Black Paper Sketchbook

...well, scrapbook actually, but hey!

Hello there, and how are you today?

I thought I'd share some pics from inside my black paper sketchbook. As in this post, this is actually Paperchase scrapbook which I bought in the sale last year, and decided to use as a play place for my coloured pens. I was going to use it as a photo album but the pens won!

Scattered Flower design using metallic pens

Metallic and fluorescent pens are brilliant fun, and look amazing on a dark background - as do white pens (white on black is a massive love of mine). The metallics in the Sakura set flow like a dream...I find them gorgeous to work with.

Last night's sofa doodle session - white Gelly Roll seed heads and flowers

I own these pens, and have used them on the pages shown throughout this post:

• Gelly Roll Moonlight pens by Sakura
• Gelly Roll Metallic pens by Sakura
• Gelly Roll in white by Sakura
• Pentel Hybrid Gel pen in silver and gold
• Uniball Signo in silver and gold

I've had a lot of these pens for a few years now, and still work as well as they did when I first bought them.

This one was drawn using the Moonlight pens by Sakura, and reminds me of my old Spirograph set, I had as a kid!

Another Moonlight design, even though I've called them Moonstone on the page ;) Love this pink! The photo doesn't capture half of its essence - it really pops off the page.

More Moonlight play - the ink is beautifully opaque from these pens, and flows so well. I do find I have to wipe the nib occasionally, as the ink kind of dries a little bit like paint around the tip. It doesn't spoil the fun of using them in anyway though.

Words to live by, and another gorgeous Moonlight colour! This is a vivid yellow in real life...totally lush!

The only slight issue with these types of pen, is that they can rub off a little on the page that sits on top of them, a little like chalk does - remember me saying that I tend to use just one side of the paper in the book for this reason? Well there you go - you can see what I mean in the image above.

Top Tip:
Scrap packaging card is great for practising with these kinds of pens...especially the kraft type card that you get with Amazon parcels. I've used this a few times now for collage and gouache work, and the colours sit really well on the card, and show up beautifully.
Perhaps I'll do a post on that at a later date :)

I hope this has inspired you to play with coloured papers, and different pen types!

If you have anything you'd like me to talk about, share my process about etc, do please let me know...I'm happy to help and inspire.

Cheerio for now,
Sarah

♡