Drawing on black paper is different to white, but it’s easy once you know the interactions of white and light colours on black media.

On black paper, white creates contrast, blackness creates depth, and colours create highlights. You use the darkness of the paper as a substitute for dark shadow tones and add highlights with whites and colours.

This article reveals how to draw on black paper, including the materials you need and the best techniques for professional work.

Art supplies for drawing on black paper

You only need a few items to draw on black paper:

• White pencil (made from chalk)
• Coloured pencils (Faber-Castell Polychromos are ideal)
• Coloured permanent makers
• Pencil sharpener/blade
• Kneadable soft eraser (regular erasers can smudge colours).

You should also buy the highest-quality black paper you can afford with a minimum of 130gsm, with 160gsm or higher best for finished works.

Tips for Drawing on Black Paper

Here’s how to draw on black paper:

Keep a test sheet

Always keep a test sheet of black paper so you can apply your colours with different pressures to test them. The last thing you want is to practice on finished works because you will substantially increase the risk of error.

Make colour swatches on the test sheet and draw on the test sheet every time you pick up a new pencil to ensure you apply the right colour and pressure.

Start with colours – not whites

Save your white to last and treat it like a precious commodity!

While it’s tempting to start with white pencil, your drawings will look better if you start with the dimmest colours and work your way up to the brightest.

In other words – do the opposite of white paper (light to dark). You will accentuate the colours by going from dark to light, and your whites will pop.

Hone your pressure

The amount of pressure you apply to your pencil will define how bold/strong your highlights are on the paper. You should only use moderate/heavy pressure on elements you don’t need to erase, as it’s tough to erase them.

Start with light pressure and work your way up, but don’t press too hard – if you need lots more colour, select a brighter hue.

Use a black pencil as an eraser

Black pencil acts as an eraser on highlights, letting you introduce detail and interesting textures to enhance your drawings.

A fine-tipped black pencil can make furs look realistic, while a wide-tipped black pencil can help you create an eye-catching contrast.

A black pencil is more controllable than an eraser, and it is how professional artists create lots of depth and detail on black paper.

Add bright detail with marker pens

For snowflakes, stars, lens flares, rainbows, and other extreme highlights that need to stand out, permanent marker pens are the best way to create them.

Permanent markers draw over pencil and won’t soak into and warp the black paper so long as the paper is at least 130gsm and you don’t let the pen sit.

Another option to create pops of colour on black paper is nail polish – this can create glossy details, and it dries in only a few minutes.