NEW! Artagain Black Paper in Rolls
Our Artagain Black drawing paper is now in roll format, so you can make BIG art.
Artist Paul Reynolds created this awesome piece on the new black roll using Pentel's Presto™ White Correction Pen. We talked to Paul to get background on the meaning, his inspiration, and a bit more about his art:
"The Turtle struggles alone under an ocean, it’s back is the weight of Knowledge and riding above is Judgement, Temptation, Fate and Chance. The air bubbles are Reflection and Survival.
My inspiration for this came when I was stuck at a train crossing watching endless railcars covered in graffiti go by. Graffiti is often used as a messenger of struggle and I thought about the anonymous artists working in secret then sending out their art not knowing who will see it.
I’ve been an artist all my life. I can remember winning my first art prize at school in England at about 10 years old and it depicted Pterodactyl skeletons traversing the night sky using white ink on black paper. Now nearly 45 years later I’ve revisited that happy time with this graffiti style packaging design for the Presto Pen by Pentel Arts on Strathmore Artagain coal black paper 16 inches by 12 inches.
An artists’ life can be a solitary one and I enjoy being alone for hours in my studio, though I really enjoy the conversation when my wife gets home at the end of the day. Sometimes late at night I listen to Talk Radio just to hear a voice but most of the time I work in silence. For me music is too distracting and I’ve wondered if having it play dilutes my inspiration by relying on the musicians’ vision. Much of my art is in the style of Pointillism or the technique of Stippling with pen and ink dots. I make it more difficult by using a pen with a nib the size of a human hair or by trying to be precise with a dip pen. I think working like this using magnification helps me focus on detail and leads to a discovery of textures and shapes on the micro scale.
In this drawing on Strathmore Artagain Coal Black paper, the surface is barely absorbing the white ink and it dries very quickly so I have to work fast and prevent build up or uneven lines.
Next I will experiment using bleach with the new Artagain black and I will continue to enjoy pushing myself to extremes with the surfaces, techniques and tools I chose."
See more from Paul here.
BLACK ARTAGAIN ROLLS:
The new rolls are 42" x 10 yards, and are made of the same 60lb. (160gsm) black drawing paper that can be found in the 400 Series pads. It is a a fiber-enhanced paper ideally suited for white charcoal, colored pencils, gel pens, metallic inks, pastels, and other light dry media.
Creating art on black paper is a fresh and inspiring way to create artwork that stands out. Using light media on dark paper allows you to achieve a unique, bold effect.
It has a medium-tooth surface and contains 30% post-consumer fiber.
Look for it in pads, full sized sheets, rolls, artist tiles, wirebound art journals, and greeting cards.
Check out these quick videos for ideas and inspiration on how you can use the black paper:
