellyroll white pen.
I linked to Amazon, but they’re available individually for $1.50 apiece-ish at most craft stores.
Next, whip out your colored pencils.
Begin by using your soapstone pencil to draw your design. I’m on a jewel kick, so I drew a simple diamond outline below, which you are more than welcome to do as well.
Next, take your colored pencil and fill in the areas you wish to have color. It is important that you do this before you add the white ink; if you wait and do it afterward, the design won’t look as clean because color from the colored pencils will inevitably color over/tint some of your white ink.
Once you’ve added color to your paper, prepare your gel pen for use by getting its ink flowing on a piece of scrap paper. This step isn’t totally necessary, but it’s helpful because sometimes ink from previous uses coagulates on the nib and makes the starting point look funky on your final art piece.
Now, simply trace over your soapstone lines …
Once you’re finished tracing, rub your soapstone markings away with a soft cloth. The finished product will be a design that’s worthy of a Whole Foods chalkboard. If you’re confused on how to make the strong typography on this piece, hang tight for a couple of weeks! I’m working on a Learn for a Latté worksheet set covering typography.
I also really like leafing pens for making drawings on black paper.
These pens are really just paint in marker form. You have to toy with them a bit to start the flow, but the results are worth it!
This simple design and color scheme looks like something you would see framed with a large white mat in an ultramodern home. You can, of course, use it for that purpose , or just send it as a minimalistic greeting card. You could write a message over it with your Gellyroll pen, if you are so inclined!
The thing that sets the leafing pens apart is the beautiful sheen … these dots actually have the appearance of tiny, shiny pennies that react to the light.
If you do buy a leafing pen, you can also use it to draw metallic borders on envelopes, place cards, or whatever else. The package the pen comes in says you can even use it on furniture, but I haven’t gotten that brave yet!
Moving on, the two projects I just wrote about use techniques/tools that don’t require knowledge of a calligraphy/dip pen. The next materials I am covering do require such knowledge — but, really, if you don’t know how to use a calligraphy pen, it’s quite simple, and I do heartily encourage you to learn! Below you can see all the supplies you could use to create calligraphy or drawings on black paper. Most assuredly there are more black-paper friendly supplies out there in the whole wide world, but this is what I’m covering today.
My go-to choice for writing on black paper is Winsor & Newton white ink. I have heard a lot of good things about Dr. Ph. Martin’s white ink, but, you know, I haven’t run out of this ink yet, so I haven’t purchased any Dr. Martin’s to compare. From what I have read about the Martin’s, you use it the same way as you use this ink, and it has the same quirks.
You may wonder what I mean by “quirks”. The first quirk is this: out of the box, this ink may be a little too runny to comfortably use. To take care of that problem, you can leave the ink out for a couple of hours with the lid off so some of the liquid can evaporate out. Your white ink should have a consistency that’s halfway between fat-free yogurt and cream. The other quirk is this ink has a tendency to get a little too thick at times. That’s really no problem, just add water, twist the lid on, and shake it up! I’m adding water to my ink below:
There are some nibs that play nicer with white ink than others. My favorite choice for writing with white ink is the Brause Rose nib because it’s hardy/broad enough to handle more viscous inks.
However, you can use just about any nib. The only one I had a lot of trouble with was the Nikko G, for whatever reason. I didn’t include it on the list below because — truly — the results were terrible. The nib just didn’t seem to be flexible enough to work well with the white; but the trouble could very well be the user rather than the tools!
Since white ink is more or less simply acrylic paint, you can use it to write on any paper surface! I love making envelopes out of vintage magazine pages, so I’m always using white ink to write on the magazine’s smooth surface .
I know I’ve mentioned gold ink several times in the TPK blog, but you can never talk about the Finetec palette too much. To start, moisten your paint with a drop or two of water.
After the water has had some time to soak in , stir it up with a brush. The consistency you’re going for isn’t quite as thick as the consistency you want with white ink … you’re looking for the consistency of cream here.
