I had been wanting to explore black sketchbooks for a really long time. So, I purchased this 250-gsm square sized, True Black Sketchbook from Menorah. I had chosen a square size because I was sure that I wanted to do only portraits and small sized drawings. So, this was very apt for me. There are also A4 and A5 sizes available, if you are planning to do landscapes or just prefer to have more space while drawing. The quality was also exceptional and it was really worth it. The pages were so smooth that my pens could just glide on it. The color was truly black as mentioned and the final effect after drawing on the black paper sketchbook was just stunning.

                                  These are materials that are required to do a drawing on your black sketchbook:

1. Menorah’s True Black Sketchbook
2. Pencil
3. White gelly roll pen
4. Different colours of gelly roll pens

Call upon your muse : 

                                  First things first, you got to decide what you are going to draw on your black page sketchbook. You can come up with many black sketchbook ideas. When you have a clear idea of what you want to draw, you can choose the materials that will best suit your drawing. Based on your idea you can choose acrylics, gouache, gelly roll pens, metallic water colours or even charcoal. It all depends on you.

                                   I have chosen to draw a turtle in this page because I am a part of the Turtle Survival Alliance and I was inspired to create awareness after a campaign. Likewise, your art can be anything you want- a creative work, an outlet or even a means of awareness.

Sketch it out :

                                   To be more perfect and precise, I created an outline of my drawing with a pencil. This step is optional. If you think you can achieve the result you want by using your gelly pen directly, you can do that as well.

                                    Your drawing wouldn’t look very enhanced if you jump into colouring right away. So, the next step is to create an outline of your drawing with a white gelly roll pen. This is a crucial step if you are using gelly roll pens on your black sketchbook. Making an outline with a white gelly roll pen on your black sketchbook is going to give it more definition and achieve that highlighting effect that you desired.

Color all the way :

                          The advantage of using a black sketchbook is that any color that you use on it is going to look striking and beautiful. There are many types of colors you can use on black sketchbook like neon, metallic, pastel, glitters and so on. Choosing the type of color, you want to use, is at your discretion.

                            I have chosen gelly rolls for my drawing this time. I wanted to use analogous colors/ sister color palette in my sketchbook for a richer and more refined look. Analogous colors are those that lie next to each other in the color wheel. I wanted to create an create an under- water effect on my black sketchbook because I know it will look very good against the black pages. I have started off with green and used darker, adjacent shades like teal, blue, purple and pink. Overall, I like the harmonizing effect and the way my drawing turned out.

Add in more details :

                        Adding in more details gives a new perspective to your work.  Here, I have added a few bubbles, as I thought it would go well with my chosen color palette and also highlight that my drawing is a sea turtle.

                        You can go ahead and add as many details as you like. It’s fun, exciting and taps into your creativity!