DIY :: 9 Ideas for Black and White Photo Craft

Last updated on 10 December 2021

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This is one of the easiest black and white photo craft ideas there is.

A little while ago I was given a bunch of black and white images on card that used to be a part of some sort of educational kit. That’s why some of these photos are a little odd. It was being thrown out so I grabbed it up, knowing that I would be able to do something with it. There were some really neat photos in the bunch, and I couldn’t decide on just one way to use them, because I had too many ideas. So today I give you: 9 ideas for creating a black and white photo craft.

For the photos, you can either print off some of your favourite images in black and white (on paper or card, although some of these methods I would suggest using card for) or find black and white images in magazines or newspapers or at the thrift store. You could even make a collage of magazine pictures, just by sticking them onto card.

1. Paint a Section

Adding a pop of colour to a black and white image can look really neat. Here I just used watercolour paint (but not much water), and simply painted over the sign with orange. This technique would look really cool with a flower image, or in perhaps a portrait. Choose a part of the picture that you think would look neat in colour, and simply paint it in!

2. Funky paper

Carefully cut out a section of your image (for this one I cut about an inch in from the edges, and about an inch wide). Then stick a piece of colourful paper (or wallpaper, scrapbooking paper, magazine images etc) on the backside, and stick the piece you cut on on top. So get your lines straight and at the right width, draw with a pencil on the back of the image before cutting. This creates a framed effect while using the image as the frame.

3. Write on them

Do you know what this quote is from? I’ll give you a clue: the movie is set in a museum…and it’s nighttime. Yes, yes it is from Night at the Museum. Well done.

Grab yourself a Sharpie or permanent marker of some sort and write a quote on your photo. You could use inside jokes if you’re giving it to someone, or your favourite quotes (from movies, shows, books, inspirational people etc), or just make something up. This one can be a lot of fun, especially if your photo is a group of people.

4. Stick colourful and/or textured paper on it

Pick a shape, pick some pretty paper (I used a mixture of textured and flat papers in blues and purples) and stick away! You could even paste the shapes across the entire photo, leaving larger gaps between the shapes so the image shows through.

5. Photocopy with clear colour

This one is a little bit random. But basically, I had a whole lot of old overhead sheets with maps on them, and they were full coloured ones. Even if you don’t have old overhead sheets like this (quite likely), cellophane is a great alternative, and you could create a lot of cool designs. For this one, I popped the maps on top of my black and white image, and then I photocopied it. You could, of course, simply stick the cellophane on top, but if you want that sort of disjointed, ‘what’s it going to turn out like’ kind of look, I find photocopying it can create something quite unexpected. If you do this, then you also have the original photo to still play with.

6. Cut the image into shapes

Turn your image over, and draw large circles on the back. Then cut them out and display your images as a series of circles. I think this looks really neat because you don’t get the entire picture, just snippets of it, but if you stand back away from it, it looks more complete (if you’ve stuck in them in the order that they would go in, were they still intact). Of course, you don’t have to go with circles; you could cut the image into squares or triangles, or whatever shape takes your fancy.

7. Draw in the background

I think this was my favourite one to do. If you have an image with a black background, as this one had, grab your pens and go nuts! Doodle away, or carefully plan what you’re going to do. It’s up to you! Add some colour here and there if you’re doing predominately black, or do the whole thing in colour.

8. Do a wash with watercolours over the image

For this picture of Stone Henge, I grabbed my watercolour paints and just painted. Watercolours are great because they will go where the water is. You can place water on the image (card is preferable; the paper will get too wet and most likely rip unless you have good quality paper), and then add a dab of paint, and it will seep and blend all by itself. If you want more control, use less water.

9. Stamp circles 

If you have cool stamps, stamp away! For this look I actually used a toilet paper roll, dunk it in some black and blue paint and got stamping. I think it makes the image look a bit more interesting (seriously, what even is this picture?), and it was a lot of fun to do!

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So there we have it! 9 ideas for creating fun black and white photo craft! You could even print your pictures off small, and turn them into cards or notes for people. Or huge and hang them on your wall – framed or not framed. The options are endless!

Have you ever played with photographs like this?