With nothing more than black paper and imagination, you can create incredible artwork that gets people talking. Black paper is magic for art because it provides instant contrast, a detail that ordinarily requires effort to make.

This article will explore five black paper art ideas, so if you’re an aspiring artist, read on for some great ideas for your next project.

Things to Draw on Black Paper

Drawing on black paper, can completely transform what would be an ordinary drawing on white paper into an incredible sensory scene.  Obviously the black paper influences what colours you choose.  We find high contrast colours the best – the most obvious being white.  Light blues, reds and greens all work well too.  Here’s a list of things you could drawing on black paper to start you off on your creative journey:

• Sunsets
• Reversed sillhouettes
• Spooky faces
• Facial features such as eyes
• Animals such as wolves, horses and cats
• Translucent creatures such as squids
• Object outlines using negative space

That’s just a start.  The sky’s the limit!

Easy drawing on black paper with white pencil

White pencil is absolutely the best choice of colour when you start drawing on black paper.  It provides the greatest contrast, and the pencil is ideal for controlling how heavy you apply it.  It gives an enormous amount of scope for putting as much detail into your drawing as you want.

The best way to start is by drawing a standard shape, such as a circle, triangle or square.  Then adding turning it into a 3 dimensional drawing by adding different variations of shading.  Once you’ve mastered that, try drawing a full moon or sunset to apply what you’ve learned on a piece of art.

You soon get the hang of it and find how easy it is to draw on black paper with a white pencil.

1. Cut paper art

Cut paper art, or papercutting, involves creating two and three-dimensional art using various paper types, scissors and a craft knife.

With papercutting, you draw onto paper and carefully cut the design out, creating a fine, detailed item for display and use in other art.

For example, you could draw a dragon on black paper, cut it out, and stick it to white paper to create contrasting two-dimensional art. Or you could mount the dragon onto foam, stick it to the paper and create three-dimensional artwork.

The beauty of cut paper art is its three-dimensionality. Masters of paper cut art can create detailed trees, animals, cityscapes and architectural drawings. Bored Art has a few examples of beautiful work which you can use as inspiration.

2. Black rose origami

Origami is an exceptionally diverse art form, with some models being deceptively simple while other models take years to master.

A flower is a great starting point with black paper, and there’s nothing more familiar than a rose (although a black lotus is a close second).

This tutorial on YouTube is a great way to get started on a black rose. All you need is a black sheet of paper, your hands and 5 minutes to watch the video. Making the flower takes some practice, but you’ll have it sussed within half an hour.

3. White drawings on black paper

Monotone drawings are an art form in their own right, with no finer way to create detailed, contrasting art that pops from every angle.

The great thing about white drawings on black paper is that you can use various interesting materials, including chalk, white markers, white pastels, Tipp-ex, and pencil. It isn’t every day you get to use white materials to draw and mark.

We particularly like the use of white on black for detailed drawings. For example, the cat in this drawing is beautiful, with white light on black paper instead of shadows.

4. Painted night scenes

Black paper is the perfect medium for painting night scenes because the paper is already black, giving you an immediate scene to work with.

From start-filled skies and solar systems to cityscapes and nightscapes, you can paint anything on black paper. We recommend using acrylic paint or oil paint (watercolour paint is too thin to deliver contrast on black paper).

Colours work beautifully on black paper, especially yellows, blues and greens, giving you many ways to create dynamic, interesting paintings.

5. Mastering shadows with white pencil

If you think you’re good at shadows and highlights, take a white pencil to black paper and see how you get on. It’s harder than you think!

Using a white pencil on black paper is great for teaching yourself shadows because every line is unforgiving. It takes great effort to make white pencil gradually go from light to dark, giving you a crash course in shadows and lighting.

Another reason we love black paper for mastering shadows is you can easily see progress between drawings. On white paper, differences can get lost in detail, but black paper gives drawings nowhere to hide, helping you improve your skills.

 

Have fun!

Get started with our Black Paper Collection and have fun creating art that pops.