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| 'Summer Bouquet' 9x12 pastel ©Karen Margulis available $175 |
I wanted to paint my favorite motif....wildflowers. I wanted to approach them in a different way. I really wanted these wildflowers and greenery to to appear as vibrant as they did in real life. I had the answer in my paper drawer......black paper. I pulled out a piece of Canson Mi-tientes black paper which was the perfect choice. Why paint on dark paper? Here are a couple of reasons:
- VIBRANCY. Look at how bright and intense the pastels in the above painting appear on a black surface. Pastels glow and come to life on a dark surface. Because the paper is black or dark....the lights and brights appear even lighter and brighter than they would on a lighter surface. (simultaneous contrast at work)
- TIP: When choosing a subject to paint on black choose something that will exploit the ability of the dark paper to make light and bright colors pop. Subjects such as flowers are wonderful candidates for black paper.
- CONTRAST: Black or dark paper can lead to stronger paintings. The dark tone provides the glue that holds everything together. It provides the much needed contrast with the middle and light values. If handled well the back paper can help unify shapes and prevent spottiness. I like to block in a painting with simple shapes of 2-4 values. These big areas of light and dark form the foundation for the detail and colors to follow. Working on a dark paper ensures that my darks are strong enough. (often we are afraid of pushing the darks too far and we end up with disjointed and weak paintings)
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| black Canson Mi-Tientes paper |
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| The earlier layers |
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