I'm in the process of doing a drawing in coloured pencils on Stonehenge paper. Almost 50% of it will be black background. Apart from the time it will take to do that background in pencil I have my doubts as to whether I will achieve the intense black that I'm looking for.

Is it possible to do the background in charcoal or even in pastel? Some of the black which is part of the subject itself has already been done in pencil... will the difference in the media be discernible and obtrusive?

What do you think?

Rose the best way to answer your own question is to get a piece of scratch paper and test out the different mediums you are asking about the same way you intend to do them on your final picture. Its a good idea to always make a rough sketch to test the waters so to say before you make a final copy. I have been doing this alot lately. But I am sure either will look fine over or even cover up the graphite to give the picture the more intense black you are looking for.

I know its too late now most likely, but I would have chosen black or dark paper to draw on and save yourself all that filling in with whatever medium you choose.

Its difficult to change horses midstream but as Venus said, experiment a bit and see what the results are. Charcoal will be darker, depending on how soft it is but may not be an easy bedfellow with coloured pencil as they are waxbased - at least the Prismacolors.

Thanks for the prompt advice.

Jeanette: The choice of the white paper was made after careful consideration. The drawing, as you will see when it is done, needs very bright highlights which would have been impossible to achieve with pencils on black.

I did think that the charcoal or pastels would not really mix because of there essential difference in composition., I guess I was hoping for the impossible and trying to save myself a lot of tedium! The drawing is turning out tolerably good and I really don't want to spoil it now.

I'll go with the black pencil. I hope it lasts me through since I have only about three-quarters of a black prisma.

Sorry Rose!!! I read that wrong and totally missed the "coloured" in the pencil...I thought you were just using graphite pencils and knew that you could probably use the charcoal or pastels to cover it basically and know that mixing them works well together. I didn't see you were using colored pencils. I guess I wasn't fully awake yet when I replied.

That's OK Venus...I do that all the time.

So... most of the subject is done and I start on the black. Wish me luck and pray the pencil lasts!

Rose, I rarely use black as a colour in its own right, but create black using a variety of colours, tuscan red, indigo, black grape, etc. Combined they form a rich dark background that the eye reads as 'black'. I find that black alone tends to be very flat - just my experience.

Oops Jeanette... I read this when it was a little too late!

I know I have used a combination of tuscan red and dark green quite successfully in my lily drawing... but precisely for that reason I'm running very low even on those colours.

Anyway t'is now done!

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Rose I think your picture is beautiful!!! I have a few pictures saved that I got off of wet canvas that are still-life pictures that I am dying to do. They are kind of like but not the same your kitty and flower vase, but they are the flower vases with other stuff around them. I think I will have a go at one of the pictures after I accomplish my goal of portraits. After I finish the one of Tuesday, I have 3 more to do and then I should pretty much be able to do them I think. Or at least I hope. Do you have an art store near you that sells the pencils separately? Maybe you can find one online with reasonable prices instead of buying whole sets? Blicks Art Materials online has their own store brand colored pencils at a reasonable price for a set of 72. I am going to purchase them as well as my drawing table when we finally get our tax refund back, hopefully next week sometime. I will let you know if they are any good.