How to Use Black Paper Backgrounds with Inks and Pens
Have you ever used black paper backgrounds in your journal or creative projects? Adding color to black paper by drawing and stamping is easy, but there are a few things to consider when applying color. Not all mediums are suitable for using on black paper, so today I will share some of my favorite mediums and techniques with you.
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Inks for Black Paper
When using inks on black paper backgrounds, you need to consider the properties of your ink. The main consideration is whether your ink is translucent or opaque. Not all inks are the same so only certain ones will work well on black paper.
Inks that I use and can recommend are the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks or a chalk-based ink. These inks are colored and have an opaque base that will stand out on the black paper instead of blending or disappearing into the background.
Make sure to use the Distress Oxide inks and not the Distress Inks. The Tim Holtz Distress inks have different properties than the Oxide inks and have translucent properties. With translucent inks, you can add layers of ink to black paper backgrounds, and it will blend into the black. When using inks on black paper you are looking specifically for an ink that will provide color and contrast.
Depending on the ink, pigment load and color, the contrast to the black paper with vary. In the tag above I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Wilted Violet, Shaded Lilac, and Speckled Egg to show the variation in colors on black paper. The difference in color is much more subtle on black paper background compared to work on a white surface, as I did in this tutorial a few weeks ago.
Bring a splash of cool tranquility to your next project with the Broken China Distress Oxide Ink Pad from Ranger Ink and Tim Holtz. This vibrant, dreamy blue is perfect for ocean scenes, sky-inspired designs, or layering with other tones for card making, stamping, journaling, and mixed media crafting.
Get bold and beautifully spooky with Wilted Violet Distress Oxide Ink from Tim Holtz and Ranger Ink. This rich shade of purple is a favorite for Halloween crafts, nighttime skies, and playful pops of color in mixed media or card making.
Brighten up your papercraft projects with a splash of sunshine using the Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide Ink Pad by Tim Holtz and Ranger Ink. This cheerful yellow delivers vibrant yet soft tones that blend beautifully, perfect for spring cards, mixed media, floral makes, and joyful journaling.
Pens for Black Paper
When choosing a pen to use on black paper backgrounds, I like to use either gel pens or paint pens.
My Favorite Gel Pens
I have a few favorite brands of gel pens to use on black paper. These include Gelly Roll and Pentel pens. Depending on the set that you get, they provide different effects on the page.
The Pentel Milky Pop pens have a white base, so they write very well on top of black. The Krazy Pop and Sparkle Pop pens will work on black but also give a metallic sheen to the drawing and writing.
Gelly Roll Pens have a variety of collections that will work on black paper backgrounds. The Moonlight Collection and Metallic collection have the most contrast, but the Stardust, Gold and Silver Shadow will also show up clearly on black.
When choosing a pen, it can be hard to tell how translucent the ink will be until you try it. I was surprised that some of my Pentel and Gelly Roll pens that I thought would work well on black practically disappeared when applied onto black paper.
Give your writing and illustrations a metallic edge with Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic Pens! These pens produce reflective, opaque metallic ink that displays beautifully on both dark and light papers as well as glossy and matte surfaces. They feature 0.4 mm tips.
Bright, Opaque White Ink: Sakura Gelly Roll pens have vibrant white ink that flows creamy smooth onto paper.
Add a unique "pop" of shimmering color to your writing, drawing, even doodling.
Great for all types of artwork, cards, paper crafts, and more, the smooth, metallic gel ink in Pentel Sparkle Pop Pens changes its appearance depending on the paper color, white or black.
Add a pop of color with Pentel Milky Pop Pens. These vivid pastel gel inks show up especially well on dark papers. Milky Pop Pens have medium points (0.8 mm) and extra-long, balanced barrels for effortless writing and control.
- Add a "Krazy pop" Of outrageous color to your writing world
- New glittery iridescent Ink adds a dazzling, dual-color sparkle effect
- Ink looks like a different color when writing on black or white paper
Gelly Roll Moonlight Pens work like a paint pen on colored papers, vellum, and photographs, with creamy, smooth, opaque ink that's perfect for writing in journals, decorating cards, pattern drawing, or making detailed accents. The fine tips are ideal for creating Zentangle and mandala drawings.
A constellation of glittering colors that sparkle on black or white paper. Ideal for greeting cards, scrapbooks, black light art, and more.
The 0.5 mm tip gives a creamy, smooth, consistent bold line that won't bleed through on vellum and most papers.
Add a little magic to your writing with Sakura Gelly Roll Gold Shadow Pens! Perfect for invitations, stationary, gift tags, drawings, and more, they write in metallic Gold gel ink with a brilliantly colored border!
Add a little magic to your writing with Sakura Gelly Roll Silver Shadow Pens! Perfect for invitations, stationary, gift tags, drawings, and more, they write in either metallic Silver gel ink with a brilliantly colored border!
My Favorite Paint Pens
My favorite paint pen to use on black paper is the Posca paint pen, but there are a variety of paint pens that will work on black. If you are looking at purchasing a paint pen, please see my paint pen comparison, where I review several brands of paint pens.
When choosing a paint pen, the same rules regarding color applies. The whiter the pigment base is, the better you will see it on black paper. With paint you can get away with adding darker colors on black paper, but there will be less contrast.
If you do want a darker color to show up well on your black paper backgrounds, add a base of white paint and then add the darker color on top. This is one way to get past some of the limitations of the darker paper.
Reversible bullet tips allow Posca markers to last twice as long as other markers; To reveal the other side of the tips, simply pull the bullet nib out to reveal one of two sides, from 0.9mm to 1.3mm.
