I have a craving for working on black. Can colored pencils be used on black paper, and if so are there any special techniques?
A. Yes, colored pencil can be used successfully on black paper, or on other colored papers too. In my books, The Colored Pencil, Revised Edition and Basic Colored Pencil Techniques, there are chapters on using colored surfaces, including black. But here is some immediate information to get you started satisfying that urge: 1. Black paper isn’t really black but is actually a dark gray–in any brand. To truly work with a black paper you would have to create your own by using watercolor, or liquid acrylic on a board. If you opt to use manufactured black paper or matboard, just remember that you will still have to use a black c/pencil for your darkest darks–because the paper will not be dark enough to serve that function itself. 2. Most ready-made dark papers and matboards won’t take more than about two layers without looking a bit “greasy” or overworked. 3. Colored paper also tends to “eat” c/pencil, because it takes more pigment material to register on black than on white paper. Some ar
