Creative MarkMidnight Black Sketchbook, [50 Sheets - 9x12"] - Mixed Media Drawing Pad, Ooly Art Supplies Compatible, 80lb Black Paper Notebook, Ideal for Gel X, Acrylic Inks and Gouache

I bought this to practice working with black backgrounds. It is great for beginner projects! I have used pen and pencil and the paper holds up well.Definitely worth the money!

I am so pleased with this paper. For years I have been looking for quality black paper that would hold up to gouache and metallic watercolors (especially Finetec paints) without buckling too much, bleeding into the color, absorbing the paint so much it became dull, or costing an arm and a leg. This is it! This is smooth, durable paper- while not as thick or absorbent as watercolor paper- but it does hold up well to creamy layers, which is sort of what consistency you will need your gouache/metallic paint to be if you want it to be opaque. It's a deep TRUE black.The colors show up vibrantly on this paper, and metallics do NOT lose their sparkle.I know there is black watercolor paper on the market (I have two varieties) and I actually like this paper better. Again, it's not as thick, but the colors really "pop" on this paper in a way that they don't on the black watercolor papers, and maybe that's because they are a tad *too* absorbent.There is not much tooth to this paper, so I'm not sure how repeated layers of any wax products (color pencil, etc.) might work on it. But for my use- gouache, opaque watercolors, metallic watercolors, acrylics, pastel, etc.- the paper works beautifully.I really recommend this. I feel like I can really paint and experiment on this paper in a way I couldn't before simply because of the prohibitive cost of specialty black watercolor paper.

This is a sketch pad with black paper. The sheets measure 8 3/8” x 11 7/8” after detaching them using the microperforations. The paper is 80lb weight and deep, flat black. The binding is double metal spiral. The front cover is heavy cardstock, while the back is 1/16” thick boxboard. The paper was made in China.I have had great success using this paper for pastels. I am taking a beginning drawing class. In class we are starting to experiment with pastels. After using my pastels in my regular white sketchbook, I decided to see what they would look like on this black paper. Wow! They are really eye-popping. The black brings out new contrasts and new ways of looking at my drawings. I haven’t tried watercolor with it since the paper doesn’t seem thick enough for that. Overall, this paper is great for a change from regular white/cream sketch paper.

Gee whiz! Where were you a month ago? I'm making my own metallic watercolor's and I've been making color charts on a real expensive black watercolor paper. This Creative Mark midnight black media pad would be great for color charts and experimenting with metallics, kingart gel sticks and other markers & pens. I usually don't use anything under 140 lbs for mixed media because the paper doesn't hold up to lots of water. This paper is only 80 lb so it will have a ripple effect and corner's will curl from too much water. But it does hold up to testing metallics because you're not putting a lot of water over the entire page. To me, this paper is great for KingArt mixed media gel sticks, pastels, metallics, markers and pens. I wouldn't use watercolor nor acrylic because that's too much water unless you're just using it for a small area. Gouache Paints might work better if you don't add additional water. This media pad has perforations down the side of each page so you can remove a page if desired. The sheets are smooth 9" x 12", are held by a double metal spiral wire, and there's 50 sheets to express your creative spirit upon. Enjoy!

I'm learning to use different techniques for light. I'm only using white chalk pastel to do this, so of course I need a black paper. I like this paper a lot, and it's very helpful to me. Much, much easier than painting a canvas with gesso and waiting forever for it to dry, not to mention a minimal mess to simply use a good quality black paper. I wouldn't strongly recommend this paper for water-heavy applications as it's a little thin for my tastes. However it's listed for drawing and sketching, so if someone does otherwise, that's their judgement. I like that the pad has a heavy card-stock cover and wire spiral binding. This makes it easy to keep on a bookshelf or a backpack between drawing sessions. I'd recommend this to hobby artists and lower level students of all ages. Thanks for reading my review. I hope it was helpful to you and you kindly will click the button below! Have a blessed day!

Finally! A purpose for all of those white crayons! My son colored it up in no time! It really is a cute idea!