Posca paint markers have been professionally tested and used on over 50 different surface types, which means you’re covered whether you’re using a canvas, fabric, acrylic, metal, surfboard, rocks, windshields, or anything else
Tag Samples Using Black Paper
In today’s tutorial, I used a variety of inking, drawing, and stamping techniques to layer color onto black paper backgrounds. I used a tag for these demos, I wanted to show you a smaller sample where the concept could be applied to a variety of projects.
Adding Ink and Doodles
For this tag I used a combination of Distress Oxide ink through a circle stencil using Shaded Lilac, Speckled Egg, and Squeezed Lemonade. Using a gel or paint pen, outline some but not all the circles. The easiest ways to keep the beautiful, round shapes of the circles is to line up the stencil and trace the edges of the images instead of trying to free hand it. Try adding a variety of doodles and textures to add a personal touch to your tag.
Adding Stencil Focal Images
Trying adding stenciled focal images to your black paper background with a paint pen. Start by outlining the shape and use a variety of colors to fill in and highlight the shape. This is an easy way to add layers and create dimension on a black paper background.
Stamping Through the Stencil
If drawing and doodling isn’t your preference, try adding stamping through the stencil. To get a great result for this technique, use a more open stencil shape as it will make this step easier. Ink your stamp and press it through the open areas of the stencil to transfer an image. I used Distress Ink Picket Fence and Distress Oxide Ink Broken China for this step.
What I love about this technique is that you can add layers and create little scenes in each circle. By varying between detailed script stamps and solid leaf stamps I was able to create dimension on the flat surface.
If you are having trouble getting a good impression from the stamp, take it off the stamping block and use your fingers to press the image onto the paper. I found for smaller images it was the easiest way to add the images inside the circles.
You can add additional ink blending or doodles on top to add more layers and dimension to your black paper background.
Questions?
Do you have any questions about these techniques and how to use black paper backgrounds in your projects? It requires a bit of testing to understand what inks and pens work best on black paper, but it is an easy way of creating contrast on a page and a different look.
My hope is that you will try adding stamping and doodling to projects like this. It is such a relaxing way to create, and you end up with a project that is uniquely yours. I hope that you take some time for personal self care, and try out some of these techniques!
Project Supply List
Versatile 110lb black cardstock is a perfect weight for cardmaking and mixed media projects.
Hammermill 8.5” x 11” Colored Cardstock 110lb Paper is a premium thick cardstock designed for print and copy use on copiers and printers. It’s heavy cardstock that’s ideal for heavy duty projects.
Introducing the ultimate tool for unleashing your creative potential - the Posca Paint Marker. Elevate your artistic endeavors with a marker that combines innovation, versatility, and top-notch quality, all in one package.
- Write or draw on virtually any surface in bold, opaque color
- Water-based, odorless, solvent-free ink
- Quick-drying, fade-resistant, and water-resistant
Artistro metallic pens utilize vivid, acrylic ink that dries quickly to produce a very durable opaque and glossy finish on almost all surfaces. These metallic markers have a Japanese nib and Italian ink that’s water-resistant, heat-resistant, and flows without jamming or flooding.
Get bold and beautifully spooky with Wilted Violet Distress Oxide Ink from Tim Holtz and Ranger Ink. This rich shade of purple is a favorite for Halloween crafts, nighttime skies, and playful pops of color in mixed media or card making.
Add a soft touch to your paper projects with Speckled Egg Distress Oxide Ink from Ranger Ink and Tim Holtz. This delicate dusty blue hue is ideal for spring cards, baby layouts, mixed media textures, and vintage-inspired designs.
Brighten up your papercraft projects with a splash of sunshine using the Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide Ink Pad by Tim Holtz and Ranger Ink. This cheerful yellow delivers vibrant yet soft tones that blend beautifully, perfect for spring cards, mixed media, floral makes, and joyful journaling.
Bring a splash of cool tranquility to your next project with the Broken China Distress Oxide Ink Pad from Ranger Ink and Tim Holtz. This vibrant, dreamy blue is perfect for ocean scenes, sky-inspired designs, or layering with other tones for card making, stamping, journaling, and mixed media crafting.
The Picket Fence Distress Ink Pad from Ranger Ink and Tim Holtz creates soft, ghostly impressions on dark or black backgrounds. Perfect for winter crafts and mixed media projects, this white ink is ideal for blending, shading, and stamping to add a subtle, milky-white effect to your designs.
Stamping block tools with grid and grip, 8mm thickness, assorted sizes.
Create bold backgrounds with the Dylusions Drip Drops Small Stencil from Dyan Reaveley and Ranger Ink. This 5" x 8" stencil adds dimensional detail to cards, journals, and mixed media designs using a cascade of playful circular patterns that layer beautifully with your favorite crafting mediums.
Create a beautiful and unique altered art project with the Ledger Script Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp Set by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous. This stamp set comes on a three-hole punched storage sheet.
Introducing the Plane Awesome Clear Photopolymer Stamps from Honey Bee Stamps. With sentiments like "Fly away with me," "Let the adventure begin," and "Let's get lost," these stamps ignite a sense of wanderlust and exploration.
The Jet Black Archival Ink Pad by Ranger Ink is acid-free, non-toxic, water-resistant, and fade-resistant, and provides lasting results. This ink will not deteriorate paper and does not bleed when inks, paints, or markers are used over it.
Not only is the Mini Round Ink Blending Tool cute as a button, but it’s also great for giving you a lot more control when applying a little bit of ink using a pouncing motion when using with stencils.
