Drawing with a White Pencil on Black Paper
Drawing with a White Pencil on Black Paper: A Striking Reversal in Technique
Exploring a new drawing surface can completely change the way you see and create. One of the most enjoyable and surprisingly challenging changes you can make is drawing with a white pencil on black paper. It’s a wonderful exercise in reversing your artistic instincts and opening your mind to a fresh perspective on light, tone, and form.
In a recent live ‘Draw Along’ with my academy members, we created this sweet dog portrait using Polychromos on Strathmore Artagain Coal Black paper, with reference from Pixabay. We had fun with this drawing, as it was slightly challenging but incredibly rewarding, given the end result within the time frame. At around A5 size, or 6" x 8", it took around an hour and a half to draw, which is a bonus time-wise.
Reversing the Usual Drawing Process
When drawing on black paper, everything you know about applying tone is turned upside down.
Instead of building your shadows and mid-tones from light to dark, you now start with darkness and work your way toward the light.
To create an image this way, you must completely reverse your thinking and your pressure control:
Go heavy in pressure for the brightest whites
Ease off to lighter pressure for the mid-tones
And skirt around the deepest blacks, allowing the paper to serve as your shadow areas.
If you’re used to drawing with graphite on white paper, it feels entirely opposite. What was once an automated, intuitive process suddenly requires careful thought and observation. Yet, that’s part of the magic; it prompts you to see your subject from a different perspective.
A Rewarding Challenge
At first, it can feel tricky to adjust your approach. The temptation is to overdo the whites or lose track of where to leave the untouched black paper. But once you settle into the rhythm, the process becomes enthralling.
There’s something deeply satisfying about watching light emerge from darkness as if your subject comes to life by being illuminated from within.
The drama and contrast are striking, and each highlight you add feels powerful and deliberate.
Perfect for Workshops and Quick Studies
One of the unexpected bonuses of using this technique is its simplicity.
When I introduced it in my workshops, many participants loved that they didn’t have to labour over colour choices or multiple layering as they would typically do with coloured pencils.
This allowed them to focus purely on tone, pressure, and light and as a result, they progressed quickly. Some even completed their first piece and started a second the very next day!
The joy and confidence they gained from seeing their results so soon were truly rewarding.
Why You Should Try It
If you’ve never tried drawing with a white pencil on black paper, I encourage you to give it a go.
It’s an excellent exercise for understanding value, form, and contrast, and it enhances your ability to see highlights accurately.
Plus, the results are often striking and elegant. This approach allows you to explore different subjects from your usual choices.
Start simple. Pick a subject with clear light direction, use a good-quality white pencil (such as a Caran d’Ache Luminance or Faber-Castell Polychromos), and enjoy watching your subject come to life out of the darkness.
If you want to learn more about using coloured pencils on black paper, I have a course with tips and techniques, plus a real-time tutorial to follow along with. Here is the link for the course:
Using Black Paper with Coloured Pencils
Trying different surfaces and techniques keeps your art practice fresh and helps you grow as an artist.
Working in reverse, light on dark, not only sharpens your observation skills but also reminds you that creativity often thrives when you step outside your comfort zone.
I was over the moon with my students’ results and their excitement for this new pencil and paper combination. It’s such a fun and rewarding process, I hope you’ll give it a go!
Join in the fun to learn more about coloured pencils with live ‘Draw Alongs’ in my Animal Artists Academy. Draw Along's are only one of the many aspects of the membership.
Join my animal artist community here: Animal Artists Academy
