The black paper version of Clairefontaine's outstanding Paint On mixed media range — the same exceptional double-sized 250gsm paper that handles acrylic, gouache, ink, watercolour washes, pen and ink, fine liner, pencil, graphite, charcoal, pastel, and oil pastel without buckling or feathering, in a deep black ground that fundamentally changes the relationship between artist and surface.
Black paper inverts the conventional starting point of painting and drawing. Where white paper starts from the lightest possible value and requires the artist to work towards dark, black paper starts from the darkest possible value and requires working towards light. Highlights become active, positive marks. Whites and pale colours have a brilliance and luminosity against black that is simply impossible to achieve on white paper. Mid-tones glow. The result is a quality of light in finished work — a drama and intensity — that white paper cannot replicate, and that makes the same techniques feel entirely different in character and result.
The Paint On Noir is particularly well suited to illustration, graphic design, night-sky and celestial subjects, neon and fluorescent colour work where the black ground makes vivid colours sing, portraiture where a dark ground changes the entire tonal approach, and mixed media work combining metallic inks, white gouache, and acrylic with coloured pencils and fine liner. The POSCA and Uni-Ball Signo white gel pen in particular show their full quality against a black ground in a way they never can on white paper.
The black is deep-dyed throughout — there is no white core at cut or torn edges — giving an authenticity and richness that surface-tinted papers cannot achieve. Acid-free, pH neutral, PEFC certified. 30 sheets per pad, glued on one edge with a stiff backing board. Made in France by Clairefontaine.
Available in A5 and A4.
Paper weight: 250gsm
Sheets: 30
Paper tone: Noir — deep black, deep-dyed throughout
Surface: Light grain, double-sized
Composition: 100% cellulose, acid-free, pH neutral
Certification: PEFC
Binding: Glued one edge, stiff backing board
Made in: France
What media can be used on Clairefontaine Paint On Noir?
Acrylic, gouache, white and metallic inks, fine liner, coloured pencils, pastel, oil pastel, markers, felt tips, gel pens, and collage. The double sizing and 250gsm weight give excellent wet strength across all these media without buckling or feathering.
Why work on black paper rather than white?
Black paper starts from the darkest possible value, requiring the artist to work towards light rather than dark. Highlights become active marks, whites and pale colours have exceptional luminosity, and the quality of light in finished work has a drama and intensity impossible to achieve on white paper. It fundamentally changes what is possible and encourages a completely different approach to colour and tonal composition.
Is the black colour throughout the paper or just on the surface?
The noir colour is deep-dyed throughout — there is no white core at cut or torn edges. This gives the paper an authenticity and richness that surface-tinted papers cannot replicate.
Can sheets be removed from the pad?
Yes — sheets are glued along one edge and can be removed cleanly. The stiff backing board provides firm support during use.
Which size should I choose?
The A5 is a practical starting point for mixed media experimentation and smaller finished pieces. The A4 gives a more generous working area suited to developed illustration, portraiture, and larger mixed media compositions. Both contain 30 sheets of identical paper.
