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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 Circlet 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 I will see you next week!

Project Supply List

• Staples Black 90lb Cardstock
• Staples White 90lb Cardstock
• Posca Paint Pens: White and Light Blue
• Artistro Paint Pens: Blue Metallic and Copper
• Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks: Wilted Violet, Speckled Egg, Squeezed Lemonade, Broken China
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Picket Fence
• Wild Whisper Designs: Nicole Wright Designs Circlet Stencil, Nicole Wright Designs Get Toasted Stencil, Adventure Stamp Set, Ledger and Script Stamp Set, Where to Next Stamp Set
• Stamping Block
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

If you are interested in any of the Wild Whisper Designs products, use DTNADINE at checkout to get 10% off of your order.