Studio Snippet #20: Black and White Collage Papers

This week I’m filling up my Art Parts bin with black and white collage paper!  Yay! 

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Studio Snippet Video: Black and White Collage Papers

Watch the video for more:

As I mentioned in the video, I’m using High Flow Acrylic Paint on both deli paper and sulphite paper.  And now I have lots and lots of great black and white collage paper to choose from!

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Why Black and White Collage Papers are Useful

Recently, I have found myself reaching for black and white collage paper more and more.  You can see some in each of these pieces from this year:

Because I use soooo many colors in my artwork, the black and white paper adds texture and pattern in a kind of neutral way.  It also helps me to create strong value differences in my artwork, which I love.

Here’s a list of reasons that you might want to add black and white papers to your collage stash:

• Creates strong contrast and makes other colors feel more vivid.
• Adds visual structure to a busy or layered composition.
• Gives the eye a place to rest when surrounded by lots of color.
• Connects unrelated colors by acting as a neutral bridge.
• Emphasizes value, making lights, darks, and midtones easier to see.
• Creates a clear focal point or directs the viewer’s eye.
• Adds graphic energy through bold shapes, lines, patterns, or text.
• Introduces texture without adding more color.
• Balances sweetness or softness with something sharper and more dramatic.
• Helps unify a composition when repeated in several areas.
• Makes representational imagery more abstract by simplifying it into shape and value.
• Offers a useful limitation, encouraging you to focus on composition rather than color choices.

I hope you’ll make yourself some black and white collage paper to play with!

Thanks for stopping by!

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P.S. If you want to see a collage made purely from black and white papers, then read THIS POST.