Surfaces
Types of art paper
Papers and surfaces can be used creatively, rather than just being a backdrop to your work. An interesting background surface could improve a simple drawing.
There are a number of materials to experiment with, including:
- newspaper
- brown paper
- tissue paper
- tracing paper
- wallpaper
- textured papers
- coloured papers
- maps
Instead of always working on plain, white paper it can be useful to experiment with coloured surfaces. This can also make it easier to add highlights.
Drawing on black paper
Black or dark paper can be an effective background for drawing with white or light pencil and pastels. This is a good way to draw attention to highlights or brighter parts of a subject.
Drawing on coloured paper
Drawing on coloured paper is a good way of making simple, black and white or pencil drawings more interesting to look at. Using coloured paper is an effective way to create a particular mood in an artwork.