Once you’ve reached the ideal consistency and are ready to write, brush the gold on to the back of your nib as pictured below, then write!
As you can see, these golds are shiny, opaque, and wonderful. They can write words or simply accent illustrations … whatever you want, really!
The last thing I’m going to talk about is gouache. As a full disclaimer, I barely use the stuff because it just seems like a hassle to me. However, there are a lot of calligraphers I admire who use gouache beautifully and with ease. I, unfortunately, don’t get the same vivid results, but it may just be my crummy Walmart gouache set.
To prepare your gouache for writing, squirt some out into a vessel like a paint palette or a shot glass.
Add a little bit of water …
Then mix until you’ve got that consistency between cream and low-fat yogurt.
Gouache works the same way as writing with the Finetec golds; it needs to be brushed on the back of the nib.
Then you can use it to write with!
I personally get kind of a dull, matte result from working with gouache, but I am sure that higher-quality gouaches — which have much better, more vivid pigments — would render more brilliant results. At any rate, if you’re interested in writing in some unique colors on black paper, gouache is a great choice!
Lastly, you may wonder where to procure black card stock. Honestly, all I do is purchase 8.5″x11″ sheets at craft stores, then I cut them to whatever size I want. It’s a good, economical system, and it allows you to make an A7 card one day and an A4 card the next!
I hope you were inspired by this post, and if you have any thoughts on creating drawings on black paper, let me and others know in the comments! I’d love to hear if you have tried the Dr. Ph. Martin’s ink, and if so, what you think; what your experience is working with gouache on black paper; and/or if you have any other fun ideas for drawing on black paper!
Thanks very much for reading; talk to you again soon!
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Drawing on black paper
Drawing on black paper is also known as negative drawing or drawing with reverse values. This drawing technique is so named because it involves using light materials like white pencils, pastel chalks, chalk markers, or white gel pens on dark or black paper. Instead of the traditional white paper where you create dark lines and shadows, this technique reverses it, allowing you to draw light lines, shapes, and details on a dark background.
Drawing on black paper is a fascinating and intriguing art form that is becoming increasingly popular. Whether you are a beginner curious about working with this unique medium or an experienced artist looking for new challenges.
Vaessen Creative explains what you need, the techniques involved and provides tips and inspiration to get you started.
What is Drawing on Black Paper?
Drawing on black paper is an art technique where you use light materials like white pencils, pastel chalks, chalk markers, or white gel pens on dark or black paper. Instead of traditionally using white paper to create dark lines and shadows, this technique flips it around, allowing you to draw light lines, shapes, and details on a dark background.
Before delving into the details of drawing on black paper, you’ll need some supplies to get started:
- Black paper: Opt for high-quality black paper designed specifically for drawing or artwork. This provides a solid foundation for your creations. The right drawing paper can make a difference.
- Drawing materials: Pencils with white lead, pastel chalks, chalk markers, and white gel pens are some of the most commonly used materials for drawing on black paper. Ensure they provide good coverage on dark paper. Nearly all white writing tools can be used for this technique.
- An eraser: A white eraser can be handy for adding details and highlights.
- Fixative: If you want to prevent your drawing from fading or smudging, use a fixative to protect your work. Make sure the paper you’re using is securely fastened to the surface.
Techniques You Can Use
Drawing encompasses a wide range of techniques, but some considerations apply specifically to drawing on black paper:
- Contrast is key: Since you’re drawing on a dark background, contrast is essential. Use white materials to create striking lines, shapes, and details. Also, think carefully about what you want to draw and how to reverse it on paper.
- Layering technique: Build your drawing gradually by using multiple layers. This allows you to achieve depth and texture.
- Blending and mixing: Experiment with blending colors on black paper. Pastel chalk and chalk markers are well-suited for this technique.
- Negative space: Take advantage of the dark background by emphasizing negative space in your drawing. This can result in interesting effects.
